Business · Companies · 17 hrs ago
AI pricing tools could bring faster and more personalized food prices
Food retailers are adopting AI and digital tools that can affect how prices are set and displayed.
The changes involve companies including McDonald's and grocery chains in the United States and United Kingdom.
A federal antitrust lawsuit alleges McDonald's uses an AI pricing engine to set menu prices, but the company denies using AI to determine what individual customers will pay.
Grocery stores are also using tools such as electronic shelf labels and apps that discount food nearing its sell-by date.
Experts say these technologies could make it easier to change prices quickly or tailor them to what a shopper may be willing to pay.
That could make prices less predictable for consumers and make it harder to measure inflation using a representative set of prices.
The sources do not say whether retailers will adopt personalized pricing or what specific price changes shoppers will see next.
Food retailers are adopting AI tools that could change how prices are set and presented to shoppers.
A federal antitrust lawsuit alleges McDonald’s uses an AI-powered pricing engine to set menu prices across U.S. locations.
McDonald’s denies using AI to determine what individual customers are willing to pay.
Experts warn that more data and faster price changes could make personalized pricing easier to deploy.
AI tools in use or testing include grocery markdowns, digital shelf labels, shopping-list features and facial-recognition checkout.
- Who
- Food retailers, including McDonald’s, Kroger and Sainsbury’s, are using or testing AI tools. Experts warn about the effects on shoppers.
- What
- AI tools could enable faster and more personalized food prices. A lawsuit alleges McDonald’s uses an AI pricing engine to set menu prices.
- When
- CNBC published the article on October 11, 2026. The lawsuit was filed “just this week,” and Sainsbury’s released SmartLists on Wednesday.
- Where
- The tools are being used or tested by retailers in the United States and the United Kingdom.
- Why
- Retailers are using technology for tasks including marking down perishables and helping shoppers find products; experts say it can also support more frequent or individualized pricing.
McDonald’s
Plaintiffs in the federal antitrust lawsuit
Use of AI in pricing
McDonald’s
McDonald’s denies using AI to determine what individual customers are willing to pay.
Plaintiffs in the federal antitrust lawsuit
The lawsuit alleges McDonald’s uses an AI-powered pricing engine to set menu prices across U.S. locations and overcharge customers for Big Macs and fries.
Dynamic pricing means changing prices in response to changing market conditions, such as demand, timing, capacity or competitors' prices.
It is not new. Airlines, hotels, and ride-hailing services have used it for years.
as close to the maximum price a consumer is willing to pay for a good or service
Kroger said it was using FlashFood to mark down perishables nearing the end of their shelf life and market them to shoppers through an app.
Bank of England economists Clare Lombardelli and Rupal Patel said more sophisticated technology was leading to more frequent and individualized price changes.
Sainsbury’s released SmartLists, an AI feature for creating shopping lists and finding products.
A federal antitrust lawsuit alleged McDonald’s uses an AI-powered pricing engine to set menu prices across U.S. locations.
- Lawsuit
- Filed against McDonald’s; alleges use of an AI-powered pricing engine
- McDonald’s response
- Denies using AI to determine what individual customers are willing to pay
- Kroger tool
- FlashFood marks down perishables nearing the end of their shelf life
- Sainsbury’s feature
- SmartLists helps customers make shopping lists and find products
- Publication
- CNBC, October 11, 2026
Sources
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