The Blubber

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to introduce a historic federal ban targeting "corporate price-gouging in the food and grocery industries," according to a statement from her campaign late Wednesday.

"There’s a clear distinction between fair pricing in competitive markets and excessive prices that don't reflect the actual costs of doing business," the Harris campaign noted. "Americans are feeling this difference in their grocery bills."

This proposed ban is part of a larger economic policy platform that Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, will unveil at a campaign rally in battleground North Carolina on Friday.

In addition to the price-gouging ban, Harris will commit to increasing scrutiny of potential mergers between major supermarkets and food producers if elected president. Her campaign emphasized that this would include assessing whether such mergers could lead to higher grocery prices for consumers.

This regulatory package represents one of Harris' first steps in establishing an economic platform distinct from President Joe Biden's agenda. Biden, who withdrew from the race in July and endorsed Harris, had previously campaigned for reelection, often attributing rising consumer prices to corporate greed amid inflation.

Despite this, Harris' plan remains aligned with Biden's broader regulatory approach, which has focused on consumer protection across various industries and included efforts to block several large corporate mergers.