Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

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.

PLEASANTON, Calif., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Safeway filed suit today in Federal Court charging that the United Food and Commercial Workers union has engaged in blatant ``voting irregularities''.

Former Furrs Supermarkets Inc. employees are spreading word to one another to attend a court hearing Thursday to protest that they have not received promised severance pay. In a separate action, union officials filed a motion Sept. 21 asking the court to direct Furrs to make the payments.

Food Distributors International (FDI) and the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade Inc. (NASFT) announced that they have agreed on an initiative to develop strong inter-organizational ties under which FDI will provide services to all of the specialty food organization's members.

CLEMENTON, N.J., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- ShopRite announced today that the revised contract proposal they had presented to UFCW Local 1360 was rejected without review by union membership. The contracts between ShopRite and the Local expired in March/April and the parties continued to operate under an extension while they negotiated. On September 6, 2001 the union called for a work stoppage.

The union representing 1,400 striking workers at 10 Shop Rite supermarkets in southern New Jersey on Tuesday rejected the latest company contract proposal for settling the four-week old strike.