skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

White House says Elon Musk isn't in charge at DOGE, but 'advising' the president; CA schools brace for harmful cuts to Medi-Cal; Report says AR students still struggle with COVID-19 learning loss; and UT enacts controversial labor union law.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The SAVE Act, requiring proof of citizenship to vote, is moving in the U.S. House. Environmental groups want the U.S. Senate to kill a bill they say falsely claims to slow climate change, and the agriculture industry is concerned about mass migrant deportations.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

Farm Groups Say Grocery Chain 'Mega-Merger' Would Decimate Regional Food Markets

play audio
Play

Tuesday, December 20, 2022   

Two major U.S. grocery chains, Kroger and Albertsons, are seeking the green light from the Federal Trade Commission to merge their companies. Critics have said the deal would form the largest grocery chain in the nation -- second only to Walmart, shrink the power of suppliers and workers, and drive more independent grocers out of business.

Farmer and consumer advocacy groups recently wrote a letter to the Federal Trade Commission, urging the agency to block the consolidation.

Aaron Johnson, corporate power program manager, Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA, said it's increasingly difficult for local and regional producers, small food processors, and small meatpacking plants, to get their products onto shelves in front of consumers.

"When these grocery firms combined into these really, really large companies, a big thing that they do is they really centralize how they source the products that are going into the shelf, it becomes much more difficult for local and regional producers to get access to that retail shelf space," Johnson said.

Kroger argued in a press release its acquisition of the Idaho-based chain will expand customer reach and improve access to affordable food to approximately 85-million households. The FTC is expected to make a decision on the sale sometime next year.

Johnson says Kroger and Albertsons are part of an alarming trend of consolidation within food, retail and wholesale industries over the past few decades.

"And so, right now, the top four grocery corporations capture almost two thirds of consumer food sales," Johnson said.

He said predatory pricing and other tactics used by major players have resulted in more local producers, especially organic growers, losing wholesale contracts.

"All that has implications on rural economies on the number of people who can viably start a farm who can put down roots in rural communities and be a part of those communities be buying from other businesses," he said.

Between 1994 and 2019, the overall number of grocery stores nationwide declined by 30%, according to Food and Water Watch.

Disclosure: Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy & Priorities, Environmental Justice, Rural/Farming, Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Sun Bear Industries coordinates and manages renewable energy projects, connecting tribal governments with contractors specializing in renewable energy. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Robert Chappell for Madison 365.Broadcast version by Judith Ruiz-Branch for Wisconsin News Connection reporting for the Madison 365-Public News Ser…


Environment

play sound

For generations, small family farms have worked to feed Mississippi communities but small-scale operations, particularly those run by Black farmers…

play sound

President Donald Trump has issued a flurry of executive orders meant to jump-start his mass deportation policy but the policy may negatively affect mi…


An agonist mimics a neurotransmitter or hormone, triggering a response by binding to specific brain receptors. GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), approved for diabetes and obesity, also show promising heart health benefits. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

The GLP-1 medication trend has taken the health and wellness world by storm, largely hailed as a game-changer for weight loss. Now, new research …

play sound

By Ilana Newman for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collabora…

School Meals for All programs consistently show nutritional and behavioral improvements in students. (School Meals for All Coalition)

play sound

New legislation that would ensure every Oregon public school student has access to free breakfast and lunch has widespread, bipartisan support…

Environment

play sound

Energy costs in Maryland are higher than the national average and one proposal to address the issue is facing backlash from environmentalists…

Environment

play sound

A recent report revealed the Shell petrochemical plant in Beaver County has failed to deliver the promised economic benefits since its announcement mo…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021