A 2017 workshop on Competition, Concentration and Employment in the Food Sectorhosted by the CoE and the Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED) at UJ highlighted the critical importance of understanding the broader regional trade dynamics of the food system in South Africa. This project is seen as building the conceptual and empirical foundation for a more ambitious, three-year programme of work focusing on regional food trade within the CoE in Food Security in 2019-2021.