Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

ShopRite has reached an agreement with UFCW Local 1360 that ends a seven-week strike that has effected 10 ShopRite stores in the New Jersey counties of Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester. The members of Local 1360 voted on the contract in a meeting held Sunday evening, October 28.

SureBeam Corporation, provider of electron beam and x-ray food safety systems and services for the food industry, announced today that the U.S. Postal Service will use SureBeam's technology to eliminate the threat of anthrax in the U.S. mail system.

EU Food Safety Commissioner David Byrne announced on Tuesday that the European Union needs an "urgent review" of its defense plan against potential bioterrorism attacks on the food chain, Reuters reports.

Russia called off its anthrax-inspired ban on imports of livestock and meat products from Florida today after receiving assurances from the United States.

A panel of judges have upheld class action status for the antitrust case that Wal-Mart and other retailers brought against Visa and MasterCard over debit cards, the Associated Press reports.

A group of House Democrats has introduced legislation granting federal officials broad new authority to inspect food and close American ports in an attempt to reduce the likelihood that intentionally contaminated food will enter the US.

In testimony before the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, C. Manly Molpus, president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers of America, outlined a four-point plan to strengthen the current food safety regulatory structure rather than embarking upon a "radical restructuring" of the agencies charged with overseeing the U.S. food supply.

Albertson's Inc. announced its intention to join Safeway's lawsuit charging that the United Food and Commercial Workers unions have engaged in blatant "voting irregularities" in connection with the Safeway and Albertson's offer for a new labor contract.