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Speak Up: Help Shape Real Solutions to Improve Affordability
Mar 12, 2026
HB 895/SB 387 would put Maryland in uncharted territory as no other state has enacted legislation like this targeting grocery pricing
Affordability is one of the most pressing concerns for Maryland families today. From groceries and housing to energy and transportation, the cost of everyday essentials continues to rise — and Maryland businesses are experiencing those same pressures every day.
Employers across every industry are managing higher costs for energy, transportation, labor, insurance, and regulatory compliance. Those costs don't disappear — they move through the economy and ultimately influence the prices consumers see. When families struggle with rising costs, businesses feel those pressures too.
Affordability Requires Looking at the Full Picture
Policymakers are asking the right question — why are groceries so expensive? But recently introduced legislation — HB 895/SB 387, the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act — looks for the answer in the wrong place.
Grocery retail is one of the most competitive, lowest-margin industries in the economy — not a sector where exploiting customers is a viable business model. Maryland grocers succeed by keeping prices competitive for the families who shop there. Protecting consumers from unfair practices is a goal Maryland businesses already share — and one that is already addressed in law. That’s why it’s important that policy solutions address the real issue.
It also requires recognizing how prices are actually set. Grocery prices, like prices across the economy, are shaped by supply and demand. When the costs of producing, transporting, and selling goods rise, prices rise with them. That’s not predatory pricing — it’s the basic economics of how markets work.
Where the Answer Actually Lives
Grocery prices reflect a wide range of costs that accumulate long before a product reaches a store shelf. Farmers, producers, processors, distributors and logistics providers all absorb cost pressures — and pass them along. By the time a family picks up a product at checkout, the price reflects decisions made across an entire supply chain.
Those underlying pressures include:
- Energy and transportation costs, which affect every step from farm to shelf
- Workforce and labor costs, which have risen significantly across the economy
- Insurance and compliance costs, which fall disproportionately on smaller businesses
- Supply chain disruptions, which continue to affect availability and pricing
- Taxes and regulatory burdens, which affect Maryland's overall cost competitiveness
Addressing these cost drivers will do far more to improve affordability for Maryland families than targeting any single pricing practice at the retail level.
Maryland Would Be Going It Alone
HB 895/SB 387 would put Maryland in uncharted territory. No other state has enacted legislation like this targeting grocery pricing. Addressing affordability requires focusing on the broader cost pressures affecting businesses and families across the economy.
Speak Up Now
Lawmakers are actively shaping this legislation — and they need to hear from the business community. Your perspective helps ensure that affordability policy addresses what's actually driving costs higher for Maryland families and the businesses that serve them.
We've made it easy to contact your legislators with sample language ready to go. Use the link below — it takes less than two minutes.
