Merchants Grocery Co. plant tour aims to help FDA better understand the distributor’s role in the tobacco distribution process. A group of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulators visited AWMA member Merchants Grocery Co. in Culpeper, Va., on Wednesday, July 18, and viewed the company’s tobacco processing operation at the invitation of AWMA and Merchants. …
Tobacco Retailers Get an “A” For FDA Compliance
NATO encourages FDA to issue letters of compliance to the tobacco retailers that pass compliance inspections, as positive reinforcement. More than 96% of tobacco retailers inspected by federal contractors in 38 states and the District of Columbia were found to be in compliance with new tobacco regulations designed to prevent the sale of tobacco products…
FDA Seeks Comments on Draft Guidance
FDA has posted a draft guidance to help persons submitting applications for new tobacco products understand the premarket tobacco product application process. The draft guidance addresses questions such as: • Who may submit a new tobacco product application • When to submit a new tobacco product application • What information the FD&C Act requires you…
Complying with Cigarette Sales Restrictions
As the noose tightens on menthol products, convenience store retailers are learning to accept the latest limitations placed on tobacco products. By: John Lofstock, Editor. Cigarettes will soon carry new warning labels as the question for retailers becomes how to market a product whose package basically urges consumers not to buy it. Federal legislation handed…
Lorillard Sues FDA
“We are taking this action reluctantly after the FDA failed to constitute the committee in accordance with the law and failed to properly address legitimate concerns regarding fairness and impartiality,” says Lorillard’s senior vice president. Lorillard Inc. today filed suit to stop Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from receiving or relying on recommendations from its…
FDA Petitions Court on E-Cigarettes
On Dec. 20, the FDA filed a petition requesting that the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia schedule a hearing and review the FDA’s appeal of the initial federal district court ruling on its ability to regulate e-cigarettes as a drug or medical device, the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO)…
Four Loko Drops Caffeine
Alcoholic energy drink Four Loko is dropping caffeine from its beverage after New York moved to ban the beverage amid concerns over the drink’s safety and an announcement that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was expected to take a stand on the beverage, the New York Times reported. The company, in a statement, acknowledged…
FDA Calls For Food Safety Managers
In the name of food safety, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that all restaurants and retailers employ certified food protection managers, Nation’s Restaurant News reported. The recommendation is supported by the National Restaurant Association and the National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR) and came on the heels of the results of a…
NATO Responds to FDA’s Proposed Training Program
The National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) has responded to the FDA’s proposed guidance on tobacco retail training programs. Under the FDA law, retailers are not required to train employees on how to prevent the sale of regulated tobacco products to minors. However, if tobacco products are sold to a minor, the retailer will be…
NACS Spends $770K Lobbying For Industry
The National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) had a busy fourth quarter in 2009, lobbying the federal government on fuel issues and other business that affects c-stores. The association spent $770,000 in both the third and fourth quarter to fight for the interests of the industry, Business Week reported. The amount spent lobbying in the…