Currently, the production, distribution and sale of food negatively impacts ecological and social sustainability, undermining the vital systems on which society depends. Global implications are intensified as one-third of the world’s food is wasted. The purpose of this research is to understand the role of food waste mitigation as a strategic stepping stone to further sustainable development in food systems. A pragmatic qualitative approach and the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development were used to analyze this using a systems perspective to identify key focus areas for development. Analysis of the data collected from industry, municipal government and community stakeholders led to the identification of key causes of waste, and drivers of and barriers to food waste reduction. Causal loop diagrams aided in mapping the opportunities for collaboration and potential associated risks between the three aforementioned sectors. Thirteen focus areas were deduced and analyzed using sustainability principles. The interplay of upstream and downstream strategies is discussed in examining ways to pursue focus areas simultaneously to impact the systemic barriers to a sustainable food system including globalized trade, overproduction, and underlying issues of food insecurity.