2018Issue1_Alabama_v2.indd

WASHINGTON REPORT

5 p r i o r i t i e s f o r i nd e p e nd e n t s i n t h e 2 0 1 8 farm b i l l

PETER LARKIN PRESIDENT AND CEO NATIONAL GROCERS ASSOCIATION

congress has the chance to strengthen the food security safety net, also known as the Supplemental nutrition assistance program, or snap, for recipients and retailers in the 2018 Farm Bill.

and maximizing federal resources for grocery stores. 2. Preserving Consumer Choice in SNAP. It’s crucial that lawmakers not place burdensome regulations on supermarket operators by restricting what SNAP customers can purchase with SNAP benefits. Today, there’s more than 300,000 food items in the marketplace with over 15,000 new food items being introduced each year. Placing restrictions on SNAP purchases would significantly increase burdens on independent supermarkets by adding new costs and administrative burdens to an already highly regulated, low-margin industry. 3. Fighting Swipe Fees on SNAP Authorized Retailers. A major credit card brand is asking Congress to lift the legislative prohibition on swipe fees for SNAP transactions. If card networks are allowed to charge the average swipe fee of about 48 cents per transaction, retailers could face an additional $1.3 billion – yes that’s billion with a B – a year for accepting SNAP payments. While these fees might prove to be a nice cash windfall for the mega-banks and major card brands, they would unfairly and significantly increase retailers’ SNAP costs. 4. Protecting Private SNAP Retailer Sales Data. While Freedom of Information

Market, testifying before the Senate Agriculture Committee on issues retailers face while administering SNAP benefits on behalf of the National Grocers Association. Below are five of the most important provisions NGA is working hard to ensure make it into the next Farm Bill: 1. Strengthen the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Grant Program. FINI grants are awarded to nonprofit groups and government agencies to conduct programs that provide point-of-sale incentives for the purchase of produce. While the program is popular in the independent supermarket industry, grocers have received a smaller share of funding despite longer operating hours and ability to reach more low-income consumers. Congress should help increase grocery store participation by allowing supermarkets to apply directly instead of restricting eligibility to nonprofit organizations and government entities, helping stores to overcome technical challenges with program implementation,

Every five years, Congress must pass a comprehensive omnibus bill that’s one of the single most important pieces of legislation in the food and agriculture industry: the Farm Bill. The practice dates back to the 1933 when the first Farm Bill was enacted into law as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. Its three original goals ¬– keeping food prices fair for farmers and consumers, ensuring an adequate food supply, and protecting and sustaining the country’s vital natural resources – have largely stayed the same over the past 80 years. The agricultural and food industries authorized under the 2014 Farm Bill include 12 sections: 1) commodities; 2) conservation; 3) trade; 4) nutrition; 5) credit; 6) rural development; 7) research, extension, and related matters 8) forestry; 9) energy; 10) specialty crops and horticulture; 11) crop insurance; and 12) miscellaneous. Lawmakers are aiming to reauthorize the next Farm Bill this fall, with congressional hearings already under way in Washington. This includes Jimmy Wright, single-store operator of Opelika, Ala.-based Wright’s

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