China ensures large cities can ensure food supply when applying blockade or quickly switching to online sales.

When Covid-19 spreads strongly in China in the first months of 2020, the country imposes many measures to block large cities, the habitat of tens of millions of people, strictly restricting access

One of the top concerns of government officials and people when the blockade order is the ability to ensure food for people in the city.

Experts say that this may be an experienced lesson for countries to apply food security measures to cities to be blocked to prevent epidemics, in the context of a shortage of food that can become a challenge

Community employees and volunteers classify, pack groceries from a supermarket in Wuhan early 2020. Photo: Reuters.

An important factor in maintaining food security is a diverse form of food in Chinese cities.

While millions of people stuck at home, traditional markets are closed, online food markets become popular retail forms.

Estimates of people under 25 years old in China to buy fresh vegetables from online markets increased by more than 250%, while the number of passengers over 55 years of online stores increased by nearly 400%.

Some most famous online food markets have 470% increase in sales over the same period last year.

Online food markets in China will not be successful if Beijing does not apply urban food security policies called vegetable basket programs.

Recommended in 1988, the program requires city mayors to be responsible for providing, ensuring affordable prices and safety of food not cereals, mainly vegetables and meat.

Wuhan, Tam Chan Covid-19 in China early 2020, among the 35 major cities assessed by the central government once on the performance of the program.

The cities will be highly scored if there are innovations in the facilities of delivery in residential areas, such as a clean cabinet to deliver and take food, ensuring many food consumption points such as supermarkets

The strict assessment ensures that all areas have a network of diverse and vast meat and meat.

Local authorities set specific objectives on self-sufficient self-sufficient proportions to demonstrate commitment to vegetable basket programs.

This local food production objectives are accompanied by plans to maintain strict agricultural land.

Food security in China is also strengthened by the food reserve system.

In 2018, China's grain storage total was estimated at 120 million tons of corn, 100 million tons of rice, 74 million tons of wheat and 8 million tons of soybeans.

In order to ensure favorable freight transportation, China establishes a green flow, allowing vehicles to transport agricultural products through quarantine or charging station with a passport level issued by the provincial government.

In January 2020, the Chinese State Tax Department announced any income from the transportation of key items in the crisis, including agricultural products, which were exempt from value added tax.

When Wuhan city was blocked earlier last year, the Hubei Provincial government worked with retailers in other localities, including very far away places like Yunnan or Hainan, to provide food

As a result, despite being blocked for a long time, nearly ten million people in Wuhan still do not have a lack of food food, when supermarkets and shops still ensure supply.

Zhenzhong Si, expert from the University of Waterloo in Canada, said that to adapt to the pandemic, the government of countries should restructure the supply chain that is too dependent on the system of supermarkets and food imported from

Encouraging the development of diverse food production enterprises through urban food system planning will improve the ability to respond in crises and support more for domestic and local food producers.

They are safe grids that we aim for in an incredible world, Si wrote.