San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood has a new idea for cheaper groceries in District 5: a produce buyers club for the corner markets and independent grocers that many Tenderloin and Fillmore residents depend on.
The proposed one-year pilot, called the Grocery Affordability Initiative, would let independent grocers in the district join a group purchasing organization that buys produce in bulk and negotiates with wholesalers on their behalf, Mission Local reports. Mahmood's office estimates participating stores could cut wholesale costs by about 10% and consumer prices by up to 25%.
How it would work
Jade Quizon, director of the Food and Agriculture Action Coalition Toward Sovereignty, which would run the project, told Mission Local the plan is to focus on roughly a dozen staples that all participating stores carry, likely including tomatoes, onions, potatoes and milk. The nonprofits Booker T. Washington Community Service Center and Farming Hope have agreed to take part. A $50,000 gift from former congressional candidate Saikat Chakrabarti covers the design phase; the program needs about $200,000 more for data analysis and compliance tracking. If approved, it could launch in eight to nine months.
Second try
The pitch follows Mahmood's earlier Affordable Groceries Act, which would have penalized vacant grocery storefronts. As the Chronicle reported this summer, he dropped that vacancy tax after pushback and said he would pursue a different approach. Parts of the Tenderloin and Fillmore lack full-service grocery stores, so residents often travel across the city or shop at corner stores.
"Everyone who walks into these stores will be able to buy bananas for a lower price," Mahmood told Mission Local. The model borrows from programs in Paris and Philadelphia.