Connecticut Senate Democrats, concerned that corporate profits are responsible for the rise in food prices, have asked Attorney General William Tong to investigate grocery store profits.
Tong has accepted and will start his investigation by sending a letter to all major grocery retailers in Connecticut to disclose their profits and costs.
“With a focus on trying to determine whether food prices and grocery prices on everyday groceries are unreasonably or excessively high, unlawfully high,” Tong said at a media briefing at the state Legislative Office Building in Hartford on Thursday.
“And we really want to find out if there is any price gouging going on here in Connecticut,” he said.
Senate Democrats requested that Tong do the investigation after a Federal Trade Commission report released last week suggested that the increase in grocery prices might be due to stores increasing revenue, not inflation.
“This additional study is imperative to understanding the rising prices of groceries and how we can protect consumers from any price gouging,” Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff said.
Republicans responded with a statement that accused the Democrats of blaming grocery stores for inflated prices caused by the economic policies of the Biden administration.
