Creating Food Learning Opportunities for Adults Within Urban Settings: A Framework for Food Pedagogies.

This article focuses on developing a draft food pedagogies framework to inform urban food initiatives aimed at enhancing adults' awareness, engagement, and empowered action regarding food for societal health and sustainability. Based on qualitative interviews with 39 Australian community food leaders from government, culinary, and academic sectors, five key themes were identified: utilizing formal and informal community pedagogical spaces; encouraging interactions with diverse food practitioners; creating enjoyable, practical food experiences in daily life; developing supportive, transparent systems reflecting community needs; and integrating broader social issues such as public health and equity. The proposed framework aligns these themes with existing theoretical approaches—including governmentality, public pedagogy, and critical food pedagogies—to guide policymakers and practitioners in designing holistic urban food strategies. The study highlights the current under-recognition of food education beyond nutrition in policy and community settings and calls for further research involving diverse community perspectives to refine and apply the framework effectively.