November 4, 2026 | In the News
In a new opinion article published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, CEO of Food Systems for the Future Institute (FSFI), and Eli Moraru, Cofounder and President of The Community Grocer, explore how Philadelphia can build on its history of food access innovation to support financially sustainable neighborhood grocery stores.
The authors argue that addressing food insecurity requires more than opening new stores. Municipal governments can help create the conditions for long-term success through flexible capital, grocery-specific technical assistance, partnerships, and coordinated support for experienced operators.
The article highlights The Community Grocer's planned opening in Philadelphia's Cobbs Creek neighborhood in early 2027 as an example of how public investment, nutrition programs, local agriculture, healthcare partnerships, and workforce development can be brought together to strengthen community grocery infrastructure.
The perspective reflects a central priority of FSFI's Grocery Retail for All initiative: advancing grocery models that provide affordable, nutritious food while remaining operationally and financially viable.
Read the full article: Philadelphia wrote the playbook on grocery access. It's about to lead again. — The Philadelphia Inquirer