Unpacking local food politics in scaling sustainable public food procurement

Public food procurement, which harnesses the purchasing power of governments through public institutions, is increasingly recognized as a strategic lever for reshaping regional food systems. This study examines the governance dynamics of public food procurement in Seoul, South Korea, focusing on the Urban–Rural Coexistence Public Meal Service Program (UCPM). The UCPM sought to restructure regional food systems by linking urban public facilities with rural producers through contract-based procurement. Rather than treating scaling as a linear expansion of grassroots innovation, this study conceptualizes it as a politically mediated process of hybrid territorial governance reconfiguration. Drawing on sustainability transition theory and an actor-oriented perspective, the analysis explores how institutionalization expands civic initiatives while simultaneously reshaping them through the setting of boundaries, contractual delegation, and publicly accountable service requirements. The findings reveal tensions between administrative rationalities and grassroots capacities, as well as coordination challenges across agricultural and welfare policy domains. While the UCPM created new spaces for negotiation and intermediary planning, its trajectory also underscores the contingent and politically mediated nature of institutional scaling. The study offers insights for municipalities seeking to build reflexive and democratically accountable public food systems through inclusive and territorially coordinated procurement strategies.