CEOs of Albertsons and Kroger says shoppers would see lower prices after merger
The chief executive officers of Kroger and Albertsons have insisted that merging would allow the two supermarket companies to lower prices and more effectively compete with retail giants like Walmart and Amazon.
Kroger and Albertsons defend merger plan in federal court against US regulators' objections
A lawyer for supermarket chain Albertsons has told a federal judge that the company might have to lay off workers and close stores if its planned merger with Kroger isnโt allowed to proceed.
US sues to block merger of grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons, saying it could push prices higher
The Federal Trade Commission is suing to block a proposed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons.
CONSUMER ROUNDUP: Donโt eat these vegetables. They may contain listeria.
Bags of frozen vegetables sold under the Kroger brand name are recalled because they may be contaminated with listeria and make people sick. See what other consumer alerts made the list in this week's Consumer Roundup.
12 On Your Side: SAโs new grocer, stretching your gas dollars, helping Ukraine
"12 On Your Side" is KSAT's weekly consumer round-up dedicated to providing the information that can better your life, written by award-winning journalist and KSAT consumer reporter Marilyn Moritz.
![Buffett's firm ups Kroger stake while trimming drug holdings](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/JLTrlZbd0oU0sQtw7u7Xkw3W6XM=/800x625/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/ORL6OYLUF5ELTERD4M2DK4YIXU.jpg)
Buffett's firm ups Kroger stake while trimming drug holdings
Billionaire Warren Buffettโs company has again increased the size of its bet on grocery giant Kroger, while scaling back several of its health care industry investments.
![Nervous workers struggle to adjust to new mask policies](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/w85QAqXxROHdXx5RG7fLWdLJjMo=/800x509/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65):fill(FFF)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/2SE6W3DBNRCOVIL2T7NWXNJESY.jpg)
Nervous workers struggle to adjust to new mask policies
An abrupt relaxation of mask policies at some retail and grocery stores has left workers reeling as they try to sort out what the new environment means for their own safety and relationship with customers.
![4 people in Michigan won January $1.05B Mega Millions prize](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/9AzMITLDh7khSFg3H49NQK092iI=/1600x1068/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/4HMXDCCFDFFOZEHBFUVOETEOTU.jpg)
4 people in Michigan won January $1.05B Mega Millions prize
In this Feb. 26, 2021, photo provided by the Michigan Lottery, attorney Kurt Panouses poses with a check on behalf of the winners of a Mega Millions lottery jackpot in Lansing, Mich. Four people in a suburban Detroit lottery club have won a $1.05 billion Mega Millions lottery jackpot and will share $557 million after taxes. (Michigan Lottery via AP)DETROIT โ A four-member suburban Detroit lottery club won a $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot and will receive $557 million after taxes, officials said Friday. After taxes, the $776 million payment was reduced to about $557 million, the Michigan Lottery said. The $1.05 billion jackpot was the largest in Michigan Lottery history and the third-largest in the United States. Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
![Vaccine delays leave grocery workers feeling expendable](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/7cxMPjv2U3U5l3Qy-WGwIaa9_4k=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/YQ4NL2O7FRFLTCMQMTX6HSVKG4.jpg)
Vaccine delays leave grocery workers feeling expendable
Even when grocery workers are prioritized, they still face long waits. "The politicians and the health departments have been singing the praises of grocery workers but now they have been silent.โMajor food retailers say they are doing their part to get their workers vaccinated. But for many grocery workers, the realization that they wonโt be eligible any time soon adds to the sense of being expendable. Over the past two months, there have been 137 COVID-19 outbreaks in Southern California grocery stores, and 500 Houston grocery workers have been infected, according to the UFCW. The union knows of 124 grocery workers who have died since the start of the pandemic.
![Nearly a year into the pandemic, grocery workers in Texas are more fatigued than ever as they await vaccine access](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/E_zaKoznjIH3m9yriXgnVv0Zt9A=/1200x803/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/DVWQRFME3FGI5BYDOT5BDDSFK4.jpg)
Nearly a year into the pandemic, grocery workers in Texas are more fatigued than ever as they await vaccine access
Grocery shoppers formed a long line at the H-E-B grocery store at Hancock Center in Austin last year. Grocery store employees were called essential when the pandemic began, but havenโt been given priority access to the coronavirus vaccine. Nearly a year into the pandemic, Ryanโs experience that day reflects the challenges that grocery store workers across Texas are facing in their stores every day. But Texas decided not to include any essential employees like grocery store workers in the stateโs current vaccine priority groups. โI wasnโt aware that other states had added grocery store workers to Phase 1B, and I think maybe itโs something to point out to the EVAP committee and see if they would reconsider adding grocery store workers to Phase 1B,โ Goodwin said.
![Michigan Mega Millions ticket wins $1.05 billion jackpot](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/cpSTgfjGQHBrb8okshlv3RS-2K4=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/UTOAUIHOCFDFTOLP2X2H3CNN2U.jpg)
Michigan Mega Millions ticket wins $1.05 billion jackpot
The jackpot for the Mega Millions lottery game has grown to $1 billion ahead of Friday night's drawing after more than four months without a winner. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)DES MOINES, Iowa โ Someone in Michigan bought the winning ticket for the $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot, which is the third-largest lottery prize in U.S. history. The winning ticket was purchased at a Kroger store in the Detroit suburb of Novi, the Michigan Lottery said. The Mega Millions top prize had been growing since Sept. 15, when a winning ticket was sold in Wisconsin. Three tickets for a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot were sold in January 2016, and one winning ticket sold for a $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot in October 2018.
![Here are some smart ways to get healthy in 2021](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/em25c_GufOtCDyNG542mZ8vd2tQ=/1600x900/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/d1vhqlrjc8h82r.cloudfront.net/01-04-2021/t_687347c9008542a6873d058116fd197c_name_image.jpg)
Here are some smart ways to get healthy in 2021
So if getting back into shape is on your to-do list for 2021, there are some things you can do now to start the new year off healthy. Why run on a treadmill for hours on end, when 10-minutes of basically sprinting as fast you can be just as effective at burning fat? Finally, try cold showers. A study from 2009 shows cold showers can increase fat burning by up to 15 times as much as a warm shower. Doing these things can get you on the right track to having a healthier 2021.
![Analyzing 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/O0KErflHOD-pU55jQiFnZunPiO4=/1200x803/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/BXSBN2MFURD6HLOV3BCVMLB2MI.jpg)
Analyzing 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic
Here are a few of my columns from the long, long months of COVID-19, from the government responses to the human toll. But more are issuing advisories as the new coronavirus pandemic spreads in Texas. Muted holidays in Texas, as pandemic threatens and vaccines raise hopesVaccines and antibody therapies raise hopes of combatting the coronavirus. But as the holiday season begins, the pandemic is setting new records in Texas for caseloads, hospitalizations and deaths. COVID-19 vaccines are coming to Texas, along with a ranking of whoโs most essentialGreat news: The COVID-19 vaccines are coming.
![Toilet paper limits, empty shelves are back as virus surges](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/JAaoepe0u7iyMheqdadmI3133ko=/1600x1200/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/QBH7NT254VDVDG4HQ2SYWPHTT4.jpg)
Toilet paper limits, empty shelves are back as virus surges
NEW YORK โ Looking for toilet paper? Supermarket chains Kroger and Publix are limiting how much toilet paper and paper towels shoppers can buy after demand spiked recently. And Amazon is sold out of most disinfectant wipes and paper towels. The biggest supply issue seems to be paper products: 21% of shelves that stock paper towels and toilet paper are empty, the highest level in at least a month, according to market research company IRI. Amazon said its working with manufacturers to get items such as disinfecting wipes, paper towels and hand sanitizer in stock.
![Scaled-back Thanksgiving plans leave turkey farmers in limbo](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/YVPbXz_plPkohnlb4iTIqyN5_8s=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/EGZZ6TJ5KZFLTOD6BQNANDDC3U.jpg)
Scaled-back Thanksgiving plans leave turkey farmers in limbo
Many turkey farmers are worried their biggest birds won't end up on Thanksgiving tables. Fewer people at Thanksgiving tables means many families will buy smaller turkeys, or none at all. That leaves anxious turkey farmers and grocers scrambling to predict what people will want on their holiday tables. Itโs a gamble, because the birds gain a lot of fat and flavor in their final few weeks, but she figures customers will want smaller birds. Butterball โ which typically sells 30% of Americaโs 40 million Thanksgiving turkeys โ said itโs expecting more gatherings, but itโs not convinced people will want smaller turkeys.
![Texas officials blame coding errors and a system update for recent COVID-19 testing data issues](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/8B5uh-zhtFiInp8TIxXUnUSCwW4=/425x284/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/AK6NQ3HLLFDVDOIGLLXJB2NOHA.jpg)
Texas officials blame coding errors and a system update for recent COVID-19 testing data issues
Local media reported that a similar data dump happened in Florida this week, with around 14,000 tests added from one lab in Miami. The sudden increase in the number of tests made Texas seven-day positivity rate drop from a record-high 24.5% to 16%. The number of reported tests has gone down quicker than the number of new infections reported. State and local officials in Texas have also described a drop in demand for COVID-19 tests. Almost every major data point has come with caveats, sometimes blurring for days the big picture of the pandemic in Texas.
![Walmart latest retailer to require customers to wear masks](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/5fZKhvnin3KZiYaw9f9FeLNft64=/1600x1044/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/OWD5XD4ERNA2FFOC6PDT7ZUFCA.jpg)
Walmart latest retailer to require customers to wear masks
Last week, Starbucks announced that customers who visit its company-owned cafรฉ locations in the U.S. will be required to wear face coverings. Costco Wholesale Club was one of the first major retailers to require face coverings for customers at all of its stores. โI think Walmart's decision will give cover to other retailers to require masks," said Michael J. Hicks, an economist at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Social media is full of videos capturing clashes between those who are asked to wear masks, and employees who are under orders to make sure people wear them. About half of U.S. states require masks in public places, according to the RILA.