Under normal circumstances, more than 19 billion pounds of food is distributed across the five boroughs every year, according to “Five Borough Food Flow,” a 2016 city report. It’s consumed not only by more than eight million residents, but by hundreds of thousands of commuters and some 60 million tourists. Now, with students and workers at home, travelers vanished and the possibility of government-enforced lockdowns, New York City’s food system — one of the largest and most diverse in the world — is about to go through a radical transformation.

Food distributors and other experts are not concerned the city will run out of food — at least not in the short term. Rather, they are rushing to put together the logistics of feeding millions of housebound New Yorkers, as they begin to feel the effects of an unprecedented economic dislocation.

“We have a large number of contracts in place and are ready to hit the ‘send’ button for food, but what we really need to think through is the distribution of that food,” said Kate MacKenzie, the director of the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy. “We are modeling, we are planning for all kinds of scenarios and thinking about certainly our most vulnerable, but obviously all New Yorkers.”

Preparedness experts advise households to have at least a 14-day supply of food and medicine on hand, whether or not a disaster is in the offing. But even in the best of times, many New Yorkers are not in a financial position to stock up for two days, let alone two weeks. About 20 percent of the city’s population lives in poverty, according to 2017 city data — a number that is almost certain to increase if mass furloughs and layoffs begin.