In the intricate landscape of the global food system, a nuanced understanding of dynamic evolution patterns and driving mechanisms of food trade network is essential for advancing insights into the African food trade and maintaining the food security of Africa. This paper constructs a framework for analyzing the food trade network from a comparative perspective by comparing and analyzing the evolution of food trade networks in China, the United States, Russia, the European Union, and African countries. The development trend of food trade between China, Russia, the United States, the European Union, and African countries is relatively good. China, the United States, Russia, and the European Union export far more food to African countries than they import, and bilateral food trade plays an important role in alleviating food supply shortages in Africa. The food trade networks between China, the United States, Russia, the European Union, and African countries exhibit a butterfly-shaped structure centered in Africa, and the overall intensity of bilateral trade linkages is gradually increasing. France has the greatest control over the food trade network between China, the United States, Russia, the European Union, and African countries, and the influence of the United States on the food trade network between China, the United States, Russia, the European Union, and African countries is increasing. China’s independence in the food trade network between China, the United States, Russia, the European Union, and African countries is enhanced, but its control ability is limited. The impact of differences in total population, differences in food production, and geographical borders on the trade network between China, the United States, the European Union, and African countries tends to decrease, while the influence of differences in the proportion of agricultural employment, differences in the arable land available for food production, and institutional distance tends to increase.
