Fernando Mateo, who said this week he’s starting his own new bodega group, said storeowners will have to defend themselves if their stores are looted — and hungry locals could be in harm’s way. “Let’s face it, when people go hungry and they don’t have money and they have to feed their kids, they’re going to do whatever they have to do to achieve that,” Mateo said Thursday. Mateo’s plea came as he announced he was founding a new “Bodega Alliance” — after resigning from the United Bodegas of America in a huff due to a rift over its endorsement of Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday. Mateo said he felt “betrayed” when United Bodegas of America President Radhames Rodriguez publicly backed the lefty mayoral front-runner, who has vowed to launch a city-owned grocery store in each of the five boroughs, if elected.