San Francisco – District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood is moving forward with a new effort to make fresh food more affordable for residents of the Tenderloin, Fillmore and surrounding neighborhoods. The pilot, called the Grocery Affordability Initiative, will create a buyers club that lets independent grocers pool their purchasing power to buy produce in bulk.
How the buyers club would work
Under the proposed one‑year program, participating stores would join a group‑purchasing organization that negotiates directly with wholesalers. By consolidating orders for staple items such as tomatoes, onions, potatoes and milk, the organization expects to reduce wholesale costs by roughly 10 %. Mahmood’s office estimates those savings could translate into price cuts of up to 25 % for consumers.
Non‑profit partners – the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center and Farming Hope – have already pledged to take part, and the Food and Agriculture Action Coalition Toward Sovereignty will manage the project’s design and compliance tracking.
Funding and community support
The pilot’s design phase was jump‑started with a $50,000 contribution from former congressional candidate Saikat Chakrabarti, who also supported Mahmood’s earlier campaign. Mahmood says the initiative needs an additional $200,000 for data analysis and compliance, but he is confident his office can secure the remaining funds through local donors.
“We didn’t want to give up,” Mahmood said. “Opening new stores doesn’t guarantee affordability. Large chains can outprice our mom‑and‑pop markets, so we have to think creatively.”
Background and why the plan matters
The new buyers club follows the earlier Affordable Groceries Act, which Mayor Daniel Lurie halted in July after business‑owner backlash. That legislation sought to penalize vacant grocery storefronts and ease barriers for new stores, but it never reached a vote.
Mahmood argues the buyers club targets the same problem – food deserts in District 5 – without imposing penalties on businesses. Residents in the Tenderloin and Fillmore often travel far to find fresh produce or rely on corner stores with limited selections. By lowering wholesale costs, the initiative aims to keep essential items like bananas, tomatoes and milk affordable for everyone who walks into a local market.
Timeline and next steps
If the city approves the plan, the buyers club could be operational within eight to nine months. Mahmood hopes the model can later be expanded to other San Francisco neighborhoods and eventually to cities across the nation, citing similar programs in Paris and Philadelphia as inspiration.
“The affordability crisis may seem intractable, but with a little ingenuity we can make a real difference for families,” Mahmood said.
Original reporting: Mission Local — read the source article.
