Based on the analysis of about 110 papers choosen mainly in sociological anglophone scientific litterature, this article intends to highlight the main discussions taking place around alternative food systems. It shows that these systems appear in various contexts depending on national situations and aim at different social goals. It then successively deals with the way in which these alternatives change or not the power relations within the food chains and with the debates emerging from their ambitions of relocalise food production and consumption. It points out the social themes that appear up to now left untreated and finally identifies the main theoretical currents and scientific fronts connected with this litterature