In Germany, food is generally supplied to the population via the free market. However, cases are conceivable in which it is no longer possible to supply the population in this way. The government's emergency food supply system is therefore tasked with ensuring the basic supply of food to the population through sovereign measures in the event of defense and tension as well as in the event of a non-military supply crisis. To this end, all necessary precautions must already be taken to ensure an adequate supply.

The federal government has therefore adopted as its legal basis the

Act on Securing the Basic Supply of Food in a Supply Crisis and Measures for Precautionary Measures for a Supply Crisis (Food Security and Precautionary Measures Act - ESVG of April 4, 2017 (Federal Law Gazette I p. 772).

The purpose of the Food Security and Precautionary Measures Act (ESVG) is to enable the population to be supplied with basic foodstuffs in the event of defense and tension as well as in the event of a non-military supply crisis.

A non-military supply crisis can occur as a result of a natural disaster, a particularly serious accident, an act of sabotage, an economic crisis or another comparable event.

The Thuringian Ministry of Infrastructure and Agriculture is responsible for emergency food preparedness in Thuringia.