Abstract: The rising need for system wide food system transformation is recognised across the nexus of environmental sustainability, human health, social justice, and economics. These pressures are most perceived in city-regions, where the complexity and effects of food systems are concentrated. Living Labs have started being developed as experimentation grounds for city region food system (CRFS) transformation. Yet, the role that local policy can play in the transformation process is unknown. This paper presents an assessment of CRFS labs across Europe, focusing on food stakeholders and policy actor perspectives to provide insight into policy initiatives, policy instruments and the factors influencing food transformation policies at city-level. In-depth semi-structured interviews with CRFS lab coordinators from thirteen city-regions across Europe capture the variation in characteristics of CRFS. Lessons are drawn on policy efforts and experimentation, which portrays the diversity of approaches and the power dynamics, local capacities, mandates, and priorities in urban (food) agendas. Mapping out responses to CRFS challenges demonstrates a transition from top-down to citizen-driven collaborative models where citizens, local governments and organisations play an increasing role in the development and implementation of transformative activities and policies. Findings also stress current gaps in cross-scale governance collaboration and highlight the need for adopting system thinking principles in the urban food governance discourse, moving away from monomeric responses to the calls for sustainability in CRFS.