News Briefs

The Reagan-Udall Foundation for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published the "Roadmap to Produce Safety" report based on months of stakeholder dialogues to explore new strategies for produce safety and the development of a collaborative entity to drive progress. The foundation convened a wide range of stakeholders from agricultural communities, industry, academia, consumer groups and government to develop a shared understanding of the challenges and a vision for better protecting public health.

“FMI appreciates FDA’s continued commitment to improving produce safety as well as the agency’s ongoing efforts to engage with stakeholders,” said Hilary Thesmar, PhD, FMI – The Food Industry Association’s chief science officer and SVP, food and product safety programs. “FMI and our members deeply value collaboration, actively supporting and engaging with a wide range of produce safety stakeholders through participation in the Fresh Produce Coalition. We look forward to our continued work with FDA, state regulatory partners and the broader produce industry to ensure consumers have access to safe, affordable and abundant produce.”

[RELATED: National Grocers Association Wraps Up Fresh Summit 2025]

“While we stand ready to partner with our colleagues in industry and the FDA,” said Max Teplitski, PhD, chief science officer at International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA). “We also continue to advocate for the need to focus on risk-based and risk-appropriate approaches to food safety, investment into the development of detection tools and protocols that are robust and reproducible, using meaningful datasets to drive action plans, and for adequate allocation of federal and state resources to ensure the success of this collaboration.” 

“Swipe” fees that banks charge merchants to process credit card transactions will drive up the price of school and college supplies by $3 billion this year and cost the average family between $20 and $30, according to the Merchants Payments Coalition (MPC).

Averaging 2.35% of the transaction but ranging as high as 4%, swipe fees are most merchants’ highest operating cost after labor and have to be built into pricing. With few consumers using cash, and credit card rules making discounts difficult, all shoppers pay more because of swipe fees regardless of how they pay.

Swipe fees for Visa and Mastercard credit cards alone have more than quadrupled since 2010 to $111.2 billion last year, according to MPC, which added that total credit and debit card swipe fees hit a record $187.2 billion, driving up prices by nearly $1,200 a year for the average family.

[RELATED: Credit and Debit Card Swipe Fees Reach New Record in 2024]

“With swipe fees constantly rising, this hidden tax takes more out of families’ school supply budgets every year,” said MPC member and National Association of College Stores VP of Government Affairs Richard Hershman. “This is money that could go to children’s educations or helping families make ends meet, but it lines the pockets of credit card company executives and Wall Street bankers instead. Credit card companies get away with this because of lack of competition. Congress needs to stand up for families and their children by passing the Credit Card Competition Act.”

Under the bill, banks with at least $100 billion in assets would enable credit cards to be processed over at least one unaffiliated network like Star, NYCE or Shazam, in addition to Visa or Mastercard. The measure is expected to result in competition over fees, security and service that would save merchants and their customers $17 billion a year, the coalition contends.

Washington, D.C.-based MPC represents retailers, supermarkets, convenience stores, gasoline stations, online merchants, hotels and others fighting for a more competitive and transparent card system that’s fair to consumers and merchants.

LOC Software, a retail management software provider, and Diebold Nixdorf, a global provider of checkout technology solutions, have partnered to simplify self-checkout solution implementation for retailers and enhance customer experiences with a fast, efficient, user-friendly system.

Laval, Quebec-based LOC’s ThriVersA software runs natively on Diebold Nixdorf’s self-checkout and kiosk systems, which will be mainly manufactured at the latter company’s global headquarters in North Canton, Ohio. ThriVersA’s unique design allows stores to use a single database for transactions of Diebold Nixdorf’s self-service solutions, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, or mobile devices. Additionally, its flexible-screen design allows cashiers and customers to easily navigate through workflows, helping stores optimize retail performance.

[RELATED: Diebold Nixdorf Shores Up In-House Production of Checkout and Kiosk Systems]

Diebold Nixdorf’s retail technology allows grocery and C-store operators to confidently deploy self-service solutions. Its self-checkout and kiosk systems are highly modular and open. Diebold Nixdorf also prioritizes service support, employing more than 2,000 technicians in North America to provide expert service when necessary.

“The Open Retailing approach is a key element of Diebold Nixdorf’s self-service solution design, ensuring a smooth interaction of both solutions,” said Ed McCabe, head of retail sales North America at Diebold Nixdorf. 

Diverse solutions are immediately available.

Tops Markets LLC is helping consumers make the most out of summer while staying on budget. With the launch of its new Hot Spot for Summer Savings, the grocer is offering locked-in low prices on hundreds of brand favorites. 

“Customers are looking for both convenience and value — and that’s exactly what we’re delivering,” said Ron Ferri, Tops president. “We’re locking in low prices on key items all summer long with Hot Spot, while still offering the best weekly deals in town. It’s about giving families more ways to save, without giving up the brands they love.” 

Shoppers will find savings on essentials, including: 

• Grill favorites like lean ground beef, hot dogs and fresh rolls 

• Condiments and locally made sauces 

• Beverages, from sparkling water to lemonade 

• Paper goods and pantry basics 

Tops joins other grocers in lowering prices this summer. Wegmans, Meijer, The Save Mart Companies, Giant Food and El Rancho Supermercado are all offering their own deals on seasonal essentials. 

Amazon has released financial results for its first quarter ended March 31.

Net sales increased 9% to $155.7 billion in Q1, compared with $143.3 billion in Q1 2024. Excluding the $1.4 billion unfavorable impact from year-over-year (YoY) changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, net sales jumped 10%. North America segment sales increased 8% YoY to $92.9 billion.

Operating income rose to $18.4 billion, compared with last year’s $15.3 billion. North America segment operating income was $5.8 billion, an uptick from last year’s $5.0 billion.

Net income increased to $17.1 billion, or $1.59 per diluted share, compared with $10.4 billion, or $0.98 per diluted share, in Q1 2024.

“We’re pleased with the start to 2025, especially our pace of innovation and progress in continuing to improve customer experiences,” remarked Andy Jassy, president and CEO. 

For second quarter, the company expects net sales to be between $159.0 billion and $164.0 billion, or to grow between 7% and 11% compared with Q2 2024. This guidance anticipates an unfavorable impact of approximately 10 basis points from foreign exchange rates.

Operating income is expected to be between $13.0 billion and $17.5 billion.

On the heels of the brand’s 15th anniversary, Jordan’s Skinny Mixes, has launched its brand refresh. The refresh comes in response to valuable insights gathered from customer feedback and consumer surveys, which highlighted an opportunity to increase brand awareness and reach a broader audience through a more cohesive brand identity and by developing an ownable brand purpose and promise.

The better-for-you beverage enhancing company has declared its brand purpose to focus on energizing women with its mix of empowerment, community and inspiration. The brand’s purpose will come to life across all elements of the brand including, social, e-commerce, packaging, partnerships, creators and more. 

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The rollout of the updated packaging began in June, both in-store and online. By summer, consumers can expect to see the refreshed Jordan's Skinny Mixes branding across all products, as well as the Jordan’s Skinny Mixes website. 

In 2023, Jordan's Skinny Mixes saw unprecedented growth with the rise of #WaterTok on TikTok. The brand's community expanded exponentially as users across social platforms began sharing their Jordan's Skinny Mixes water recipes online. 

Jordan’s Skinny Mixes products are at local retailers across the United States, Canada and Europe.