WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, issued the following statement:
“I applaud the FTC for taking action today to challenge Kroger’s proposed acquisition of Albertsons. This proposed mega-merger is anticompetitive and would harm workers, farmers, food suppliers, and shoppers grappling with rising food prices. In less than half a century, we have experienced nearly unchecked corporate consolidation in almost every sector of our economy, but our food system, which touches all Americans' lives, is among the most extreme examples. This unchallenged monopoly power limits consumer choice, wields huge political influence to control food and farm policy, and squeezes farmers and workers. Americans deserve a food system that works for them, not massive corporations, and today’s announcement is another sign that the Biden Administration takes this issue seriously.”
Since Kroger and Albertsons proposed the merger, Senator Booker has expressed concerns about the deal. In December of last year, Senator Booker wrote to the FTC encouraging the Commission to oppose the merger, regardless of the proposed divestiture. In December 2022, Senator Booker wrote a letter to the Kroger Company CEO Rodney McMullen and Albertsons Companies, Inc. CEO Vivek Sankaran pressing them on diversity and inclusion and pushed them to take steps to increase their commitments to address racial and economic disparities as the companies seek to merge. In October 2022, Senators Booker, Klobuchar, and Blumenthal urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons, voicing concern about this transaction’s potential implications for consumers. In May 2022, Senators Booker, Tester, Merkley, and Warren introduced the Food and Agribusiness Merger Moratorium and Antitrust Review Act of 2022, legislation that would place an immediate and indefinite moratorium on acquisitions and mergers in the food and agriculture sector.