This publication provides an overview of recent literature on the potential of the informal food sector (IFS) to facilitate an affordable supply of food to urban areas and generate income for low-income households. The goal is to identify global patterns, topics for further research, and policy suggestions. It also draws on discussions made by an international community of development practitioners and scholars in the e-mail conference on the IFS organized by FAO and the University of Bologna in May 2006. Some case studies are discussed as examples of good practices in various countries.