Table 2.

The Orders of Food Systems Change schema⁽⁴⁷⁾

Criterion	First-order change (adjust)	Second-order change (reform)	Third-order change (transform)
How the problem is framed, and its cause ascribed to the food system	If a problem exists, it is a consequence of technical inefficiencies within the system design	Accepts that there is a problem, and its cause(s) are associated with structural and operational shortcomings within the system	Accepts the problem as a real and present danger and a consequence of a broken system created from flawed social, economic and political values
Process for change	Preserves the established power structure and relationships among actors in the system	Challenges established power relationships shaping components within the system; promotes opportunities for interactions among a diverse range of actors in the system	Promotes change in relationships towards whole-system awareness and identity; promotes examination of the deep structures that sustain the system
Participation of stakeholders	Replicates the established decision-making group and power relationships. Tends to be global in scope	Brings relevant actors (government, civil society, academics and practitioners, producers, food industry) into the problem-solving conversation in ways that enable them to influence the decision-making process	Promotes social inclusion, empowered producers and citizens actively engaged with the food system instead of being passive takers. Tends to be local in scope
Example of the policy approach to bring about food system change	Applies technological innovations to improve the resilience and/or adaptive capacity of components of the food system (e.g. reformulation)	Applies a mechanistic analysis to identify leverage points within the system (different levels of government and/or sectors with responsibilities for system components) to reform their structure and operation (e.g. sugar levies and subsidies for fruits and vegetables)	Applies a systems-level analysis to identify the system’s purpose and power relationships to reorientate its function from being predominantly a component of the industrialised economy to a health, social, environmental and economic resource (e.g. regenerative agriculture)