City Council President Kenyatta Johnson wants to establish a permanent municipal office dedicated to food insecurity and explore the potential for city-funded grocery stores.
Johnson intends to introduce a package of legislation, dubbed the “Philly Food Affordability Act,” Thursday that he says will enact a “coordinated citywide strategy that unites government, community organizations and the private sector.”
“We're in a climate right now in this country where those who are most vulnerable, those who are most in need, are under attack,” he said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon inside Philabundance's warehouse off Pattison Avenue.
Nearly 275,000 Philadelphians are dealing with food insecurity, including 27% of children, according to Feeding America data from 2024, the most recent available.
Enrollment among city residents in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps, fell 59,000 after new work requirements went into effect in September 2025, in accordance with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“Washington is pulling back, and so state and local government has to step in to figure out a way to take care of its citizens,” Mark Edwards, CEO of the Food Trust, said.
Edwards co-chaired a Council food security task force that released a slate of proposals in June, and Johnson said his legislation is building on that effort.
Among the group’s recommendations was setting up a City Hall office to act as an “air traffic controller” for all the stakeholders involved in providing food to those who need it.
Johnson is pushing a ballot measure to enshrine such an office into the city’s governing document. Should the bill advance out of Council and receive mayoral approval, voters will likely weigh in during the May 2027 primary election.
While Johnson’s office did not provide the text of the legislation, they laid out a framework for the bills and resolutions that will be finalized later this week.
The Philadelphia Office of Food and Nutrition Security would be tasked with developing citywide policies, coordinating efforts, collecting and reporting data on food insecurity, preparing for food system disruptions, engaging the public and improving access to healthy options.
An accompanying advisory commission would provide input to the mayor and office, with a formal set of recommendations due by the end of 2029.
A resolution that could be adopted as early as Thursday would authorize hearings on city-supported grocery stores, which have been piloted and launched in other cities, including New York City.
Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke’s recently released cost-of-living report also recommended looking into chartering municipal food stores.
The “Philly Food Affordability Act” additionally calls for hearings to analyze how grocery stores “use consumer data, surveillance technologies, algorithmic pricing, and dynamic pricing” and how the city could implement regulations to protect shoppers, according to Johnson's office.
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