Ireland’s first housing-led social supermarket opens in Dublin
Co-operative Housing Ireland, Empower and FoodCloud have launched a new social supermarket model combining affordable food, surplus redistribution and community support
Print1 October 2026
A new social supermarket model linking housing provision with affordable food and community services has launched in Dublin.
Co-operative Housing Ireland, Empower Local Development Company and FoodCloud have partnered to open what they describe as Ireland’s first housing-led social supermarket at the Empower Child and Family Hub in Mulhuddart.
The initiative is designed to provide an alternative to traditional emergency food supports, giving members a retail-style experience where they can choose the food and household products that best suit their needs.
The supermarket is supplied through surplus food redistribution, with FoodCloud providing its expertise and technology to support the initiative.
Alongside access to food, the model incorporates wider community services, including training and counselling, with the aim of addressing some of the underlying challenges faced by households experiencing financial pressure.
The launch comes as households continue to face pressure from the cost of living, while food waste and food insecurity remain interconnected issues for communities across Ireland.
Minister for social protection and minister for rural and community development and the gaeltacht – Dara Calleary TD said the initiative demonstrated how community development could be delivered through partnerships.
“By bringing affordable food, choice and wider family supports together in a welcoming local setting, the Empower Social Supermarket will help households while strengthening the community around them,” he said.
He added that the partnership between Empower, Co-operative Housing Ireland and FoodCloud had potential to be replicated in other communities.
Housing and food support
Dave Mayer, director of housing services and community engagement at Co-operative Housing Ireland, said access to secure housing and affordable food were closely linked to community wellbeing.
“Many households are balancing increasing costs across every aspect of daily life,” Mayer said.
He added: “Through this partnership with Empower and FoodCloud, we are helping to ensure that people have access not only to housing but also the wider supports that contribute to stronger communities.”
Felix Gallagher, social inclusion manager at Empower, said the project was intended to create a community-based service focused on choice and dignity.
“This is about creating a welcoming, community-based service that supports people in a respectful and empowering way,” Gallagher said.
He added: “Working together, we can provide households with greater choice, reduce waste and help families navigate ongoing cost-of-living pressures.”
FoodCloud partnership
FoodCloud has supported the development of the social supermarket through its surplus food redistribution expertise and technology platform.
The organisation works with charities, community groups and family resource centres in Ireland, as well as food banks internationally, to redistribute surplus food to communities.
Angela Ruttledge, head of policy at FoodCloud, said the project demonstrated how surplus food redistribution could form part of a wider community development model.
“Food insecurity, housing affordability and the cost of living are often experienced together by families,” Ruttledge said.
She added: “This partnership offers an innovative and collaborative model that has the potential to be replicated across the country.”
The launch coincides with the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, highlighting the potential for surplus food redistribution to play a role alongside wider community and social supports.
The partners say the Mulhuddart initiative represents a new approach to integrating food access and community services into the infrastructure surrounding social and affordable housing.
Read more: Danone Ireland and FoodCloud extend partnership for a further two years
© 2026, ShelfLife by Patryk Goron
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