Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Grocers Association (NGA) responded to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) policy statement expanding use of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act to address unfair methods of competition. Chris Jones, NGA senior vice president of government relations and counsel issued the following statement:
“NGA is encouraged by the FTC’s policy statement that price discrimination and abuses of market power, including violations of the Robinson-Patman Act, may violate section 5 of the FTC Act. In the generation that laws against economic discrimination have been ignored, dominant food retailers have grown bigger and bigger, taking advantage of their size to amass greater power, and in turn pressuring their suppliers and limiting customer options. We look forward to working closely with the FTC to ensure a diverse and competitively robust food retail marketplace that benefits stakeholders throughout the food supply chain, including independent community grocers, wholesalers, manufacturers, suppliers, farmers, and most importantly, consumers.”
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About NGA
NGA is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale community grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. An independent retailer is a privately owned or controlled food retail company operating a variety of formats. The independent grocery sector is accountable for about 1.2 percent of the nation’s overall economy and is responsible for generating more than $250 billion in sales, 1.1 million jobs, $39 billion in wages and $36 billion in taxes. NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers located in every congressional district across the country, as well as state grocers’ associations, manufacturers and service suppliers. For more information about NGA, visit www.nationalgrocers.org.
