ABSTRACT
This chapter will focus on one important trouble with Community Food Initiatives: their often limited focus on selected aspects of current food systems challenges. Despite long-standing calls for integrated social and ecological transformations of our agri-food systems to make them just, equitable, ecologically sustainable, and economically viable, it seems, in practice, Community Food Initiatives frequently focus on either the environmental aspect – often in cooperation with producers, supporting direct marketing initiatives, etc. – or the social justice aspect, often with a focus on food insecure (urban) consumers that cannot afford or otherwise lack access to good, that is, fresh, nutritious, delicious food. Based on an analysis of the literature and own empirical research in German and Canadian cities, this chapter will show the prevalence of single-issue approaches, contextualise these findings through a conceptual literature review, and then present and discuss two possible ways to overcome them following a critical-reparative approach: first, the Canadian concept of Community Food Centres (CFCs), and second, food policy councils as a tool to envision and enact integrative food policies on a municipal level. While not shying away from critique and pointing out shortcomings and difficulties, these two examples are presented as actually existing attempts to overcome divisions, and thus points of inspiration and hope.
