COVID-19 has tested the resiliency of our food system, and it has shown the fragility of the current globalized food system in a way that can teach us lessons about how we need to strengthen food systems against future crises like climate change. It is estimated that COVID-19 has resulted in an additional 130 million people worldwide who are on the brink of starvation, and that number will likely double to 265 million by the end of the year.* Before the pandemic, food insecurity was already high in North Carolina, especially among our most vulnerable populations.  Prior to the pandemic, more than 600,000 households in NC didn’t have enough to eat, including 1 in 5 children. In 2020, food security could increase to over 54 million people, including 18 million children.** The pandemic highlighted additional vulnerabilities as dozens of slaughterhouses and meat processing plants closed temporarily or reduced their capacity, leaving farmers economically vulnerable, and forcing them to euthanize many of their animals; shortages of fruits and vegetables and other agricultural products occurred in grocery stores and other market outlets as farm and processing labor became ill; school meals and the feeding of other vulnerable populations and the food insecurity safety net was disrupted and overwhelmed.  

Up until the recent pandemic, conversations revolved around the resiliency of our food system related to climate change, but the pandemic has exposed some additional ways the food system is vulnerable. Perhaps COVID-19 can be a turning point towards building a more resilient food system.