Gothenburg’s Applied Food Strategy (GAFS) is both a municipal mission and an active testbed within the project Urban Rural Gothenburg (Stadslandet). While the idea is an attractive one and in line with current calls for food sustainability, the practical work process has been marred by loose and indirect interaction between the actors and insufficient knowledge of the stakeholders’ preconditions and priorities to secure stronger impact. To this backdrop, there is also the dual risk of deception if, despite actor involvement, GAFS will fail to materialize, or, contrarily, if GAFS materializes but will not be as effective as anticipated. As such, GAFS requires both a rethink of what its conceptualization and development really imply for the stakeholders but also spawn a discussion of the strategy’s feasibility of execution. Departing from a psychosocial approach to societal change (focusing on stakeholders’ abilities, preconditions and motivations), the aim of this presentation is to elaborate on the following question: How can we jointly create a food strategy that would make more stakeholders engaged in the effort and thus actually utilize the food strategy? Put differently, is GAFS really a useful idea? Our anchor point forms an important stepping stone for successful realization of both the municipal Environment Management’s mission and for Stadslandet’s establishment as an innovative food project. Only by pursuing a win-win scenario can there be a substantial contribution to global knowledge on food systems, and the much needed engagement, trust and self-confidence involved when realizing such systems.