How can policy processes remove barriers to sustainable food systems in Europe? Contributing to a policy framework for agri-food transitions

•Food policy integration is needed for a transition to sustainable food systems.•A policy framework that links the policy cycle to transition theories is developed.•The evolution of Food and Nutrition Security through the CAP cycles is analysed.•A map of food-related policy instruments is developed to assess synergies and gaps.•An effective food policy needs to be system-oriented and knowledge-integrated. A new food policy coherent with the goal of achieving sustainable food systems implies changing visions and radically revising the understanding of the system on which agricultural and food-related policies act. This paper identifies and discusses policy processes that contribute to sustainable food systems in Europe. Based on a conceptual framework that links the policy cycle approach to transition theories, we (i) assess the evolution of policy cycles of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to highlight how the food and nutrition concepts have evolved and been reframed throughout the five phases of the CAP, (ii) map and classify available policy instruments to assess potential synergies and gaps in view of their reorganization and (iii) indicate and discuss strategic tools for sustainable food policies. This contribution goes beyond the current literature highlighting the obstacles which hinder the transition to a policy regime that embodies the nexus among food and nutrition security, natural capital preservation and climatic and social justice, and proposing new avenues for food policy studies.