KREI proposes national food security response framework spanning levels 0 to 3

Supply drop of 20% below normal triggers Level 2; daily caloric supply below 1,850 kcal triggers Level 3

Top-tier response includes boosting domestic output and rationing food; crisis fund involving government, local authorities and private sector also under consideration

Photo unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]
Photo unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]

South Korea should establish a prime minister-led "Food Crisis Response Headquarters" to coordinate a pan-government response if grain imports are disrupted and domestic food supplies fall short, a state research institute proposed Tuesday. Under the proposed framework, a supply drop of 20 percent or more below the normal level would trigger Level 2, while a fall in per-capita daily caloric supply below 1,850 kilocalories would activate the most severe Level 3 — prompting efforts to boost domestic production and distribute limited food stocks.

The Korea Rural Economic Institute published a report Tuesday titled "Food Security Crisis Scenarios and the Development of a Response Framework." Researchers said the nature of food crises has shifted — from a problem of rising prices to one of being unable to secure needed supplies at all, due to export restrictions and supply chain disruptions.

In the past, even when grain stocks fell short because of extreme weather and prices rose, countries could still secure needed quantities by paying more. Now, however, international conflicts and the spread of food protectionism mean that grain may simply be unavailable regardless of price.

South Korea is heavily dependent on overseas sources for major grains. Its grain self-sufficiency rate stood at 22.2 percent in the 2023 crop year. Self-sufficiency rates for soybeans, wheat and corn were 9.3 percent, 1.1 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively. The country's food supply is directly vulnerable to any disruption in global supply chains.

The researchers proposed dividing food crises into four levels — from Level 0, representing normal conditions, to Level 3, the most severe — and outlined response measures for each.

The following table summarizes the proposed food security crisis response framework, as provided by the Korea Rural Economic Institute.

Level 0 — Supply stable, prices normal: Peacetime management; maintain and strengthen domestic production base, manage supply chains, expand stockpiles.

Level 1 — Supply disruptions emerge: Food Crisis Response Committee activated; adjust distribution and sales, promote imports, expand domestic production.

Level 2 — Supply of affected commodity falls 20 percent or more below normal: Food Crisis Response Committee activated; promote imports, expand domestic production and other supply-stabilization measures.

Level 3 — Per-capita daily caloric supply falls below 1,850 kcal: Prime minister-led Food Crisis Response Headquarters activated; boost domestic production, ensure fair distribution of limited food stocks, stabilize prices.

At Level 0, the focus is on maintaining and strengthening the domestic production base — including farmland — and managing supply chains. At Levels 1 and 2, when a crisis materializes, the response involves adjusting distribution and sales, promoting imports and expanding domestic production. The researchers set a specific threshold for Level 2: a supply drop of 20 percent or more below the normal level for the affected commodity.

Level 3 represents a situation in which even the minimum food supply needed by the population becomes difficult to secure. It is triggered when per-capita daily caloric supply falls below 1,850 kcal. At this stage, domestic production would be ramped up, limited food stocks would be distributed equitably, and measures to stabilize sharply rising food prices would run in parallel.

The government response framework would also scale up with the severity of the crisis. At Levels 1 and 2, a "Food Crisis Response Committee" would be established; at Level 3, a "Food Crisis Response Headquarters" led by the prime minister would be activated. The proposal calls for a pan-government structure centered on the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, with participation from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and other related ministries.

The researchers also argued that preparedness should begin in normal times, not only after a crisis strikes. They said the government should consider expanding domestic food stockpiling facilities and reserves, and explore establishing a "food crisis response fund" with participation from the central government, local governments and the private sector.

The fund would be used for stockpiling and releasing food reserves, stabilizing markets through import adjustments, taking emergency supply measures when a crisis occurs, and restoring production capacity. The researchers also proposed holding regular simulation exercises — modeled on scenarios such as a complete halt in grain imports — to assess in advance the roles of relevant agencies, producers and private-sector players.

Establishing a legal foundation to make the food crisis response framework operational was also identified as a key task. The researchers said a dedicated food security law should be enacted to enshrine citizens' right to food access and the state's responsibility to ensure stable food supplies, and to institutionalize the protection of farmland and irrigation infrastructure, the promotion of the seed industry, strategic stockpiling and the establishment of a crisis response headquarters.

"When it comes to food security, it is more important to build a preemptive, tiered response system in normal times than to react after a crisis has already occurred," said Seung Jun-ho, an associate research fellow at the institute. "We need to establish a legal foundation to guarantee stable food supplies and citizens' right to food access, maintain farmland and the production base, expand strategic stockpiles, and build a response system that can function effectively in an actual crisis."


adastra@heraldcorp.com