People Before Profit today set out plans for a publicly owned, non-profit State Grocery Service, beginning with a pilot in communities most affected by food poverty and chronic disease.
The pilot is the lead plank in a two-part approach to bring down food bills and improve diets, alongside price caps on a core set of everyday essentials across major retailers.
Councillor Conor Reddy (Ballymun–Finglas, Dublin North West), a co-author of the policy, said the service is designed to put good food within reach while rebuilding fairer, more sustainable supply chains:
“If you map food poverty and diet-related illness across Ireland, the same neighbourhoods keep appearing. A state-run, not-for-profit, is a practical way to get good food at fair prices into those places, while backing small Irish producers and creating secure, unionised jobs. Change the food environment and you change health outcomes. This is about cutting weekly bills now and closing health gaps over time, acknowledging that eating healthy is not always the most affordable option for hard pressed workers and families.”
Drawing attention to international parallels and the growing international focus on food security, Reddy continued:
“We’ve been watching international debates, including those around a wildly popular proposal for a municipal grocery chain from New York Mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, and we are inspired. Societies everywhere are facing the same challenges – rising prices, threats to food security and soaring rates of food-related chronic diseases- from obesity to nutritional deficiencies. At the heart of these problems are highly-profitable grocery chains and the multinational food industry with its complex, unsustainable supply chains and focus on profit maximisation. We believe that by cutting out the middlemen, we can provide cheaper, healthier food for people and a fairer, more sustainable system for farmers and food producers. Our proposal is modest for now but we believe that once the model is proven to work, it can grow and benefit everyone in Irish society as an alternative to the big box retailers.”
While grocery prices rise, large retailers and food processors report large profits – Tesco Ireland reported after tax profits of €94.7 million in November 2024, after paying a dividend of €100million to its international parent in Feb 2024. Similarly, Kerry Group reported after tax profits of over €300 million for the first half of 2025, with an operating margin last year of 10.5%.
The pilot proposal is costed at €26 million and could be funded by a Public Nutrition Levy on the largest and most profitable food retail and fast-food chains.