Kamala Harris Wants to Make Grocery Prices Cheaper for Americans — Here’s How
With only a few hours left before polls close, people across the country are dissecting specific proposed policies to make their final decision about who should be the next president of the U.S. One agenda item to keep on your radar from the Harris-Walz campaign focuses on a plan to reduce grocery costs for Americans.
Despite the decline in inflation, many folks in the U.S. still have difficulty paying their food shopping bills. “Kamala recognized that this country is at risk, that the economy needs to get stronger, that the cost of food and the cost of living is too high,” Cardi B said in a speech at the Harris-Walz rally on November 1. In some areas of the country, grocery prices are now higher than they were during the unprecedented time of the pandemic. This is so much of a problem that here at The Kitchn, we’re constantly reporting on how to keep your grocery bills in check. But political jargon can be complicated to parse out sometimes, so we’ve created a detailed outline below to help you understand how Vice President Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz plan to tackle this issue.
1. Investing in a Strong Food Supply
First, Harris wants to strengthen and diversify the country’s food supply chain to reduce its concentration. As a nation, relying on a consolidated food system poses more opportunities for risk. Think bananas getting more expensive because of port worker strikes or olive oil prices increasing because of a drought. The proposed way forward involves “expanding production among new suppliers and small farms, growers, and processors to create broad-based supply chains,” according to the Harris-Walz economic plan.
2. Stopping Corporations from Marking Up Grocery Prices
When big food business mergers occur, these corporations have the power to control food prices. For example, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently sued to block the largest proposed supermarket merger in U.S. history involving Kroger’s acquisition of Albertsons. “Kroger’s acquisition of Albertsons would lead to additional grocery price hikes for everyday goods, further exacerbating the financial strain consumers across the country face today,” Henry Liu, the director of the Bureau of Competition at the FTC, said in a press release. The Harris-Walz economic plan suggests that, under their administration, agencies must assess whether a proposed merger could lead to higher grocery prices for consumers before moving forward with any plans.
3. Providing Funding for Small Food Businesses
The Harris-Walz economic plan vows to fuel more competition in the grocery industry by supporting “small businesses, grocers, and growers,” giving shoppers more options to pick from beyond large corporate chains. This includes providing additional resources to help small businesses produce food for their communities. In the report, Vice President Harris mentioned these resources would include funding and support so that small food businesses can compete against corporate chains.
4. Proposing a Bill to Ban Grocery Price Gouging
To hold big food companies accountable, the Harris-Walz economic plan outlines a strategy to work with Congress to pass the first federal ban on price gouging. In a press release published on August 16, the campaign promised to “secure new authority for the FTC and state attorneys general to investigate and impose strict new penalties on companies that break the rules.” This bill will make it illegal for corporations to drive up the costs of certain groceries or staples, especially during times of crisis.
Further Reading
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