Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee’s 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.
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.
“In New Mexico and across the country, Americans are struggling to put food on the table,” said Senator Luján. “With rising costs driven by President Trump’s 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.”
“Working families are paying more than ever for groceries, while huge corporations are raking in record profits,” said Senator Merkley. “We must protect Americans from price gouging and from billionaire corporations abusing folks’ personal information just to charge higher prices. The Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act cracks down on this corporate greed—in the store and online—putting people over profits.”
“Every 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,” said UFCW International President Milton Jones. “Families deserve to shop without worrying that they’ll be targeted with a higher price because of their income level or zip code. We applaud Senators Luján and Merkley for their commitment to ending the affordability crisis and protecting consumers.”
Specifically, the Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act of 2026 addresses the ability of corporations to leverage new technologies against consumers by:
- Prohibiting surveillance pricing in grocery stores;
- Requiring grocery stores to disclose the use of facial recognition technology;
- Banning electronic shelf labels in large grocery stores; and
- Establishing an enforcement mechanism to hold corporations accountable.
During the government shutdown, Senator Luján led the Senate Democratic Caucus in introducing legislation that prevents the Trump administration from illegally withholding available funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). During debate on the Republican Budget Betrayal, Senator Luján spearheaded efforts to reverse the bill’s drastic cuts to food assistance.
Together with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, Senator Luján convened a Spotlight Forum titled “Hunger by Design: The GOP’s Assault on SNAP” to underscore the devastating impact of Congressional Republicans’ plan to gut SNAP.
This legislation is endorsed by The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).
Full bill text is available here.
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