Food security is a concern of governments and global bodies. Their concern will become even more pressing with climate change, population pressures and resource depletion. A few years ago, it was difficult to imagine that here in Birmingham as in other UK cities, food security would be a major local concern too. Yet the growing number of food banks in the city — and increasing numbers of people affected by food poverty in its many other guises — is a manifestation of food insecurity right here. So, we asked ourselves, if external drivers on our food supply networks are here to stay in one form or another, what strategic measures can Birmingham take to mitigate against their effects? Is it possible to have an effective city-level response — and if so, what does it look like?