Food Insecurity Tops Philadelphia City Council’s Fall Agenda

PHILADELPHIA — Food insecurity is emerging as the defining issue of Philadelphia City Council’s fall session, as federal benefit cuts collide with a new push to build the city’s own food security infrastructure.

Council President Kenyatta Johnson introduced the Philly Food Affordability Act last week, a package that would create an Office of Food and Nutrition Security and an advisory commission. Resolutions in the package call for hearings on grocery prices and on the possibility of a city-backed community grocery store.

If council approves the office, voters would decide the question in May, and the office would take effect Jan. 1, 2028, according to PhillyVoice.

“We’re working to make sure that no children go to bed hungry, no children go to school hungry,” Johnson said, describing the goal as a long-term strategy against food insecurity.

The push follows new federal work requirements for SNAP benefits in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law, which left roughly 98,000 Pennsylvanians no longer qualifying for the program, according to PhillyVoice. As of Oct. 1, states also bear most of the program’s administrative costs.

Council also authorized its public health committee to hold hearings on Medicaid coverage reductions under the same federal law, under a resolution from Councilmember Nina Ahmad.

On the public safety front, the Finance Committee voted unanimously Oct. 7 to advance a bill authorizing up to $40 million in bonds for a new Philadelphia police forensics lab at 4101 Market St.

And the closure of the Academy of Natural Sciences museum remains under council scrutiny. The Legislative Oversight Committee held its first hearing on the closure Oct. 7 and is scheduled to meet again Oct. 26 to examine the decision’s consequences and options for preserving public access.