Washington D.C. —Yesterday, the National Grocers Association (NGA) submitted public comments to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on the state of competition in the grocery sector. NGA offered a first-hand account of how economic discrimination has harmed independent community grocers and consumers across the country. The comments were solicited by the FTC as it continues its 6(b) study looking into supply chain disruptions in the food and grocery sector.
“For decades, independent grocers have not had equal access to pricing, promotions and packaging deals that are provided to large firms. These practices will only continue after the pandemic is over unless antitrust enforcers like the FTC acts. Consequently, consumers will face reductions in diversity in the marketplace, and choices will be limited to what the few remaining mega-retailers find most profitable,” wrote NGA Senior Vice President of Government Relations & Counsel Christopher Jones.
The comments argue that while anticompetitive conduct by grocery industry “power buyers” is not new, these dominant firms have taken advantage of supply chain disruptions by leveraging their dominance to gain market share while forcing smaller competitors to bear the brunt of product shortages and inflation pressures.
Read NGA’s Comment Submission HERE.
