Inequality in China’s Food and Nutrition Production and the Decomposition of Contributing Sources

Food and nutrition production play a pivotal role in China’s transition toward a nutrition-sensitive food system. Alongside rapid urbanization and dietary shifts, substantial transformations have occurred in food production patterns. This study investigates inequality in China’s food and nutrition sectors from 1991 to 2021 by employing the Theil index and Gini coefficient, analyzing its drivers from both regional and categorical perspectives. The findings reveal significant disparities in food production concentration across different categories, with notable shifts over the study period. Land-intensive agricultural products—including cereals, oil crops, sugar crops, pulses, roots, tubers, and livestock—exhibited increasing inequality, as indicated by rising Gini coefficients and Theil indices, suggesting greater spatial concentration. In contrast, labor-intensive categories such as fruits and aquatic products showed declining inequality, reflecting broader distribution. Notably, inequality within specific food types (e.g., wheat, beet, and rapeseed production) exceeded disparities among broader food categories. Nutrition inequality, measured by both indices, also increased between 1991 and 2021. However, variations across different nutrients were relatively minor, as diversified nutrition sources mitigated inequality within food categories. Geospatial analysis further highlighted distinct patterns: cereals were the primary contributors to disparities in energy, protein, and mineral supply; oil crops and livestock products drove fat inequality; while vegetables and fruits predominantly influenced vitamin inequality. These findings offer critical insights for optimizing China’s food and nutrition distribution strategies, supporting more equitable and sustainable food system development.