AS MEMORIAL DAY BBQ’S COSTS SPIKE WITH SKYROCKETING MEAT PRICES IN THE CAPITAL REGION, SCHUMER ANNOUNCES LANDMARK NEW LEGISLATION TO LOWER COST OF MEAT & GROCERIES FOR AMERICAN[...]

Schumer Says Capital Region Families Are Seeing One Of The Most Expensive Memorial Day Weekends - With Beef Spiking Nearly 20% Since Last Year, Gas Prices Skyrocketing, And BBQ Essentials Costs Increasing Due To Tariffs

Senator Unveils New Bill To Drive Down Cost Of Groceries By Breaking Up Big Monopolies In Meatpacking That Lead To Higher Prices While Helping Local Upstate NY Farmers By Supporting Local Producers

Schumer: New Bill Will Bring Down Costs For Families At The Grocery Store

As families in the Capital Region pay more than ever for their Memorial Day barbecues with record-high meat prices, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today stood at the beloved Avon Meat Market, a family-owned business serving the region for 90 years, to introduce the Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act. The Senator's new landmark legislation would lower grocery costs for families by breaking up the big meat monopolies and restoring competition to bring better choices at the meat counter.

"Families here in the Capital Region are facing one of the most expensive Memorial Day weekends ever. Groceries just saw the biggest price hike in years, and beef is at record highs. Corporate giants that dominate the meat market and set prices sky-high for families, all while squeezing profits from farmers by eliminating competition, and it needs to end," said Senator Schumer. "That's why I'm announcing the Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act to lower grocery costs. Local businesses like Avon Meat Market want to work with local farmers and keep their prices down, but they get hurt by big corporations and suppliers rigging the game against them. As grocery costs keep soaring, this bill will work to fix it."

Schumer explained that a major driver of high meat prices is a food system rigged in favor of corporate monopolies. Four companies, Tyson Foods, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef, control 85% of the beef market, 67% of the pork market, and 60% of the chicken market. Schumer's Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act would break up dominant meatpackers and stop unfair pricing that drives up grocery bills for American families.

"For 90 years, Avon Meat Market has proudly served Capital Region families, and I've personally spent more than 40 years working in this business and serving local families and businesses. We do everything we can to keep quality high and prices affordable for our customers, but it has become harder and harder as large corporations dominate the meat industry and drive-up costs for small businesses. I appreciate Senator Schumer standing up for local businesses, farmers, and working families who are struggling with rising grocery prices," said Avon Meat Market's owner Jim Ostrowski.

Schumer continued, "This bill is centered around making meat more affordable, ensuring farmers see the profits, and putting the needs of working middle-class people ahead of the interests of powerful corporations."

The cost of a Memorial Day barbecue is skyrocketing this year as costs rise across the country. Groceries just had the biggest price hike in years, and the cost of barbecue staples has increased by an average of 13%. Beef prices continue to set records, with the cost of ground beef and sirloin steak spiking nearly 20% since last year and up more than 50% since before the pandemic as of last fall. Meanwhile, the cost of produce has generally increased due to tariffs and supply chain issues impacting Memorial Day cookouts across the country, with the cost of corn rising by 98%, tomatoes rising by 50%, and blueberries by 30%. The cost of cookout essentials like aluminum foil and grill tools has increased due to Trump's tariffs.

The price of gas is also at record highs - with the average in New York state rising above $4.60 a gallon - due to Trump's war in Iran, making the cost of driving to a cookout more expensive for Americans across the country.

Recent reporting shows that more than half of residents in the Capital Region have taken on additional debt in the past year due to the rising cost of food. According to analysis from the Urban Institute, New York's 20^th Congressional District, which covers all of Albany, Saratoga, and Schenectady counties, and parts of Montgomery and Rensselaer counties, has experienced some of the fastest price growth for groceries in the country in the past ten years. Grocery prices have increased from $860 to $1,150 each month, a whopping more than 30% increase.

Schumer's bill would force the biggest meatpackers to choose a line of business instead of dominating beef, pork, and chicken all at once, and aims to provide financial and technical assistance to farmers' cooperatives and small businesses that seek to acquire, operate, or expand meatpacking plants or facilities, helping make more local supply chains to lower costs.

Together, the senator said these measures will help open up opportunities for more competition in the meat processing industry, giving local New York farmers new buyers to sell their products and make a higher profit, and providing local retailers with more options to purchase fresh, local products to sell in their stores. By promoting competition and taking power away from the greedy middlemen, consumers can look forward to lower prices at the grocery stores.

"As families across Schenectady prepared for this Memorial Day weekend, they faced higher costs at the grocery store as they shopped for holiday cookouts. Local businesses like Avon Prime Meats are a pillar of our community for affordable goods and they too have faced higher wholesale prices massive corporations that are driving up prices for families and squeezing small businesses. I thank Senator Schumer for fighting to lower costs and support local businesses, workers, and families here in Schenectady and across the Capital Region," said Mayor Gary McCarthy.

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