Public grocery stores are the future
American cities are hungry. In 2010, 32.1% of Memphis, Tennessee, residents lived in food deserts according to the USDA. 26.2% of San Antonio, 23% of New Orleans-Metairie, and 17% of Providence-Warwick lived in areas without adequate access to affordable and healthy groceries. In the wealthiest country on Earth, 13.5% of Americans are food insecure; something has to change.
While we wait for the private sector to fill these voids, an alternative solution is being thrown into broader political discourse, an opportunity that cities can pursue to address food deserts directly. It's a solution being famously proposed by NYC mayoral Democratic primary winner Zohran Mamdani: public grocery stores.
Zohran points out that the city of New York already funds stores in the form of millions in subsidies that are not contractually binding to where the businesses benefiting must accept SNAP/WIC. Instead, the mayoral candidate indicates that rather than merely subsidizing the private sector to encourage lower prices, the municipal government should establish a public option.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickins supports municipal grocery stores, contending that his team has "reached out to grocery chains and even offered incentives — no takers ... So we will make it happen for the people directly!”
The economics of municipal grocery stores are profoundly sound, taking less financial resources to run, fighting back against inflation and corporate consolidation, and offering food and jobs to local communities. With the removal of the profit imperative, these locations would change the food landscape of our cities and fortify the movement toward public services.
The appeal of municipal socialism is on the rise once again, indicated by the successes of democratic socialist candidates across the country, in places ranging from New York to Minnesota. When economic conditions continue to deteriorate while a handful of individuals accrue immense financial gains, trust in both (a) elected officials who have promised representation but have not led meaningful change and (b) a capitalist system that has become increasingly visible in its exploitation and inequality, has critically declined–and for good reason.
This movement toward public options should not end at healthcare, transportation, and groceries, but further include widespread public housing, basic clothing in all sizes, and even high-quality universal internet access. We need cities that take care of their people rather than leaving their welfare to the whims of capital.
A companion project to public grocery stores should be community gardens and food forests, which would provide fresh produce to sell at the public markets. Beyond the material value, the community tending to these urban gardens would offer a space to collaborate and build solidarity with one's fellow citizens. When one gardens in a public plot, they aren't just feeding themselves; they are feeding their neighbors.
There is deep potential for public grocery stores to address food deserts in our cities, create high-paying and stable employment, offer affordable and healthy food, mend the strained relationship between government and people, and inspire a broader movement toward local public options.
Zohran Mamdani's primary victory should serve as a reminder that progressive policies are genuinely popular, and when Democrats embrace ideas like municipal grocery stores, voters embrace them back.
Public grocery stores are not just a policy proposal; they speak to the real pains of working families, underserved communities, and urban regions broadly. They are backed by sound finances and are a step in the right direction for anti-capitalist and depowerist organizing. Public grocery stores are the future of our cities if we fight for them. We must fight for them.
