Gov. Moore signs a ban on a pricing practice that grocers say they weren’t even using
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews
Maryland families already know what the data confirm: buying groceries here costs more than in most of the country.
According to a 2025 Grocery Price Index compiled by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center and visualized by Visual Capitalist, Maryland ranks 7th most expensive in the nation with an index score of 105.4 — well above the U.S. baseline of 100. Only Hawaii (131.4), Alaska (125.0), California (109.3), Washington (108.0), Oregon (106.8), and Vermont (105.5) rank higher. The District of Columbia, at 104.8, isn’t far behind.
For a state where residents already shoulder high housing costs and some of the heaviest tax burdens in the region, that grocery premium is no small thing.
Gov. Wes Moore signed a response to all of this on Tuesday — the Protection from Predatory Pricing Act — making Maryland the first state in the country to ban so-called “surveillance pricing,” the practice of using a shopper’s personal data to charge them higher prices than the person standing next to them in the checkout line.
The political messaging is clear: Moore and legislative Democrats want to be seen fighting for working families at the register.
The practical impact is murkier.
Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey, a Caroline County Republican, questioned why Maryland is the first state to prohibit the practice — noting there is no evidence that the state’s grocery stores were actually doing it. “Marylanders are struggling with rising utility bills, housing costs, and taxes, yet the Governor chose to sign legislation targeting a pricing practice that grocery stores themselves told us isn’t happening,” Hershey said. “This was a solution in search of a problem. That makes this more about messaging than meaningful relief for Maryland families.”
Even advocates who support the concept aren’t fully sold on what passed. Consumer Reports noted that the final version of the legislation contains loopholes — including exemptions for loyalty programs, memberships, and subscriptions — and features what the organization called “weak” enforcement provisions. “While it’s encouraging to see the Maryland legislature take up this issue, this bill has loopholes that will limit its real-world impact,” said Grace Gedye, a senior policy analyst at the organization.
The law takes effect in October.
Meanwhile, the grocery prices Marylanders are actually feeling today have little to do with algorithmic shelf tags. They trace back to inflationary trends that began during the Biden years and have continued under the pressures of the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict — which began on February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iranian military and government sites, leading to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and a disruption to global oil markets described as the worst since the 1970s energy crisis. Democrats have been quick to point to those events and the tariff environment as drivers of price pain. But Marylanders squeezed at the checkout counter have been feeling it long before this year’s headlines.
The grocery index data is a useful reality check. States like Arkansas (94.3 — the national low), Kansas (95.9), and Texas (95.3) consistently keep costs near or below the national baseline. Maryland, under years of Democratic governance and some of the highest state spending in the country, sits near the top of the wrong list.
Banning a pricing model that retailers say they weren’t using doesn’t change that math. What would: addressing the structural cost drivers — taxes, regulation, and the cost of doing business in Maryland — that make everything here more expensive, before the first item even hits the shelf.
Sources: Grocery Price Index data from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC), 2025 Annual Average, as visualized by Visual Capitalist and Voronoi. Maryland’s Protection from Predatory Pricing Act coverage via the Washington Times (April 29, 2026), Grocery Dive (April 2026), WJLA/7News, The Hill, and WBOC Salisbury. Consumer Reports analysis of the bill’s loopholes via NPR (April 23, 2026). Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey statement via the Washington Times. Background on the February 28, 2026 U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz via Wikipedia’s “2026 Iran war” entry, Britannica, and the UK House of Commons Library briefing on U.S.-Iran ceasefire and nuclear talks (updated April 2026).
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