Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Statement on the Federal Trade Commission Opposing the Kroger-Albertsons Merger

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2024
Contact: LeeAnne Sanders
communications@rmfu.org
(720) 408-4669

DENVER, CO – The Federal Trade Commission introduced a suit on Monday to halt the proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons, two of the nation’s largest grocery chains. 

“We applaud the Federal Trade Commission for taking action to challenge the proposed Kroger/Albertsons merger. We thank Chairperson Lina Khan, the FTC Bureau of Competition, and the Department of Justice Antitrust Division for recognizing the importance of competition in the economy and working to ensure fair markets for producers and consumers,” said Rocky Mountain Farmers Union President Chad Franke. “Further consolidation in the grocery market will harm our members and their communities by lowering prices paid to producers, raising food prices for consumers, and closing stores through reduced competition,” Franke continued.  

Opposing this merger has been one of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union’s biggest priorities. Our members have commented at numerous listening sessions and press events since this merger was announced in October of 2022. The FTC announcement comes on the heels of a suit brought forward earlier this month by Colorado officially opposing the merger. Washington State also has a similar suit. An additional eight states, including New Mexico and Wyoming, and attorneys representing Washington D.C. have joined the FTC’s efforts. 

Eliminating head-to-head competition in an already concentrated market would harm workers and rural communities and, ultimately, drive down the price that farmers and ranchers receive for their goods. Based on FTC Merger Guidelines, this proposed merger is unlawful because it would increase buyer power concentration and diminish farmer’s bargaining power. In many communities, it would virtually eliminate all competition. This would exacerbate an already existing problem for our farmer and rancher members to access food at an affordable price.

“RMFU and its farm and ranch members have a longstanding commitment to mitigating consolidation in the meat packing, chemical, seed, and equipment industries,” Franke said. “Monopolistic behavior squeezes profits from producers, thus the recent announcements of lawsuits to block the Kroger/Albertsons merger give hope that the era of uncontested consolidation in the economy is ending,” Franke continued. “We thank the Federal Trade Commission and leaders from Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico for protecting producers and consumers from further consolidation in the grocery market.”

Rocky Mountain Farmers Union is a general farm organization whose 15,000 member families live and work in hometown communities across Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming.