Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
City Council President Kenyatta Johnson<\/a> wants to explore opening a city-supported grocery store in Philadelphia. <\/p>\n Johnson on Thursday proposed a \u201cPhilly Food Affordability Act\u201d package of legislation that calls for the creation of a new Philadelphia 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. <\/p>\n \u201cWe 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,\u201d Johnson told reporters Thursday, referring to President <\/a>Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program taking effect Oct. 1. \u201cSo we\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Johnson\u2019s proposed legislation comes after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani this year made national headlines for his push to open five municipally backed grocery stores 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. <\/p>\n Johnson said his inspiration for exploring the issue was Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who has opened five \u201ccommunity-partnered grocery stores\u201d offering 25% to 30% discounts.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: As states shoulder more costs, more SNAP recipients continue to lose benefits. Here\u2019s the latest.<\/a><\/p>\n None of Johnson\u2019s proposals involve immediate action on addressing food insecurity, but they instead lay the groundwork for potential future legislation by Council or actions by the mayor\u2019s administration. <\/p>\n Johnson\u2019s proposal so far includes no details on what a city-backed grocery store could look like in Philly. Rather, it calls for an informational public hearing exploring possibilities, such as a public-private partnership. <\/p>\n Johnson\u2019s proposed Philadelphia Office of Food and Nutrition Safety would be led by a mayor-appointed director charged with developing citywide policies for food security, collecting and reporting data on food insecurity, and improving access to healthy, affordable food, among other things, according to Johnson\u2019s office. The office would be guided by a Food and Nutrition Security Advisory Commission made up of five mayoral appointees. <\/p>\n The proposal, which was introduced by Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson<\/a> on Johnson\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n Johnson turned to two of Council\u2019s more progressive members to handle the issue-based public hearings he proposed. <\/p>\n Councilmember Nicolas O\u2019Rourke, who chairs Council\u2019s Cost of Living Task Force<\/a>, introduced Johnson\u2019s resolution to hold a hearing on the possibility of a \u201cCity of Philadelphia-Supported Grocery Store.\u201d The hearing will consider various models for how such a store could be structured, as well as similar initiatives in other cities.<\/p>\n