Abstract:  Game-changing crises have been explored as catalysts for transformative change towards sustainability. In this article, we examine the extent to which the Covid-19 pandemic acted as a game-changer, reshaping an urban food system in the Indian city of Bengaluru. Drawing on interview data with food system actors, we show that while Covid-19 generated a proliferation of adaptive initiatives and temporary shifts in practices, these were uneven and largely short-lived. Governance responses were biased with respect to classification of essential services, spatially differentiated enforcements, and institutional visibility. These responses systematically favoured organised, capitalised actors, while marginalising informal vendors and peri-urban producers. As a result, rather than catalysing longer-term transformation, the pandemic intensified existing inequalities and consolidated the position of dominant actors. We argue that game-changing crises did not inherently produce transformative change; instead, they acted as filters that revealed and deepened underlying power structures. Our findings highlight the need for justice-oriented urban food governance frameworks that can sustain alternative arrangements beyond moments of crisis.

Keywords:  Covid‐19; game‐changers; India; social innovation; urban food systems

Published:   3 September 2026

Issue:   Vol 15 (2027): Urban Food Governance Beyond 2030: Resilience, Justice, and the Politics of Sustainability Transitions (In Progress)