The National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) is urging its members to offer their opinions in hopes that they could have an impact on a possible redraft of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) menu-labeling rule. The association is holding a webinar later this week to give its members practical help on how to […]
Tag: legislation
Posted inNortheast
Mass. Legislature Considers Soft Drink Tax, Upping Tobacco Purchasing Age
Massachusetts legislation that would increase the Commonwealth’s tobacco buying age to 21 years old has been gaining momentum in the state. The bill also would forbid healthcare companies from selling tobacco products and prohibit electronic cigarettes in workplaces. Already, more than 140 Massachusetts localities have approved a higher tobacco buying age. Gov. Charlie Baker has […]
Posted inNational, Home Page Latest News
Food Retail Industry Victorious In Preserving Debit Swipe Fee Reforms
House Republican leaders reportedly will remove language from the Financial Choice Act (House Resolution 10) that would have repealed debit swipe fee reforms. For nearly a year, the retail industry opposed House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling’s proposal to repeal the Durbin Amendment, which limited what the largest banks could charge in swipe fees and […]
Posted inNortheast
Massachusetts House Passes Pregnant Workers Rights Bill
A bill passed by the Massachusetts House of Representatives would require employers to provide “reasonable accommodation” for pregnant women and nursing mothers, provided they don’t cause the business undue hardship. Undue hardship is defined as an action that requires significant difficulty or expense and takes into account the following five factors: • Nature and cost of […]
Posted inNortheast, Association News
NACS Steadfast In Opposition To Repeal Debit Swipe Fee Reform
The U.S. House Financial Services Committee has sent House Resolution 10, the Financial Choice Act, to the full House for a vote. The National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) opposes the bill because it includes a provision to repeal debit swipe fee reform. “As long as HR 10 includes a repeal of debit swipe fee reform, NACS […]
Posted inNortheast, Association News
Group Pursues Lottery Commission Increase For New York Retailers
The New York Association of Convenience Stores (NYACS) is campaigning to convince the New York Legislature to increase the commission for lottery retailers for the first time in 50 years. The goal is to elevate the commission rate from 6 to 8 percent as part of the new state budget currently being negotiated. “While lottery […]
Posted inAssociation News, California Perspective, Home Page Latest News, Store News, West
California Grocers Association Lauds Legislation To Help Stop Serial Theft
The California Grocers Association (CGA) is supporting and co-sponsoring a bill that would provide grocers and other retailers with relief from the recent spike in shoplifting. Assembly Bill 1326 by Assemblymember Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove), and co-authored by assemblymembers Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona) and Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima), will aggregate the dollar value of certain property crimes, […]
Posted inStore News, Association News, Home Page Latest News, National
Merchant Groups To Capitol Hill: Debit Swipe-Fee Reform Vital To Main Street, American Consumers
More than 60 representatives from retailers, grocers, convenience stores and restaurants are gathering in Washington, D.C., this week to meet with lawmakers. The groups say they will discuss the importance of upholding hard-fought debit swipe-fee reforms as Congress readies legislation to repeal it. In 2010, debit swipe-fee reforms introduced competition and transparency into a market […]
Posted inAssociation News, Home Page Latest News, Midwest
Minnesota Grocers Association Honors Its 2017 Legislator Of The Year
The Minnesota Grocers Association (MGA) has presented its 2017 MGA Legislator of the Year Award to Sen. Paul Gazelka (R-Nisswa). The award, given each year to a lawmaker who demonstrates outstanding commitment to the retail food industry, was presented at the group’s annual legislative dinner last month in St. Paul. Gazelka was honored for his […]
Posted in, Food Service News, Home Page Latest News, National
Industry Groups Praise Introduction Of ‘Workable’ And ‘Sensible’ Menu Labeling Legislation
The National Grocers Association (NGA) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), as well as the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), are applauding introduction of the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2017, a bipartisan bill that clarifies the FDA’s final rule regarding menu labeling at restaurants and similar retail food establishments, which includes grocery stores […]
Posted in, Home Page Latest News, National, Suppliers
Majority Of Industry Commends Trump’s Pick For Top Ag Post
President Donald J. Trump’s nomination of former Georgia Gov. George Ervin “Sonny” Perdue III for Agriculture Secretary is being commended by the majority of the food industry groups and officials. Perdue will oversee a department of about 100,000 employees and about $140 billion across various programs. He also will have a significant role in the […]
Posted inNortheast
Merchant Groups Ask New Congress To Protect Debit Reforms
Now that a new Congress is in session, the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) and 170 state and national merchant groups are communicating to both branches of Congress about the importance of keeping debit reforms intact, which were enacted as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. In a letter sent […]
Posted inWest, California Perspective, Home Page Latest News, Shelby Content
Op-Ed: Will ‘Island’ Of California Drift Even Farther From The Mainland Under New Administration?
by Ron Fong/president and CEO, California Grocers Association The idea of California as an island dates back to at least the 16th century, when cartographers mapped it as sitting just off the western coast of North America—a mini paradise unto itself. As technology and cartography became more advanced, this misconception was corrected on world maps. […]
Posted inNortheast
Maine Food Opportunities Are Growing, But Group Director Concerned Over Lack Of High-Paying Jobs
There is some optimism surrounding the food industry in Maine, but Maine Grocers and Food Producers Association Executive Director Shelley Doak still maintains a wait-and-see attitude. Doak reports more economic opportunities for food manufacturers, with more new startups for full-service independent markets. She is excited about a “Fork Food Lab” connecting food manufacturers with food lovers […]
Posted inNortheast, Home Page Latest News
Food Retailers Prepare For Impact Of Philadelphia’s New Beverage Tax
Retailers are expecting many angry customers once the Philadelphia Beverage Tax takes effect on Jan. 1. According to the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA), the 1.5 cents per ounce tax on sweetened beverages will cause many products to double in price, putting a financial strain on consumers. “Items such as juice drinks, sodas, teas, sports […]
Posted inNortheast, Food Service News, Home Page Latest News, National
Compliance, Enforcement Of Menu Labeling Rule Begins May 5
The Food and Drug Administration decided late last week that the compliance and enforcement deadline for the menu labeling rule is May 5, 2017. It changes the group’s earlier “clarification” that, although it would not enforce the menu labeling rule until May 5, retailers were still expected to be in compliance by Dec. 1. According […]
Posted in, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, National
Judge Temporarily Blocks Upcoming Overtime Rule
Texas federal District Judge Amos L. Mazzant III has preliminarily blocked the U.S. Labor Department’s new overtime rule, which was set to go into effect on Dec. 1. In a ruling Tuesday, Mazzant blocked the implementation or enforcement of the salary-related changes in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act’s “white collar” exemptions. He issued his […]
Posted inNortheast
620-Plus Businesses Urge Congress Not To Repeal Financial Reforms
More than 620 businesses have signed a letter addressed to congressional leaders asking them to not overturn swipe fee reform. The letter notes that the financial reforms “are critical to U.S. businesses and our customers. The debit card fee and rule reforms prescribed in Section 1075 of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act have […]
Posted inMeat/Seafood/Poultry, Home Page Latest News, National
North American Meat Institute Urges Congress To Approve TPP
With the election over and Congress back in Washington, D.C., North American Meat Institute (NAMI) President and CEO Barry Carpenter is calling on Congress to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. “The time is now for Congress to act on the TPP, which is integral to the future growth of the U.S. meat and poultry […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Home Page Latest News, Midwest, Store News
Balls Food Stores COO Testifies Before House Ag Committee On SNAP Program
Mike Beal, COO of Balls Food Stores in Kansas City, Kansas, on Wednesday testified on behalf of the National Grocers Association (NGA) before the U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee in a hearing titled “The Past, Present and Future of SNAP: Opportunities for Improving Access to Food.” In his testimony, Beal shared the positive impacts […]