Abstract
A new food equation is taking shape in response to burgeoning prices for basic foodstuffs and growing concerns about the security and sustainability of the agri-food system. Far from being confined to the countries of the global south, food security is now a major issue for the global north, where cities are most exposed to the new pressures on account of their ecological and political sensitivities. This article examines the evolution of urban food strategies in two world cities, London and New York, to explore (i) the meanings of a 'sustainable food strategy' and (ii) the scope and limits of food system localization, which is not a surrogate for a sustainable food strategy.