Kroger Faces Accusations of Overcharging

Kroger has been in the headlines over the past couple of weeks, mainly for the disappearance of two high-profile products from its shelves: Red Bull energy drinks and Boar’s Head meats, both reportedly due to price increases sought by wholesalers. But the Cincinnati-based grocer has also been the subject of a controversial report saying government inspectors found overcharging at more than one in three Kroger stores in nine Ohio jurisdictions.

That finding, in a report released by the Center for Responsible Food Business (CRFB), found the pricing errors favored Kroger nearly three times as often as they did shoppers, However, some industry participants say the center’s motives for undertaking its research are suspect and Kroger says the findings are misleading. (More on that later in this story.)

The report pairs those inspection findings with nearly 2000 accounts submitted through CRFB’s “Kroger Hurts Families campaign,” including accounts from Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas and Georgia. The government records, obtained through public-records requests, cover 389 inspections from 2022 to mid-2026. Inspectors recorded 644 incorrect prices, and identified overcharges averaged more than 20% above shelf prices.

“People go to Kroger to feed their families, not to get ripped off at the register. Customers are telling us they have to photograph prices, challenge their receipts and fight for refunds,” said Taylor Warren, President of CRFB, a non-profit that seeks “a more transparent and accountable food sector,” according to its website. “When people need that kind of protection from their own grocery store, the company has failed them.”

The relative lack of coverage about the CRFB’s study may reflect questions about Warren’s organization and its motives. In its coverage of a similar campaign the center undertook last year against the Hannaford grocery chain in New England, The Waltham Times noted that another group – the Center for Environment and Welfare – said Warren’s organization’s real purpose is to remove animal products from grocery stores.

“The Center for Environment and Welfare, according to its website, ‘was founded to help consumers, companies, and stakeholders navigate issues related to sustainability and animal welfare,’” the Times reported. “The organization’s executive director, Jack Hubbard, is an owner and partner at Berman and Company, a public relations firm run by former lobbyist Richard Berman.

“According to Warren, Hubbard’s group is a meat and restaurant industry-funded ‘front organization’ and an attempt to discredit any criticism of both industries.”

Kroger also expressed skepticism about the CRFB report in response to questions from the Ohio Capital Journal . A spokesperson for the grocer said the center “cherry picked” data and customer comments.

“This misleading report combines selective data with unverified claims and does not accurately reflect the experience of customers in our stores every day,” the spokesperson said in an email.

Kroger operates a total of about 2800 stores under 12 brands, including 1250 Kroger locales.