In Cape Town food policies locate food security as the responsibility of the provincial government. Legal provisions clearly target the most vulnerable of subsistence traders who reside in informal settlements and are therefore automatically disqualified from trading. The presentation argues for better urban planning that includes a mandate for food security in line with the right to food. The Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (2013) must include a concept of spatial justice along with provisions that are flexible and appropriate for the management of disadvantaged areas, informal settlements and former homeland areas