Two Boston city councilors are taking a page out of the New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s playbook with a push for government-run grocery stores.

Councilors Liz Breadon and Ruthzee Louijeune, the Council president, plan to introduce a hearing order Wednesday “to discuss the role of publicly-owned grocery stores in addressing food insecurity.”

Their order mentions that many Boston residents live in areas classified as food deserts, without access to a nearby grocery store, and have seen their household budgets strained by rising food prices since the pandemic — necessitating a closer look at “sustainable public-sector interventions.”

“Publicly-owned grocery stores can be structured to prioritize community benefit over profit, enabling lower prices, better food access, and stronger local sourcing, and may operate independently or in partnership with nonprofits, cooperatives, or private operators,” Breadon and Louijeune wrote in the order.

The councilors cited a September 2025 Boston Indicators report that highlighted how recent federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more commonly known as SNAP, “could put tens of thousands of Greater Boston residents at risk of losing benefits or facing new barriers to food access.”

Such data, they wrote, underscores “the importance of local strategies to ensure equitable access to affordable, healthy food.”

The councilors’ hearing order states that other cities and towns across the country have piloted or proposed publicly-owned or supported grocery stores.

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Breadon and Louijeune don’t mention any municipalities by name but their proposal for Boston follows what has been pitched by the New York City mayoral frontrunner Mamdani.

The Democratic socialist candidate wants to open five government-run grocery stores in New York to provide low-cost food to underserved residents.

Breadon and Louijeune are pushing for a Boston City Council hearing on the matter with representatives of city agencies, including the Office of Food Justice, GrowBoston, and the Boston Public Health Commission; community-based organizers and relevant stakeholders, along with interested members of the public.

Boston city councilor Liz Breadon during a meeting at City Hall. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images, File)