Food inflation has outpaced general inflation across the United States. In short, New York City Council member Zohran Mamdani has introduced a new bill that would establish a network of municipally-owned grocery stores across New York City. This program directly addresses residents’ lack of access to healthy, affordable food. Those selections target neighborhoods with little access to private grocery stores or those neighborhoods where businesses have closed. Support for this bold new proposal is quickly building. According to a recent NYCC report, two-thirds of New Yorkers support the idea of establishing municipal grocery stores.
Mamdani’s vision builds on the idea that public grocery stores can help alleviate the financial burden on families struggling to afford food. His goal is to use the government’s massive existing food buys. These acquisitions already contribute to the large supply remedied and tuberculin-tested for public schooling and hospitals. Environmental and public policy advocates are watching the proposal closely, as are food system experts. They argue that these independent or neighborhood grocery stores would be more successful, along the lines of proven formats like Aldi or Costco.
Insights from Experts
Errol Schweitzer, a prominent advocate for a public grocery sector, has extensively researched the potential for municipal grocery stores to thrive. He points to the U.S. military’s commissary system as an example where government-operated grocery stores work. It provides treatment at prices 30-40% lower than private facilities. Schweitzer points out that the food system is no stranger to massive government intrusion. He argues municipal grocery stores can fill gaps in the market abandoned by private companies, especially in low-income communities.
“There already is heavy government intervention in the food system every day.” – Errol Schweitzer
Margaret Mullins, director of public options and governance at the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator, endorses Mamdani’s proposal. She argues that public options are nothing new—far from it—in American life. They are often the best-suited to fill the gaps for a community’s needs, particularly when private markets do not succeed.
“Sometimes in places where the private market won’t step in, the public can and should.” – Margaret Mullins
In that short segment, Mullins makes the case for how important it is to remove stigma from our public services. She’s convinced that by pitching these innovations as core, universal services—akin to trash collection or public libraries—they’ll raise acceptance and expanded use from community members.
Successful Models and Past Initiatives
Other closely related initiatives have been bubbling up all over the globe. Winning models have found fertile ground in nations like India, Turkey, Indonesia, China, Mexico and Brazil. Anna Chworow, deputy director of Nourish Scotland, warns against forgetting those who laid the groundwork. These initiatives have set the stage for more robust public food infrastructures. From this economic depression to wartime Britain, citizens welcomed the establishment of “British restaurants.” In Poland, “milk bars” quickly became essential community lifelines in those challenging conditions.
In Warsaw, residents joined forces to adopt a endangered milk bar’s kitchen when it was up for closure. This grassroots cultivation effort complements Mamdani’s vision of community empowerment through public grocery stores.
Chworow’s research sheds light on the key challenges that come with government-led food interventions. She goes on to touch upon how over-targeting certain populations can create stigma, causing people to be wary of using these services.
“As soon as you start to target the interventions, there’s a level of stigma that comes around it, and people are reluctant to use them because they don’t want to be associated with the stigmatized group.” – Anna Chworow
She recommends pitching public grocery stores as a universal service. When taken together, this strategy can prevent pitfalls and strengthen the economic case.
Local Government Involvement
New York City has already seen the success of six government-supported, permanent grocery stores take root including the famous Essex Street Market. Today, these combined food equity and economic development engines are proof to the world that municipal grocery options can work in urban environments. Mamdani argues that by building upon these existing structures, new municipal grocery stores could effectively meet local needs while ensuring affordability.
Atlanta councilmember Marci Overstreet relates her own experience advocating for grocery access in her district over eight years. Her journey paralleled so many other cities’ uphill battles to bring a private grocery store into their food insecure neighborhoods.
“Finally, we had to say, ‘You know what, no one’s coming. Cavalry is not coming. We’re going to have to take care of this ourselves.’” – Marci Overstreet
Mamdani envisions municipal grocery stores as one way to reduce overhead costs by removing the burden of rent and property taxes. This should allow them to be able to sell more competitively than private retailers.
“Without having to pay rent or property taxes, they will reduce overhead and pass on savings to shoppers.” – Zohran Mamdani
He envisions these stores as buying and selling on a wholesale level. He envisions them collaborating with surrounding communities to procure products, thus supporting local economies.