We Don’t Need Labels on Genetically Modified Foods

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Lynn Melillo

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Reprinted from the Washington Post
By Editorial Board

EIGHTY-EIGHT percent of scientists polled by the Pew Research Center in January said genetically modified food is generally safe to eat. Only 37 percent of the public shared that view. The movement to require genetically modified food products to be labeled both reflects and exploits this divergence between informed opinion and popular anxiety.

Mandated labeling would deter the purchase of genetically modified (GM) food when the evidence calls for no such caution. Congress is right to be moving toward a more sensible policy that allows companies to label products as free of GM ingredients but preempts states from requiring such labels.

Lawmakers and voters in some states have considered requiring GM labeling, but only a few have chosen to label, and none have yet started. That’s good: The GM-food debate is a classic example of activists overstating risk based on fear of what might be unknown and on a distrust of corporations. People have been inducing genetic mutations in crops all sorts of other ways for a long time — by, for example, bathing plants in chemicals or exposing them to radiation. There is also all sorts of genetic turbulence in traditional selective plant breeding and constant natural genetic variation.

Yet products that result from selective gene splicing — which get scrutinized before coming to market — are being singled out as high threats. If they were threatening, one would expect experts to have identified unique harms to human health in the past two decades of GM-crop consumption. They haven’t. Unsurprisingly, institutions such as the National Academy of Sciences and the World Health Organization have concluded that GM food is no riskier than other food.

Promoters of compulsory GM food labeling claim that consumers nevertheless deserve transparency about what they’re eating. But given the facts, mandatory labeling would be extremely misleading to consumers — who, the Pew polling shows, exaggerate the worries about “Frankenfood” — implying a strong government safety concern where one does not exist. Instead of demanding that food companies add an unnecessary label, people who distrust the assurances that GM food is safe can buy food voluntarily labeled as organic or non-GM.

This isn’t just a matter of saving consumers from a little unnecessary expense or anxiety. If GM food becomes an economic nonstarter for growers and food companies, the world’s poorest will pay the highest price. GM crops that flourish in challenging environments without the aid of expensive pesticides or equipment can play an important role in alleviating hunger and food stress in the developing world — if researchers in developed countries are allowed to continue advancing the field.

A House bill introduced last week would facilitate a voluntary labeling system and prevent states and localities from going any further to indulge the GM labeling crowd. It would also empower the Food and Drug Administration to require labels on GM products that materially differ from their non-GM cousins in ways that can affect human health. Yes, food industry interests back the bill. That doesn’t make it wrong.

Sacramento City Council Approves Ban on Single-Use Plastic Bags

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Lynn Melillo

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Reprinted from the Sacramento Bee

Sacramento shoppers will ditch plastic bags starting next year, joining more than a third of Californians who live in places where such bags have been banned.

In a unanimous vote, the Sacramento City Council approved a ban on single-use plastic bags that will effectively eliminate plastic bags from the checkout counters of all grocery stores, pharmacies and convenience stores within city limits.

In lieu of plastic, customers will be given the option of recycled paper bags or reusable bags that stores will be required to sell for at least 10 cents apiece.

At Tuesday night’s council meeting, audience members held signs displaying their support for the ban.

“Ban the bag,” some of the signs said. “Protect our rivers,” said others.

Only two speakers Tuesday voiced opposition to the bag ban.

“This is about our city resuming our spot as a leader in the state of California and doing the right thing,” Mayor Kevin Johnson said before voting for the measure.

His vote follows months of statements indicating Johnson would push for an ordinance to limit plastic bags in Sacramento if opponents of a similar state law signed last year by Gov. Jerry Brown prevailed in getting that ban suspended or overturned. A referendum challenging the statewide plastic bag ban qualified for the November 2016 ballot and effectively put the measure on hold until after the vote.

But no matter what happens statewide, Sacramento’s new ban will take effect Jan. 1.

The ordinance is aimed at grocery stores, pharmacies and convenience stores, where single-use plastic bags will no longer be available at checkout. The stores will be allowed to provide promotions for free reusable bags, though the law limits such promotions to no more than 60 days per year.

Brian O’Hara of Californians Against Waste, an organization that supports a statewide ban, said this was to reinforce the notion that reusable bags should be reused and not turned into de facto single-use sacks.

Stores also will be required to provide free reusable bags or recycled paper bags to consumers in the California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

According to a report compiled by city staff, nearly 14 million plastic bags are given out in Sacramento every month. California retailers distribute about 19 billion bags per year, or 522 per person, according to Californians Against Waste. But less than 5 percent of those bags are recycled.

Those that are recycled can still prove problematic, the city staff reported. Although bags are accepted as part of the city’s curbside recycling program, they often clog the sorting machinery, forcing staff workers to shut down the process about six times per day to remove tangled bags, the report states.

Several council members who voted to support the plastic bag ordinance did so out of concern for the environmental and financial toll taken on the city, they said.

The two people who spoke in opposition to the ban Tuesday focused largely on the cost of recycled paper or reusable bags.

Lee Califf, executive director of the American Progressive Bag Alliance, which represents the plastic bag industry, has said “the proposed ordinance in Sacramento wouldn’t have a meaningful impact on the environment” and said it would “threaten California jobs and take money out of the wallets of hardworking Sacramento citizens – with every cent of the paper bag fees going straight to big grocers, rather than to serve a public purpose.”

More than one-third of Californians live in places where single-use plastic bags are outlawed. As of Tuesday, 138 jurisdictions have banned the bags, according to Californians Against Waste, including several in the Sacramento area such as Davis, Nevada City, Chico, Truckee and South Lake Tahoe.

If the state’s ban is reinstated after the November 2016 vote, it would supersede the Sacramento ordinance. But should the state measure fail, Sacramento’s ban would remain intact.

There are slight differences between the ban approved by the city and the state’s ban: The state ban allows stores to also offer a compostable bag option in lieu of plastic bags; and the city ordinance requires stores to keep three years of sales records for paper and reusable bags, while the state law has no such provision.

CGA Foundation Inducts Industry Execs

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Lynn Melillo

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Event Photographs Below

More than 700 friends, family and industry peers celebrated the induction of three grocery industry executives into the California Grocers Association Educational Foundation Hall of Achievement on March 26, 2015 in Sacramento, CA.

Jim and Joyce Raley Teel, Raley’s Family of Fine Stores, and Joseph E. Gallo, E. & J. Gallo Winery, join a prestigious group of Hall of Achievement recipients who have been recognized for their many contributions to not only the grocery industry, but the communities they serve.

“This year’s inductees are true icons of our industry. It is with great pleasure that we recognize Jim, Joyce, and Joe, for their lifelong commitment to the grocery industry,” said CGAEF President Ron Fong. “Their stories personify hundreds of similar families, including my own, who experienced the American dream of creating successful businesses through hard work, dedicated service and reliance on the strength of family.”

Led by this year’s event chairs Mike Teel, Raley’s Family of Fine Stores, and Gary Ippolito, E. & J. Gallo Winery, the event raised more than $500,000 – funds that support the Foundation’s college scholarship and tuition reimbursement programs.

“It is very gratifying to celebrate the spirit of family business by honoring two California families with deep roots in the Golden State’s grocery industry,” Fong said.

The evening featured an inspiring speech by Raley’s employee Albert Enemuoh, a CGAEF scholarship recipient. After his presentation, guests bid on live auction items and participated in a Fund-A-Need supporting CGAEF’s college scholarship and tuition reimbursement programs.

The CGA Educational Foundation was created under the direction of the California Grocers Association Board of Directors in 1992. Its mission is to provide financial assistance to advance the educational goals of CGA member company employees and their dependents and offer educational programs to advance the grocery industry. For more information regarding CGAEF programs and for a complete listing of past Hall of Achievement honorees, visit www.cgaef.org.

About our honorees:

James E. Teel, Co-chair Emeritus, Board of Directors
Joyce Raley Teel, Owner and Co-chair Emeritus, Board of Directors

James E. Teel celebrates 65 years of service with Raley’s in 2014. Jim began working for Thomas P. Raley as a bottle sorter while attending McClatchy High School in Sacramento. He continued to work for Raley’s while he earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Sacramento State College in 1952.

Jim learned the grocery business from the ground up – loading, unloading and driving delivery trucks, as well as working as a Grocery Clerk and Produce Clerk. After college graduation, he worked as an Apprentice Butcher at store level for two years. He was then promoted to Meat Buyer and began working at Raley’s corporate office. While there, he helped set up the company’s central control operation for merchandising and buying, and became the company’s first Personnel Director in 1958. Over the years, Jim became a trusted adviser to owner, Tom Raley, serving as Vice President of Operations and later Chairman of the Board. He now serves as Co-chair Emeritus with his wife, Joyce, whom he married in 1950. He served on the board of the Northern California Grocers Association for 15 years and is a former president of that organization.

Joyce Raley Teel, daughter of Raley’s founder Thomas P. Raley, is the owner of the company and serves as Co-chair Emeritus with her husband. Joyce grew up working in her father’s stores and officially joined the company in 1985. A strong believer in supporting her community, Joyce co-founded Raley’s Food For Families program, providing food assistance in partnership with food banks. This effort has since raised $31 million and 21 million pounds of food in the communities served by Raley’s stores.

Joyce started the Thomas P. Raley Foundation for family philanthropic endeavors in 1995. In 1998, she established the Joyce Raley Teel Scholarship to assist employees and their family members in their educational pursuits. Joyce also strongly supports the local arts community.

Jim and Joyce have five children. Their son, Mike Teel, serves as President and CEO of Raley’s. Two of their daughters (Laurie Struck and Lisa Davidson) and two sons-in-law sit on Raley’s Board of Directors.

Raley’s Family of Fine Stores operates 128 stores in California and Nevada. The company includes Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods and Food Source stores.

Joseph Gallo, E. & J. Gallo Winery

Joseph E. Gallo, is President and Chief Executive Officer of the E. & J. Gallo Winery, the world’s largest family-owned winery. The company has a significant presence in the California wine, brandy and distilled spirits industries with eight wineries and more than 60 brands including table and sparkling wines, dessert wines and distilled spirits.

As President and CEO, Mr. Gallo has focused much of his energy on growing the company and has overseen a number of acquisitions including Barefoot, Louis M. Martini, Mirassou Vineyards, William Hill Estate, Columbia Winery and, most recently, Edna Valley Vineyards. He has also directed the expansion of the company’s import portfolio with entries from nine different countries as well as the introduction of New Amsterdam Gin, New Amsterdam Vodka and Familia Camarena Tequila.

Mr. Gallo joined the winery’s sales department in 1965, and was instrumental in the company gaining national distribution by 1970, applying lessons learned from working alongside his father, Ernest Gallo, and his uncle, Julio Gallo. Prior to becoming CEO in 2001, he focused most of his efforts on the company’s expansion into international markets, overseeing sales, distribution, marketing and operations. Today, Gallo International has various regional headquarters around the world. In the United States, Mr. Gallo has served on the Board of Directors for the Wine Institute of California since 1972, and the Grocery Manufacturers Association since 2001. Mr. Gallo has served on the Stanford University Graduate School of Business Advisory Council. Stanford University recognized Mr. Gallo with the Stanford Associates Achievement Award.

Born in Modesto, California, March 12, 1941, to Ernest and Amelia Gallo, Mr. Gallo spent his youth working in the family business. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1962, and earned his M.B.A. from the Stanford Business School in 1964. He and his wife, Ofelia, are the parents of three children, Stephanie, Ernest and Joseph and have six grandchildren.

Mr. Gallo and the Gallo family are committed to helping grow wine consumption throughout the world and contributing to the long-term success of the global wine industry. The Gallo family considers family ownership its greatest asset and believes that the benefits of private ownership enable long-term business sustainability through investment back into physical assets, brand building, vineyard research and continued long-term relationships with winery employees, growers, distributors, retailers and customers.

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Save Mart’s Bob Piccinini Passes Away

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Lynn Melillo

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Reprinted from The Modesto Bee

Robert M. “Bob” Piccinini, the congenial and savvy chairman of the board and majority shareholder of the Modesto-based Save Mart Supermarkets empire, died Tuesday morning, March 24, 2015, at his Modesto home. He was 73.

Word of his death slowly circulated Tuesday afternoon. Later in the afternoon, Save Mart released an official statement: “The Piccinini family announced with sadness today the passing of Robert “Bob” Piccinini, the Chairman of Save Mart Supermarkets. In life, Bob was most passionate about two things – his family and his company. He purchased Save Mart from the Piccinini and Tocco families in 1985 after working his way up through the ranks – box boy, truck driver, store manager, Vice President of Real Estate and on to President and Chief Executive Officer. He is credited with taking Save Mart from a homegrown, Central Valley chain to the regional competitor it is today. …”

Piccinini’s health declined over the past two years, said people close to him, and he reportedly died of congestive heart failure. He retired as Save Mart CEO in September and left the day-to-day operations to Steve Junqueiro, Greg Hill and his daughter Nicole Piccinini Pesco.

CGA President Ron Fong

The California Grocers Association and its 400-plus member companies were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Save Mart Supermarkets Chairman Bob Piccinini on Tuesday.

Bob was a true giant of the food industry, guiding Save Mart’s growth to become one of Northern California’s largest supermarket chains. He served as CGA Chairman of the Board and in 1996 was inducted into the CGA Educational Foundation Hall of Achievement.

CGA extends its condolences to the Piccinini family. He will be missed.

Born in Modesto and raised in Manteca, Piccinini broke into the grocery business when he was 12 at his father’s store, Mike’s Market. He pressed labels onto packaged meats and earned 50 cents an hour.

Sixty years later, Piccinini leaves a major imprint as owner and operator of more than 240 stores in Northern and Central California under the Save Mart, S-Mart, Lucky, FoodMaxx and Maxx Value banners. Under his stewardship, Save Mart became California’s largest family-owned grocery store chain. Piccinini was ranked 243rd in the 2013 Forbes list of wealthiest Americans, with a net worth estimated at $2.3 billion.

Piccinini’s passion for sports was lifelong, though he did not excel at athletics. He was a minority owner of the Golden State Warriors and owned several minor-league baseball teams over the years, including the Modesto A’s. He headed an investment group that nearly purchased the Oakland Athletics in 1999. Piccinini was seen at his courtside seat at Oracle Arena during Monday night’s Golden State win over Washington. In fact, he attended five games during the Warriors’ recent six-game homestand.

“In my mind, his life was cut short, but it was a terrific life,” said Dan Kiser, general manager of the Modesto A’s from 1971 to ’89. Piccinini, who met Kiser while they were students at the University of San Francisco, hired Kiser as GM. “His father, Mike, was in business for himself and was a good instructor,” Kiser said. “Bob worked himself through all the positions at Save Mart. He had a good foundation and carried it throughout his career. He just knew what was necessary to make it work.”

In 1998, Piccinini engineered a revival of the then-sagging Modesto Relays through sponsorship and kept the world-class track meet alive and in Modesto for another decade. His company’s name has been on NASCAR’s Sonoma stop – the Toyota/Save Mart 350 – since 1992. Save Mart Center at Fresno State also was built with a major contribution from Piccinini.

He attended Modesto Junior College, USF and the University of the Pacific and became the Save Mart vice president in 1971 (at age 29) after his father died. The twice-divorced father of four eventually became company president a decade later.

Piccinini always possessed a knack for locating his stores and getting the money for expansion. An expert deal-maker, he took great pride in his company’s growth and prosperity. Last summer, he celebrated his 50th anniversary with Save Mart. “Either you have it or you don’t,” he once said. “It’s more of a case of how to make more good decisions than bad. You could go to school for 12 years and never get it.”

He is survived by children Nicole Pesco, Joseph Piccinini, Alexandria Piccinini and Dominic Piccinini; he was preceded in death by son Michael Piccinini.

Grocers/Law Enforcement Discuss Prop. 47

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Lynn Melillo

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Retailers from throughout the Southland met with Los Angeles City and County law enforcement and attorneys on March 4 to discuss how to address issues connected to the implementation of Proposition 47.

CGA organized the meeting at the request of members expressing concern about a noticeable upturn in theft, particularly organized retail crime, since the passage of Proposition 47 last November.

The proposition reduces the classification of most “nonserious and nonviolent property and drug crimes” from a felony to a misdemeanor.

The two-hour meeting focused on building stronger relationships between law enforcement and grocery retailers. Fifteen grocery companies, along with three CGA staffers, representing a cross-section of large and small retailers attended.

“The meeting allowed both retailers and law enforcement to share their concerns with Prop. 47,” said Dave Heylen, CGA. “Both sides are frustrated with the unintended consequences of the initiative.”

Both law enforcement and grocers emphasized the need for greater collaboration.

Calif. Prisons Have Released 2,700 Inmates Under Prop. 47

Posted on March 10, 2015March 5, 2019 by Lynn Melillo

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Reprinted from the San Francisco Chronicle

SACRAMENTO — California’s prisons have released 2,700 inmates after their felonies were reduced to misdemeanors under a ballot measure that voters approved in November, easing punishment for some property and drug crimes.

The mass inmate release over the past four months under Proposition 47 has resolved one of the state’s most ingrained problems: prison overcrowding, state prisons chief Jeffrey Beard told a Senate committee at a legislative hearing Thursday. Prop. 47 has allowed the state to comply with a court-ordered inmate reduction mandate a year ahead of schedule, Beard said.

But law enforcement leaders say they’ve already seen an increase in crime, and they believe it’s because of Prop. 47.

“The good news is we’ve addressed our jail overcrowding situation in California, which wasn’t acceptable to anybody,” said San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr in a phone interview. “The thing we are grappling with is the tremendous rise in property crime.”

Prop. 47 allows inmates serving sentences for crimes affected by the reduced penalties to apply to be resentenced and released early. Those crimes include shoplifting, grand theft and writing bad checks, among others. About 150 inmates a week are being released under the relaxed laws. Initially, 250 to 300 inmates a week were being let out.

4 freed early in S.F.

Four people sentenced in San Francisco had their felonies reduced and were released from prison under Prop. 47, according to the San Francisco district attorney’s office.

Prisoners released under Prop. 47 are required to be on parole for one year unless a judge decides otherwise.

California now has 112,500 inmates in its prisons, which is 1,300 inmates below the final cap the state was required to meet by February 2016.

Impact lauded

“We are happy to see the impact it’s having,” said Lenore Anderson, executive director of the Oakland group Vote Safe, which sponsored Prop. 47. “The intent of the measure was to stop wasting precious resources on incarcerating people in state prisons for low-level, nonviolent crimes and reinvesting that in treatment and prevention at the local level.”

Opponents of Prop. 47, including the union lobbying group the Police Officers Research Association of California, argued that the measure would result in higher crime rates as more criminals return to the streets. The groups also pointed out concerns that felony possessions of drugs commonly referred to as date-rape drugs would become misdemeanors.

Last month, lawmakers introduced a bill that would allow voters to restore felony penalties for possession of those drugs, such as Rohypnol and GHB.

In San Francisco, Suhr said burglaries are up 20 percent, larceny and theft up 40 percent, auto theft is up more than 55 percent, between 2010 and 2014. Suhr said those crimes shot up largely due to prison realignment, Gov. Jerry Brown’s program that changed sentencing, sending thousands of convicted felons to county jail or probation instead of state prison. Suhr said auto burglaries are up quite a bit this year, and he believes it’s because of the Prop. 47 release.

Crime down last year

Last year, violent crime and property offenses in San Francisco were down overall, according to end-of-year data released by the Police Department last month.

“This situation is not unique to San Francisco,” Suhr said. “I don’t think this is something we can’t figure out, but there is a new normal for property theft we have to figure out.”

Prop. 47 scrapped felony penalties for possession of most illegal drugs, such as methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, as well as for property crimes in which the loss was $950 or less. Prior to the measure, the threshold for misdemeanor property crimes was $450. Those crimes include forgery, check fraud, petty theft, shoplifting and receiving stolen property.

Defendants in those cases could still be charged with felonies if they had a previous conviction for specified serious or violent crimes or sex offenses.

“There are still consequences,” Anderson said. “Anyone convicted of a misdemeanor can face a year in county jail.”

Each year, 40,000 people in California are convicted of crimes covered by Prop. 47, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, which projected the state will save $100 million to $200 million beginning next fiscal year from the measure. Most of that money is slated for mental health and substance abuse programs.

California has been under a federal court order since 2009 to reduce prison overcrowding. The three-judge court extended the deadline several times for the state to bring its inmate population to 137.5 percent of designed capacity.

1,300 inmates below cap

The state is currently 1,300 inmates below the final cap required by next year at its prisons, although the state utilizes out-of-state contracted prisons in order to meet the requirement.

“Prop. 47 was designed to ensure law enforcement agencies prioritize serious and violent offenders instead of sending people to state prison for personal drug use,” said San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón. “Cycling addicts in and out of jail is a sinkhole for taxpayer resources, and it doesn’t make us safer.”

Foundation To Award Record Scholarship Amount

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Lynn Melillo

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Scholarships To Help Students Offset Rising Tuition Costs

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – February 2, 2015 – For the first time in its 23-year history, the California Grocers Association Educational Foundation College Scholarship Program, the nation’s largest statewide program supporting the grocery industry, will provide a record $500,000 in financial relief from ever rising costs that prevent many students from completing their education.

CGA member company employees and their dependents are eligible to apply for this life-changing financial assistance for the 2015-16 academic year through college scholarships awarded by CGAEF – a $92,000 increase over last year’s award total.

“The significance of this scholarship program and the grocery industry’s generosity cannot be overstated; this program has been indispensable to countless individuals. At a time when students struggle to continue their education while attempting to lessen their financial burden, this program ensures that hundreds of students every year will receive the financial support they need,” said Jim Van Gorkom, CGAEF Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

“CGAEF scholarship donors are investing in the development of tomorrow’s grocery industry leaders,” added Van Gorkom. “We are grateful for the tremendous ongoing support of CGA member companies which allows the Foundation an opportunity to provide college scholarships to deserving students.”

Beginning with a single scholarship in 1992, the Foundation has grown exponentially over the last 23 years to bestow almost 3,000 worthy college students with scholarships totaling more than $3.5 million – ensuring that California’s grocery employees and their dependents have the resources necessary to start or complete their higher education.

The program includes four types of scholarships: CGAEF funded, Legacy, Donor and Piggyback. CGAEF college scholarships are open to high school seniors, college freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students who are dependents of employees or are themselves employed by a CGA member company. The online scholarship application is available through April 1 at www.cgaef.org.

“Education and training represent essential tools to the future prosperity of our industry,” noted CGAEF Executive Director Shiloh London. “In these uncertain economic times, providing opportunities for individuals to enhance job skills and further educational goals is more important than ever.”

“Too many talented students are being forced to curtail their education and career ambitions because of financial constraints,” said London. “With 300 scholarships, we hope these extraordinary individuals can attend college, earn their degree, and go on to make an impact in their professions and their communities.”