Unionized grocery store workers rally to oppose the proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons outside a Ralph's supermarket in Los Angeles in 2023. On Wednesday, Albertsons said it was giving up on the deal after it was blocked by two courts. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A shopper pushes a cart through a Kroger supermarket in Newport, Ky. Al Behrman/AP hide caption
A sampling of some of the hundreds of ready-to-eat products affected by the BrucePac recall, according to the USDA. U.S. Department of Agriculture hide caption
The Norwegian supermarket chain REMA 1000 uses dynamic pricing for all the items in its stores, including Kvikk Lunsj chocolate bars and Solo soda. Jessica Robinson/NPR hide caption
York's Family Dollar store is centrally located in town. The closure has created a shopping challenge for residents without cars. Stephan Bisaha for NPR hide caption
A grocery store worker sanitizes a shopping cart at a MOM's Organic Market in Washington, D.C., in April 2020. Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
People wait in long lines at an H-E-B grocery store in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday. The large supermarket chain said the "unprecedented weather event in Texas has caused a severe disruption in the food supply chain." Montinique Monroe/Getty Images hide caption
Tekiah Elzey is using Coworker.org to petition for hazard pay to be restored at the New Seasons Market where she works in Portland, Ore. Chloe Meeske hide caption
This weekend, temporary pay bumps for workers during the coronavirus pandemic are ending at companies across the country. In a normal world, high hazard pay might be the only way to stop employees from quitting en masse. But with tens of millions unemployed, workers quickly lost a lot of leverage. Ada Yokota/Getty Images hide caption
Yesenia Ortiz works at a grocery store in Greensboro, N.C. She says she wishes she would get paid more during the pandemic because of the extra level of risk to which she is exposed. Sarah Gonzalez/NPR hide caption
Michelle Lee, who has worked for Safeway for 32 years, wishes customers would be more patient about shortages. "They can't understand why they keep coming back and we don't have" items such as toilet paper, she says. Robert Lee hide caption
Courtney Meadows says the coronavirus has changed how other people see her job as a grocery store cashier. Courtesy of Mark Covey hide caption
Kroger and the food workers union want grocery staff to be designated as first responders in the coronavirus pandemic. Rogelio V. Solis/AP hide caption
A growing number of restaurants are offering produce, dry goods and pantry staples to customers, in addition to their normal menu items. It helps customers buy essential items, provides restaurants with a source of revenue and addresses a sudden disconnect in America's food supply chains. Max Posner/NPR hide caption
A grocery store worker stocks bread at a MOM's Organic Market in Washington, D.C., on April 2. Last week, bread sales jumped 30% compared to a year ago. But yeast sales were up more than 450%. Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Many supermarkets are setting special designated hours when only seniors and others most vulnerable to the coronavirus are invited to shop. David Goldman/AP hide caption
A person shops in front of the empty shelves in the deli section of a Walmart Supercenter in Nashville on Saturday. Jason Kempin/Getty Images hide caption
Shoppers found some empty shelves at a Kroger grocery store in Grosse Ile, Mich., on Friday. Americans are stocking up on food, toilet paper, water and other items amid the coronavirus outbreak. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images hide caption
George Laurer in 2011 at the University of Maryland's Innovation Hall of Fame. His many inventions, including the Universal Product Code, led to his induction into the hall in 1991. Al Santos/University of Maryland hide caption
Fresh Corner Café sells loose fruits and fresh pre-packaged items like salads, sandwich wraps and fruit cups to corner stores, grocery stores and gas stations. Courtesy of Valaurian Waller hide caption
One reason frozen food sales might be faltering is because of design. "That glass door. It really creates a fence," says food trend analyst Phil Lempert. Hannelore Foerster/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption