FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Dave Heylen, V.P. Communications California Grocers Association
Tel: 916.448.3545
Fax: 916.448.2793
E-mail: [email protected]

California Grocers Association
1415 L Street, Suite 450
Sacramento, CA 95814

Grocery industry answers request from Governor, Sacramento Mayor for needed hygiene items.

SACRAMENTO, CA – (March 25, 2009) The California Grocers Association and member companies Safeway Inc. and Save Mart Supermarkets are partnering with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson to provide toiletry kits for approximately 200 homeless individuals living in an encampment near the American River Parkway that has become known internationally as “Tent City.”

The kits were distributed at a joint Governor/Mayor press conference on Wednesday, March 25, 2009, to discuss a plan to move many of the city’s homeless to facilities at Cal Expo. City officials hope the plan will result in the closure of Tent City in the coming months.

The kits included toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, soap, and other personal hygiene items. “CGA thanks Safeway Inc. and Save Mart Supermarkets for their ready willingness and quick response to this important request,” said Ronald Fong, CGA President and CEO.

Fong said the grocery industry has a long history of partnering with the Governor’s office during times of emergencies. In December, area grocers delivered more than 120 pallets of food to the state Capitol in support of the Governor’s “We Can” Holiday Food Drive.

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The California Grocers Association is a non-profit, statewide trade association representing the food industry since 1898. CGA represents approximately 500 retail members operating over 6,000 food stores in California and Nevada, and approximately 200 grocery supplier companies. Retail membership includes chain and independent supermarkets, convenience stores and mass merchandisers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Dave Heylen, V.P. Communications California Grocers Association
Tel: 916.448.3545
Fax: 916.448.2793
E-mail: [email protected]

California Grocers Association
1415 L Street, Suite 450
Sacramento, CA 95814

California’s 
Assembly 
Speaker
 and
 Senate 
Minority 
Leader
 to Provide
 Insight 
on
 California’s 
Budget
 Crisis, 
State’s
 Future

SACRAMENTO, CA ‐ (March 24, 2009) Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D‐Los Angeles) and Senate Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth (R‐ Murietta) are the featured speakers at this year’s California Grocers Association Grocers Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, March 31, 2009, in Sacramento.

“This is an excellent opportunity for our members to hear first hand from the key decision makers on the state’s most pressing issues,” said CGA President and CEO Ronald Fong. “We are extremely fortunate to have both leaders speaking at the same event. Every grocer or supplier doing business in California should attend this event.”

In addition to hearing from top legislative leaders, attendees will also meet their elected officials in pre‐scheduled meetings in the state Capitol.

“Attending Grocers Day and participating in these face‐to‐face meetings with legislators is the single most important activity a grocer or supplier can do to help further our industry’s cause in Sacramento,” said Keri Bailey, CGA’s Vice President of Government Relations. “Legislators want to hear from their constituents. It’s important they hear our message.”

During the one‐day lobbying event, attendees will:

• Meet with lawmakers to share concerns on critical legislation affecting the grocery industry.
• Hear executive and legislative leaders discuss topics critical to a company’s bottom line.
• Learn how to effectively meet and interact with your elected representatives.

“Whether you’re new to the industry or a seasoned veteran, Grocers Day at the Capitol provides valuable insight into how the state’s policymakers influence your everyday operations and allows you an opportunity to participate in the debate,” Fong said.

To register for the event, log on to: www.cagrocers.com, or contact Keri Bailey at (916) 448‐3545.

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The California Grocers Association is a non­profit, statewide trade association representing the food industry since 1898. CGA represents approximately 500 retail members operating over 6,000 food stores in California and Nevada, and approximately 200 grocery supplier companies. Retail membership includes chain and independent supermarkets, convenience stores and mass merchandisers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Dave Heylen, V.P. Communications California Grocers Association
Tel: 916.448.3545
Fax: 916.448.2793
E-mail: [email protected]

California Grocers Association
1415 L Street, Suite 450
Sacramento, CA 95814

SACRAMENTO, CA – (March 5, 2009) – While California grocers react quickly to product recalls, the speed in which retailers respond depends on the quality of information received, CGA Vice President of Government Relations Keri Bailey told the Senate Food & Agriculture Committee at the first of a series of information hearings scheduled to address consumer food issues.

Thursday’s hearing, chaired by Sen. Dean Florez (D-Bakersfield), focused on the ongoing Peanut Company of America (PCA) peanut product recall and whether state agencies and the grocery industry are doing enough to protect consumers. More than 3,000 product recalls directly related to salmonella-tainted peanut products from the PCA plant in Bentley, Georgia have been issued in the last three months.

Bailey emphasized to the committee the importance grocers put on food safety. She said grocery retailers have procedures in place to quickly remove recalled product from store shelves, adding that the speed with which grocers are able to implement these procedures largely depends on the quality of information received. Bailey indicated the best solution for consumers is for food to arrive at the grocery store untainted and urged the panel to explore addressing the recall issue on the front end with manufacturers.

“In most instances,” Bailey said in submitted testimony, “grocers are very similarly situated to consumers when a recall happens. They are involved only after the fact – after a series of system and protections on the front end of food production have failed.”

Bailey fielded a number of committee questions centered on grocery retailers’ recall procedures and whether grocers could do more to assure recall items not reach consumers. Florez, who recently introduced legislation (SB 550) that would require grocers to upgrade programmable scanner systems to alert checkers and consumers if a recalled product is scanned, called grocers the “last line of defense,” and insisted they can do more to protect consumers in the event of a recall.

Bailey said that in addition to recall processes to remove improperly manufactured food, grocers also have stringent systems in place throughout transportation, receiving and storage of products that help ensure that food stays safe for consumers, she added.

CGA’s testimony was preceded by Jeff Farrar, Chief, Food and Drug Branch of the California Department of Public Health who drew strong criticism from committee members concerned about the Branch’s product recall procedures.

Other speakers included representatives from Food and Water Watch, the California Department of Education and the California School Nutrition Association.

“We appreciate Senator Florez and the committee seeking input from the grocery industry regarding this very important topic,” said CGA President and CEO Ronald Fong. “It is apparent the Senator and his committee share the same concerns our members have in providing the safest possible food product available to our customers. We hope to work closely with Senator Florez and other partners in strengthening the state’s recall system.”

---

The California Grocers Association is a non-profit, statewide trade association representing the food industry since 1898. CGA represents approximately 500 retail members operating over 6,000 food stores in California and Nevada, and approximately 200 grocery supplier companies. Retail membership includes chain and independent supermarkets, convenience stores and mass merchandisers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Dave Heylen, V.P. Communications California Grocers Association
Tel: 916.448.3545
Fax: 916.448.2793
E-mail: [email protected]

California Grocers Association
1415 L Street, Suite 450
Sacramento, CA 95814

SACRAMENTO, CA – (March 5, 2009) – While California grocers react quickly to product recalls, the speed in which retailers respond depends on the quality of information received, CGA Vice President of Government Relations Keri Bailey told the Senate Food & Agriculture Committee at the first of a series of information hearings scheduled to address consumer food issues.

Thursday’s hearing, chaired by Sen. Dean Florez (D-Bakersfield), focused on the ongoing Peanut Company of America (PCA) peanut product recall and whether state agencies and the grocery industry are doing enough to protect consumers. More than 3,000 product recalls directly related to salmonella-tainted peanut products from the PCA plant in Bentley, Georgia have been issued in the last three months.

Bailey emphasized to the committee the importance grocers put on food safety. She said grocery retailers have procedures in place to quickly remove recalled product from store shelves, adding that the speed with which grocers are able to implement these procedures largely depends on the quality of information received. Bailey indicated the best solution for consumers is for food to arrive at the grocery store untainted and urged the panel to explore addressing the recall issue on the front end with manufacturers.

“In most instances,” Bailey said in submitted testimony, “grocers are very similarly situated to consumers when a recall happens. They are involved only after the fact – after a series of system and protections on the front end of food production have failed.”

Bailey fielded a number of committee questions centered on grocery retailers’ recall procedures and whether grocers could do more to assure recall items not reach consumers. Florez, who recently introduced legislation (SB 550) that would require grocers to upgrade programmable scanner systems to alert checkers and consumers if a recalled product is scanned, called grocers the “last line of defense,” and insisted they can do more to protect consumers in the event of a recall.

Bailey said that in addition to recall processes to remove improperly manufactured food, grocers also have stringent systems in place throughout transportation, receiving and storage of products that help ensure that food stays safe for consumers, she added.

CGA’s testimony was preceded by Jeff Farrar, Chief, Food and Drug Branch of the California Department of Public Health who drew strong criticism from committee members concerned about the Branch’s product recall procedures.

Other speakers included representatives from Food and Water Watch, the California Department of Education and the California School Nutrition Association.

“We appreciate Senator Florez and the committee seeking input from the grocery industry regarding this very important topic,” said CGA President and CEO Ronald Fong. “It is apparent the Senator and his committee share the same concerns our members have in providing the safest possible food product available to our customers. We hope to work closely with Senator Florez and other partners in strengthening the state’s recall system.”

---

The California Grocers Association is a non-profit, statewide trade association representing the food industry since 1898. CGA represents approximately 500 retail members operating over 6,000 food stores in California and Nevada, and approximately 200 grocery supplier companies. Retail membership includes chain and independent supermarkets, convenience stores and mass merchandisers.