The National Grocers Association is backing a bipartisan congressional effort to investigate discriminatory pricing practices that disadvantage independent grocers.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Rep. Mike Rulli (R-OH-06) this week sent letters to the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission urging enforcement action.
The letters call for investigation into pricing and supply practices that harm small and medium-sized businesses, particularly independent grocers serving as community anchors nationwide. NGA says the effort recognizes how economic discrimination by dominant buyers undermines competition and restricts access to essential goods.
The congressional push follows a late 2025 visit by Grassley to Fareway Market headquarters in Johnston, Iowa, where the senator saw firsthand the challenges independent grocers face from less favorable pricing to limited supply access and restrictive packaging terms that advantage national chains.
“We are exceptionally thankful for Senator Grassley’s dedicated leadership on this critical issue and for taking the time to listen to his constituents and see how this lack of antitrust enforcement has played out for the independent supermarkets in his own backyard,” said Chris Jones, NGA’s chief government relations officer and counsel.
Jones emphasized the real-world impact of current market dynamics. “Independent grocers are proud economic drivers in the American marketplace, but they cannot compete on uneven ground. This effort highlights the real-world consequences of discriminatory pricing and supply practices that impose higher costs on family-owned businesses and their customers and drive concentration throughout the food supply chain. Unchecked market power harms producers, narrows choice, and ultimately contributes to higher food prices at the checkout stand.”
The association is calling for renewed enforcement of existing antitrust laws, including the Robinson-Patman Act, which addresses price discrimination. NGA argues that consistent enforcement would ensure competition based on service and efficiency rather than size and leverage.
The independent grocery sector generates more than $250 billion in sales, supports 1.1 million jobs, and pays $39 billion in wages and $36 billion in taxes, according to NGA. The trade group represents retail and wholesale community grocers in every congressional district.
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