Introduction

China’s agri-food system is undergoing a multidimensional transformation encompassing food security, food safety, nutrition and health, and green sustainable development. Since the reform and opening-up, China has achieved remarkable progress: grain output reached 695.41 million tons in 2023 with per capita availability exceeding 480 kg; food safety compliance rates reached 97.27%; dietary patterns evolved from “eating enough” to “eating healthily”; and agricultural carbon emissions peaked in 2016. However, challenges persist including limited resilience to external shocks, low smallholder productivity, resource constraints, food safety risks, nutritional imbalance, and green transition barriers. Governance systems have evolved from fragmented oversight to integrated coordination, with food security policies transitioning from state monopoly to market-oriented support, food safety regulation consolidating into unified authority, nutrition strategies elevating to national priority under “healthy China”, and green policies aligning with carbon peaking and neutrality goals. Effective transformation requires synergistic government-market coordination rather than reliance on either mechanism alone.