NGA Debuts Rapid Response Outreach Program

Trade org aims leverage relationships members have with federal lawmakers

10/19/2023

NGA's Grocery Guard program offers a national network of owners and industry leaders who have volunteered to contact a member of Congress when the independent grocery industry needs to convey the importance of a particular issue affecting the industry.

The National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, has introduced the Grocery Guard program, with the aim of bolstering the Washington, D.C.-based organization’s already robust advocacy efforts through the establishment of precise connections on Capitol Hill.

The program offers a national network of owners and industry leaders who have volunteered to contact a member of Congress when the independent grocery industry needs to convey the importance of a particular issue affecting the industry.

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According to Chris Jones, NGA’s SVP of government relations and counsel: “The Grocery Guard program will allow us to effectively use the relationships our members have with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. NGA members are leaders in their community and know firsthand how federal policies are impacting their business and the customers they serve. Grocery Guard is poised to streamline our members' connections and enable us to mobilize them for advocating policies that enhance our industry.”

NGA’s government relations team will activate the Grocery Guard when necessary, and the association will continue to grow the program until there’s an NGA member dedicated to advocating on behalf of every single congressional district in the United States.

NGA’s advocacy efforts strive to connect members of Congress with the grocers in their districts. From arranging congressional store tours to holding NGA’s Fly-In for Fair Competition, the organization is committed to ensuring that independent grocers’ concerns are heard in Washington, D.C.

The independent grocery sector is accountable for about 1.2% of the nation's overall economy and is responsible for generating more than $250 billion in sales, 1.1 million jobs, $39 billion in wages and $36 billion in taxes. NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers located in every congressional district across the country, as well as state grocers’ associations, manufacturers and service suppliers.