City Council President Kenyatta Johnson wants to explore opening a city-supported grocery store in Philadelphia.
Johnson on Thursday proposed a “Philly Food Affordability Act” package of legislation that calls for the creation of a new Office of Food and Nutrition Safety, as well as Council hearings probing grocery pricing practices and examining the possibility of one run or supported by the city.
“We have leadership in Washington, D.C., that has taken thousands of individuals off these SNAP benefits rolls, which means you have thousands of families here in the city of Philadelphia who will be food-insecure,” Johnson told reporters Thursday, referring to President Donald Trump’s cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program taking effect Oct. 1. “So we’re working to make sure that no children go to bed hungry, no children go to school hungry, and at the end of the day, come up with an overall long-term comprehensive strategy to address the issue of food insecurity.”
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None of the bills involve immediate action on addressing food insecurity, but would instead lay the groundwork for potential future legislation by Council or actions by the mayor’s administration.
Johnson’s proposal on a potential municipally backed grocery store so far includes no details on what it could look like in Philly, but instead calls for an informational public hearing exploring possibilities, such as a public-private partnership.
Johnson’s proposed Office of Food and Nutrition Safety would be led by a director appointed by the mayor who would develop citywide policies for food security, collect and report data on food insecurity, and improve access to healthy, affordable food, among other things, according to Johnson’s office. The office would be guided by a Food and Nutrition Security Advisory Commission, which would be made up of five mayoral appointees.
The proposal, which was introduced by Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson on Johnson’s behalf, would amend the Home Rule Charter, meaning it would have to be approved first by Council and then by a majority of voters, who could see a ballot question about the issue in the May 2027 primary election.
Johnson turned to two of Council’s more progressive members to handle the issue-based public hearings he proposed.
Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke, who chairs Council’s Cost of Living Task Force, introduced Johnson’s resolution to hold a hearing on the possibility of a “City of Philadelphia-Supported Grocery Store.” The hearing will consider various models for how such a store could be structured, as well as similar initiatives in other cities.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani this year has made national headlines for his push to open five municipally backed grocery stores in his city that would offer prices 30% below market rate. The proposal is facing a lawsuit from the Multicultural Business Coalition, a coalition of small business owners.
Johnson said his inspiration for exploring the issue was Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who has opened five “community-partnered grocery stores” offering 25% to 30% discounts.
Councilmember Rue Landau, who has championed other consumer protection issues, introduced Johnson’s resolution to hold a hearing on emerging technologies in the grocery industry including “surveillance, algorithmic, and dynamic pricing systems … to examine opportunities to support transparency, affordability, and consumer confidence.”
Council on Thursday approved resolutions green-lighting both hearings. Legislation related to Johnson’s proposed charter amendment will be referred to committee.