KROGER-ALBERTSONS MERGER BLOCKED — BUT WHO IS PAYING THE PRICE? ISN says the FTC must now answer a difficult question: did stopping America’s biggest supermarket merger protect consumers — or simply leave workers and stores exposed? The Kroger-Albertsons merger was supposed to create one of America’s largest supermarket companies. In February 2024, the FTC formally challenged the proposed acquisition, saying the deal threatened competition between two major supermarket operators. If stopping the merger was supposed to protect American consumers, where is the evidence that consumers and supermarket workers are better off today?