Chen Yun’s thought on food security emphasized the decisive and fundamental position of grain issues. He identified increasing per-unit yield, industrial support, water conservancy construction, farmland protection, and policy incentives as primary pathways and key measures for boosting production, and emphasizing the unified management of grain-related work by the state. Chen Yun promoted the implementation of a series of important policies to maintain food security. In the early years of the People’s Republic of China and during the First Five-Year Plan period, he ensured grain supply and supported industrial construction by facilitating smooth distribution channels and implementing the unified purchase and sales systems. During the adjustment period following the Great Leap Forward and up until the reform and opening up, measures such as grain imports, reduction of urban population, and increases in grain prices were taken to alleviate the burden on farmers, while multiple approaches were employed to address food supply challenges. These insights and practical experiences continue to offer valuable lessons for safeguarding national food security and ensuring the stability of this national priority today.