Local evidenced-based policy options to improve food security in South Australia: the use of local knowledge in policy development.

Objective: To examine realist policy options for the South Australian government to improve food security. Design: Semi-structured interviews with twenty-four key South Australian food security stakeholders. Setting: Food security is a global issue that affects both developing and developed countries. Governments are well placed to improve food security but the solutions are not always evident. Subjects: Policy makers, leaders of non-government organisations, private enterprise and front-line food security workers in South Australia. Results: The research produced forty-four potential policy options for the South Australian government to improve food security. Conclusions: Stakeholders offered detailed policy solutions for the local context. This illustrates how gathering local evidence expands understanding on an issue. The process used to generate these policy options is applicable to other public health problems and other contexts.