Policy instruments for the transition to a circular food system

Breaking the linear produce, consume, dispose chain is frequently seen by both scholars and practitioners as a crucial step in the transition toward more sustainable food systems. Therefore, circularity is an increasingly popular concept when thinking about the future of food systems, resulting in numerous policy developments for more circular food systems. As the outcomes of
food systems are very context dependent, there are different visions on how to organize this transition. Hence, there is a wide variety of (combinations of) tools and mechanisms through which governmental authorities attempt to steer actors in the food system to make it more circular. However, there is limited systematic knowledge on the full spectrum of circular policy instruments, as well as how these contribute to more circular food systems. In order to improve our understanding on these different policy pathways envisioned by scholars
and policymakers, we conduct a systematic literature review of academic publications on how policy instruments can contribute to more circular urban food systems. The literature review follows the protocol for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), and coding of policy instruments is done using the software Atlas.ti. Following this review, we first provide an overview of the academic field, by looking at the number of
publications, the distribution across academic fields, and geographies. Second, we synthesize which types of circular food policy instruments are proposed in the literature or implemented in practice; what their policy goals are; which aspects of food systems are prioritized; and how circularity in relation to these different instruments is appraised or evaluated.The findings outline our current understanding about the different policy pathways toward a more
circular food system by providing lessons and insights about how different circular food policy instruments work across levels and regions, and how they are embedded or related to other policies. Moreover, we conclude by discussing the wider trends that emerge from the current developments in circular food system policies. Thereby offering a systematic overview for both practitioners and scholars working toward a more circular food system.