NGA Statement On Senate Farm Bill Passage

Arlington, VA – The National Grocers Association (NGA), the national trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, today released the following statement from Greg Ferrara, NGA executive vice president of advocacy, public relations and member services on the Senate passage of S. 3042, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill:

“We appreciate the work done by Chairman Roberts and Ranking Member Stabenow to advance this important piece of legislation in a timely manner. While we were pleased to see many provisions in the bill that uphold a strong SNAP public-private partnership, we look forward to working alongside our members to ensure a Farm Bill is enacted that will protect and empower independent grocers to grow their businesses and better serve their customers.”

Top legislative priorities include:

• Protections for private SNAP retailer sales data

• Preservation of consumer choice in SNAP

• Prohibition of any new fees or excessive reporting mandates

• An expanded Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program

About NGA

The National Grocers Association (NGA) is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. An independent retailer is a privately owned or controlled food retail company operating a variety of formats. The independent grocery sector is accountable for close to one percent of the nation's overall economy and is responsible for generating $131 billion in sales, 944,000 jobs, $30 billion in wages, and $27 billion in taxes. NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers, state grocers associations, as well as manufacturers and service suppliers. For more information about NGA, visit www.nationalgrocers.org.

Source: The National Grocers Association (NGA)