Convenience Store News In Brief… The American Beverage Association has joined two other groups in trying to block San Francisco city rules requiring mandatory labels on soda advertisements. The label, which must be affixed to sugary beverages, would read, “Warning: Drinking beverages with added sugar contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.” The lawsuit, which […]
Tag: litigation
Posted in, Northeast
New York AG Settles With C&S On Preventable Accident Termination Policy
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has announced a settlement with C&S Wholesale Grocers following a review into the company’s written policy of firing employees who were injured in a “preventable accident” within their initial 90-day probationary period of employment. C&S has two distribution centers in Newburgh and Chester, New York. Under the company’s policy, […]
Posted in, Northeast
Sysco Terminates Merger Agreement With US Foods
Sysco Corp. has terminated its merger agreement with US Foods, days after the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., granted the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a preliminary injunction to block the proposed Sysco-US Foods merger. This action also terminates an agreement with Performance Food Group (PFG) to purchase US Foods facilities in 11 markets. […]
Posted in, Northeast
N.Y. Consumer Affairs Probes Whole Foods For Alleged Overcharging Of Prepackaged Foods
The New York Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) is investigating Whole Foods after allegedly finding that the company’s New York City stores overstated the weights of its pre-packaged products—including meats, dairy and baked goods—resulting in customer overcharges. DCA says it tested packages of 80 different types of pre-packaged products and found all of the products had packages […]
Posted in, Northeast
US Foods Could Walk Away From Sysco Merger With Further Court Injunctions
A US Foods executive told a federal court judge in a hearing earlier this week that US Foods could walk away from its merger with Sysco if a judge further delays the deal with a court injunction. David Schreibman, VP of strategy at US Foods, said the company isn’t willing to endure additional lengthy periods […]
Posted in, Northeast
Sysco Opposes FTC’s Motion To Block Sysco-US Foods Merger
Sysco Corp. has filed a memorandum opposing the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s effort to block its proposed merger with US Foods. Sysco filed the memorandum in the U.S. Federal District Court for the District of Columbia in opposition to the FTC’s motion for preliminary injunction. A hearing on the FTC’s motion is scheduled to begin […]
Posted in, Northeast
Target Settles With MasterCard On Data Breach Impact To Card Users, And More…
New Channels News In Brief Target has entered into a settlement agreement with MasterCard relative to the data breach that Target experienced during the fourth quarter of 2013. Under the agreement, alternative recovery offers will be made by MasterCard to eligible MasterCard issuers worldwide that issued MasterCard-branded payment cards claimed to have been affected by the […]
Posted in, Northeast
U.S. Commission Files Wheat Price Fixing Charges, And More…
Supermarket News In Brief The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission last week filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court against Kraft Foods Group and Mondelez International charging the manufacturers with “manipulation and attempted manipulation of the prices of cash wheat and wheat futures.” Neither Kraft or Mondelez has yet issued any comment on the […]
Posted in, Northeast
FTC To Rule Soon On Reynolds-Lorillard Merger
A decision is expected soon from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on its review of the Reynolds American and Lorillard merger. Several media reports have speculated that the staff of the FTC is recommending a lawsuit to block the merger, although it is possible the FTC commissioners could overrule the staff. The FTC has spent […]
Posted in, Northeast
NJFC Joins Groups To Overturn Mandatory Paid Sick Leave
The New Jersey Food Council (NJFC) recently joined five other Trenton-based business associations that filed a complaint to overturn a Trenton ordinance providing for mandatory paid sick leave. The NJFC joined the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce, New Jersey Restaurant Association, New Jersey Retail Merchants Association and National Federation […]
Posted in, Corporate Store News, Southeast
Publix Settles Overtime Pay Case
Publix Super Markets has agreed to pay $30 million to settle a lengthy legal battle about overtime pay. The Ledger reports that the settlement was approved the first week of February in Tennessee federal court, bringing an end to a collective lawsuit filed in May 2012. Lakeland, Florida-based Publix had been accused of failing to […]
Posted in, Independent Store News, Southeast
Rouses, AG-Baton Rouge Trial Ends With Settlement
Following three days of trial last week, Rouses Markets and Associated Grocers-Baton Rouge have reached a settlement. The terms of the settlement are confidential. “The Rouse family is very satisfied with this resolution,” Donny Rouse, managing partner of Rouses, said in a statement today. The two Louisiana-based businesses were reportedly in court over whether Rouses […]
Posted in, Independent Store News, Southeast
Rouses, Associated Grocers Dispute Goes To Trial
Two Louisiana grocery giants bitterly ended a decades-old alliance in 2008 and have spent the six years since in a series of civil-suit filings at a Thibodaux courthouse. The Advocate reports that, on Monday, Thibodaux-based grocery chain Rouses Enterprises and Baton Rouge-based wholesale grocery supplier Associated Grocers-Baton Rouge turned that paper-and-ink war into a jury […]
Posted in, National
FMI Files Joint-Merchant Petition With Supreme Court To Challenge Swipe Fee Rule
Food Marketing Institute (FMI) on Monday filed a joint-merchant petition with the Supreme Court of the United States seeking its review of the March 2014 swipe fee decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which was the antithesis of Judge Richard Leon’s U.S. District Court decision last summer. The final outcome of […]
Posted in, Corporate Store News, Northeast
Ahold To Settle Pricing Practices Lawsuit For $297M
Ahold has signed an agreement to settle a class-action lawsuit pending in the U.S. District Court in Connecticut regarding pricing practices of the company’s former subsidiary, U.S. Foodservice, from 1998-2005. Under the term sheet that was signed this week, Ahold has agreed to make a payment of $297 million into a settlement fund in return […]
Posted in, National, Suppliers
Maxim Marketing Sues ConAgra, Trader Joe’s $60M For Interfering With Pretzel Biz
Maxim Marketing Corp. on Wednesday filed suit against ConAgra and Trader Joe’s in Los Angeles County Superior Court for breach of contract, intentional interference with contractual relations and violation of California antitrust law. “The lawsuit alleges that the actions of Trader Joe’s and ConAgra breach a number of their obligations to Maxim and also violated […]
Posted in, National, Suppliers
Kellogg Reaches $4M Settlement In Mini-Wheats Litigation
A $4 million settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit over Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats branded cereals. The following statement is being issued by Blood Hurst & O’Reardon LLP regarding the settlement: “Consumers alleged in the lawsuit that Kellogg’s Mini-Wheats cereal was falsely advertised to improve kids’ attentiveness, memory and other cognitive functions to a […]
Posted in, Beverage News, Marketing News, West
San Fran Sues Monster For Marketing To Kids Despite Alleged Health Risks
San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera has filed a lawsuit against Monster Beverage Corp. for allegedly violating California law with its marketing of highly caffeinated energy drinks to children as young as 6 years old, despite scientific findings that such products may cause “significant morbidity in adolescents” from elevated blood pressure, brain seizures and severe […]
Posted in, Northeast, Store News
N.Y. AG Announces Agreement With Price Chopper To End ‘Deceptive Advertising Practices’
New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said Tuesday that an agreement has been reached with Price Chopper that will require the Schenectady, N.Y.-based grocery store chain to change the way it advertises and promotes its coupons in New York State and pay a $100,000 penalty. The agreement, which is the result of an investigation […]
Posted in, National
Peanut Corporation Of America Execs Indicted
A 76-count indictment was unsealed Wednesday charging four former officials of the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) and a related company with numerous charges relating to salmonella-tainted peanuts and peanut products, the Justice Department says. Stewart Parnell, 58, of Lynchburg, Va., Michael Parnell, 54, of Midlothian, Va., and Samuel Lightsey, 48, of Blakely, Ga., have […]