I took the opportunity to tour Ron's IGA, a full-service supermarket in Maysville, Kentucky. Part of the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) brand, Ron’s is a family-owned franchise with an additional store in Tollesboro, Kentucky. The success of the Fourth District’s small businesses is of utmost importance to me, and I am glad store owners Ron Stamper and Peggy Hester invited me for a tour and discussion.
Ron, Peggy, and others in attendance, all of whom work in the food retail industry, shared their concerns regarding inflation, supply chain issues, and the business practices of large supermarket chains that put small grocers at a disadvantage. The consolidation of stores and their suppliers, such as dairies and product vendors, lead to less competition, less variety, and giant corporations setting market prices. Ron is concerned that the Robinson-Patman Act of 1936, an anti-trust bill written to prevent large franchises from engaging in price discrimination against small businesses, is not being enforced by the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This is an issue that could potentially be brought forth in the Judiciary Committee or its Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust, which I chair. I will be keeping these small grocers in mind when speaking to DOJ and FTC officials in the future.
I also explained my bill The PRIME Act, H.R. 2814, which I reintroduced in the House last week. Federal inspection requirements make it difficult to purchase food from trusted, local farmers. The PRIME Act would give individual states freedom to permit intrastate distribution of custom-slaughtered meat such as beef, pork, or lamb to consumers, restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, and grocery stores. Ron’s IGA and similar small grocers and butchers would benefit greatly from being able to buy fresh, locally sourced meats directly from farmers and ranchers at more reasonable prices.
Thank you to Ted Mason, Retail Technology Consultant for the National Grocers Association; Tod Griffin, Executive Director of the Kentucky Grocers & Convenience Store Association, Inc.; David Pearson, President of Laurel Grocery Company; Lawrence Mills, Category Manager with Laurel Grocery Company; and James Neumann, President of ValuMarket Supermarket for joining us at Ron’s IGA and sharing your thoughts.