The goal of socialists is collective ownership of the means of production. That means they want government to own businesses and industries. 2^nd Ward City Council Member, and avowed socialist, Robin Wonsley has proposed that the City either own a grocery store or subsidize a private or non-profit grocery store. The goal is to sell groceries at a cost lower than the private marketplace can. Why? In her 2026 proposed budget amendments, Wonsley said:

“Everyone deserves to have access to fresh and affordable groceries. But food insecurity and food apartheid disproportionately impact marginalized residents in Minneapolis, and the private market has not solved or corrected this problem. The City needs to take a more active role in meeting the need for fresh and affordable groceries. This funding would support development for a grocery store in partnership with stakeholders in areas of the city where residents are most impacted by food insecurity and food apartheid.”

The term “food apartheid” was coined by Karen Washington. The Minneapolis Food Action Plan defines “food apartheid as:

“Food apartheid calls attention to the policies, systemic racism, and other oppressive powers that have created and prevent certain areas from having accessible and affordable grocery stores.”

Does Minneapolis have “Food Apartheid?”

Does Minneapolis have “food apartheid?” Have “oppressive powers” prevented us from having accessible and affordable grocery stores?

Here is reality.

This is a map of where there are grocery stores in Minneapolis. From this, you can see that there are grocery stores all over Minneapolis:

And remember, very, very few people walk to a grocery store, especially in winter, carrying numerous bags of groceries. What is important is that there is no part of the City without grocery stores accessible by car or uber or bus. In North Minneapolis, for example, Metro Transit operates Metro Micro, which is similar to Uber except provided by and subsidized by government. And there are many grocery stores beyond the boundaries of the City not shown on this map that are also accessible by car or transit.

For people who are food-insecure, the City has numerous food shelves. There are also many food shelves outside of the City’s boundaries.

Minneapolis doesn’t have “food apartheid,” at least not in the sense that people can’t get to groceries.

“Policies, Systemic Racism, and Other Oppressive Powers?”

The core of Wonsley’s argument is that “policies, systemic racism, and other oppressive powers (that) have created and prevent certain areas from having accessible and affordable grocery stores…”

The truth is that Minneapolis has a thriving network of grocery stores.

Minneapolis has numerous low-cost grocery stores. The StarTribune ranked grocery stores by affordability. The lowest-cost grocery store in Minneapolis is Aldi’s. Minneapolis has three of these stores within its boundaries and there are many outside the City limits:

• ALDI – Lyndale
• ALDI Franklin
• ALDI Hiawatha/Lake

What are the profit margins for Aldi’s? In 2022, it was 1.2%. Hard to see this as “oppressive powers.” There are other retailers that have higher profit margins (Lunds and Byerly’s, Whole Foods, Kowalski’s) , but you don’t have to shop at them. You are free to shop at Aldi’s if price is your major concern. Trader Joe’s is downtown and is almost as inexpensive if you like their selection better. That is the beauty of the free market.

What about grocery stores and “systemic racism?” There is a whole network of grocery stores focused on the desires of our diverse groups. Here is a list of some of the grocery stores that specifically cater to racial and ethnic minorities.  It is hard to say there is racism in access to food when there are so many stores specifically meeting the needs of minorities.

Then there are co-ops. You can be an owner of your own grocery store by buying into a cooperative. You can literally be part of the grocery system if you want to.  Some of your options include:

Eastside Food Co‑op

Seward Co-op Franklin

Seward Co‑op Friendship Store

Wedge Co‑op

Then there is a whole network of little guys – mom and pop stores and local businesses that not only meet the needs of the community but build wealth for our residents. Some of these stores include:

And if you just want to get your shopping done quickly and easily, there is a whole network of large, corporate grocery stores with a huge variety of options:

Minneapolis has a vibrant marketplace of grocery stores, with a wide variety of options depending on what people want. Want cheap food? We have that. Want ethnic food? We have that too. Want fancy food? We have you covered. Need some towels and a stepstool along with that frozen pizza? Got that too. Again, Minneapolis does not have food apartheid. We have food diversity.

Wonsley Could Bring Minneapolis’s Rich and Diverse Grocery System Down

The goal of the socialism is to replace the private marketplace with businesses and industries run by government. If Wonsley were able to create a successful government grocery store that used taxes to subsidize the cost of food, the private marketplace of grocery stores would be devastated. Most could not compete with a store subsidized by government.

The first to go, of course, would be the grocery stores that serve our diverse populations. They simply would not be able to compete on price. They say when people immigrate, the first thing to go is their clothes. The second thing to go is their language. And the thing that persists is their food traditions. But a government grocery store would simply undercut these stores that so intimately reflect their communities.

It is likely that many other grocery stores would also leave the City. We could be left with a Soviet-style system with government controlling what food people can get.

Minneapolis Residents would Foot the Bill for Feeding the Region

If prices were truly lower, one could expect people from all over the Twin Cities to shop at this municipal grocery store, or more likely, chain of grocery stores. The subsidy costs would skyrocket. Homeowners have been facing double digit tax increases since Wonsley has been in office, and one would expect this continue as Minneapolis subsidized food for the whole region.

Related: Municipal grocery store opens to great fanfare, closes after losing millions of taxpayer money:

Food Prices are Too High, but a Municipal Grocery Store is not the Alternative

Wonsley is right about one thing. Food costs are too high. But like a lot of the ideas from the far-left, the impulse is right, but the solutions can’t be implemented at the local level. Food prices need to come down, but a municipal grocery store will not achieve that. In fact, no city in the United States has a government-owned grocery store for a good reason.  Most of the things that can be done to lower food prices are federal, not municipal issues. One big problem is Trump’s chaotic approach to the economy has increased the price of food, especially imported food. Another problem is oligopolies. “Oligopolies” is when a small number of companies dominate a market, to the point where they can collude and manipulate prices. Oligopolies exist throughout the food system. Coke and Pepsi. Crest and Colgate. Kellog and Post. The National Beef Packing Company, Cargill, JBS, and Tyson control 80% of the U.S. beef market. Most of what you see in a regular grocery store comes from an oligopoly. But the federal government, both under Republicans and Democrats, has shown little stomach for breaking up even the most egregious monopolies. The result is we all pay more.

Maybe instead of blaming “policies, systemic racism, and other oppressive powers,” maybe Wonsley should look at herself first. She supported a Labor Standards Board to dictate how businesses would run, which would increase the cost of groceries. She voted to cut police recruitment funds when petty theft is increasing the cost of groceries. It has pushed a $20 minimum wage, which would increase the cost of groceries.

A municipal grocery store cost Kansas City $29 million over eight years. It closed in August. Perhaps before Minneapolis spends that kind of money, Wonsley can ask herself what she can do to reduce the cost of groceries.

Related: Kansas City Closes its Municipal Grocery Store After Losing $29 million in Five Years. Wonsley Still Proposing Minneapolis Do the Same.