{"id":23980,"date":"2026-02-12T16:08:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T21:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/?p=23980"},"modified":"2026-02-12T16:08:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T21:08:23","slug":"lujan-merkley-introduce-legislation-to-stop-grocery-price-gouging-and-lower-costs-for-americans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/es\/lujan-merkley-introduce-legislation-to-stop-grocery-price-gouging-and-lower-costs-for-americans\/","title":{"rendered":"Luj\u00e1n, Merkley Introduce Legislation to Stop Grocery Price Gouging and Lower Costs for Americans"},"content":{"rendered":"

Washington DC - <\/strong>Today, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee\u2019s Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced the Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act of 2026, legislation that bans corporations from leveraging new technologies to increase grocery prices for Americans. Specifically, the legislation prohibits the use of surveillance pricing in grocery stores, the practice of using personal data to set individualized prices for goods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corporations often collect and purchase your personal information to create a detailed profile of consumers. This data, coupled with mobile apps, electronic shelf labels, facial recognition, and other biometric technology, allows companies to charge different people different prices for the same item. As grocery prices rise and the federal programs that fight hunger are slashed, some of the largest grocery chains appear poised to implement the widespread use of electronic shelf labels, a technology that allows stores to change the price of an item in a matter of seconds from a remote location. The Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act of 2026 levels the playing field by implementing commonsense guardrails to protect Americans families.<\/s><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIn New Mexico and across the country, Americans are struggling to put food on the table,\u201d said Senator Luj\u00e1n<\/strong>. \u201cWith rising costs driven by President Trump\u2019s trade war and Republican cuts to SNAP, Congress must act to ensure that technologies are being used to improve the lives of Americans, not increase their grocery bills. Our friends, family, and neighbors should be able to shop at their local grocery store without worrying about predatory pricing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWorking families are paying more than ever for groceries, while huge corporations are raking in record profits,\u201d dijo el senador Merkley.<\/strong> \u201cWe must protect Americans from price gouging and from billionaire corporations abusing folks\u2019 personal information just to charge higher prices. The Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act cracks down on this corporate greed\u2014in the store and online\u2014putting people over profits.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cEvery single American will be affected by these predatory pricing practices, including the more than 800,000 grocery workers that UFCW represents, who are on the frontlines of this war on consumers,\u201d said UFCW International President Milton Jones<\/strong>. \u201cFamilies deserve to shop without worrying that they\u2019ll be targeted with a higher price because of their income level or zip code. We applaud Senators Luj\u00e1n and Merkley for their commitment to ending the affordability crisis and protecting consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Specifically, the Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act of 2026 addresses the ability of corporations to leverage new technologies against consumers by:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n