Kroger CEO: Fuel, credit card fees, other expenses have raised grocery costs, not gouging

Rising costs on everything from the price of fuel to credit card swipe fees has driven the skyrocketing cost of food in grocery stores, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen said in court on Wednesday in the Kroger, Albertsons antitrust merger trial in Portland, Ore.

McMullen took the stand in the case brought by the Federal Trade Commission and nine attorneys general that aims to block Kroger’s $24.6 billion acquisition of Albertsons. The trial began on Aug. 26 and is expected to end on Sept. 13.

Reuters reported that McMullen said Kroger would “absolutely not” raise prices if the merger is approved. “We believe over time, value will be increasingly important and you can’t price your items above the market,” McMullen said in court, according to the Reuters story.