Food fight

Re “Grocers, brands at odds on costs,” March 2

That was an interesting article on the dispute between manufacturers and chain stores over pricing.

One needs to remember that Wall Street looks for earnings growth every quarter and every year. The best way corporations can accomplish this is to raise prices, and therefore profits, quarter after quarter.

The chain stores are wise to fight back with increased use of store brands.

Your article could have mentioned Trader Joe’s, which probably has the greatest percentage of private brands of any store in America -- and, not surprisingly, excellent quality at lower prices than the chains.

Doug Buckmaster

Santa Barbara