WHEREAS, Philadelphia residents continue to face significant challenges in accessing affordable, nutritious, and high-quality food, as grocery prices have risen substantially since the COVID-19 pandemic and food costs continue to place financial pressure on households; and
WHEREAS, According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, grocery prices in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington region increased by approximately 35 percent between December 2019 and June 2026, placing continued pressure on household budgets and making affordable access to nutritious food increasingly difficult for Philadelphia residents; and
WHEREAS, Rising grocery prices can create barriers to accessing healthy and nutritious foods, and limited access to affordable and nutritious food can contribute to negative health outcomes and exacerbate existing health disparities; and
WHEREAS, Traditional grocery stores and other food retailers may face significant barriers to their operations, including high real estate and construction costs, operating expenses, and insufficient projected revenues to support a full-service grocery store; and
WHEREAS, Partnerships between the City and private businesses, nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, cooperatives, and other qualified entities may provide opportunities to leverage public resources and community expertise to reduce barriers to grocery development and expand food access; and
WHEREAS, Cities across the country have explored different models for expanding access to affordable groceries, including New York City’s N.Y.C. Groceries initiative, which combines City investment and public sites with private grocery operators; Atlanta’s Azalea Fresh Market, which was developed through a partnership between the City, Invest Atlanta, and a private grocery operator; and Newark’s community-partnered grocery stores, which bring together municipal resources and community organizations to provide more affordable food to residents; and
WHEREAS, The various initiatives of other major metropolitan areas provide an opportunity for Philadelphia to examine how public assets and investment can be leveraged in partnership with private and community-based entities to expand affordable food access without requiring the City to directly operate grocery stores itself; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia should evaluate whether similar partnership models could leverage City-owned property, development incentives, financing, grants, tax incentives, or other public resources to support grocery stores operated by private businesses, nonprofit organizations, cooperatives, community-based organizations, or other qualified entities in neighborhoods where residents face significant barriers to accessing affordable and nutritious food; and
WHEREAS, A City-supported grocery model could establish measurable standards related to affordability, the availability of fresh and nutritious foods, acceptance of SNAP and other nutrition assistance benefits, local and regional food procurement, workforce standards, community engagement, and transparency and accountability; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia residents deserve access to affordable, nutritious, and high-quality food in their own neighborhoods, and the City should explore innovative partnerships that can help make that access a reality; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the Committee on Public Health and Human Services is hereby authorized to hold hearings to examine the feasibility of establishing City-supported grocery stores through public-private and community partnerships to expand access to affordable, nutritious, and high-quality food in Philadelphia neighborhoods.
End