The Friday Checkout is a weekly column providing more insight on the news, rounding up the announcements you may have missed and sharing what’s to come.
The grocery industry is anxiously waiting to see if SNAP funding will run out as the government shutdown drags on.
This week, the National Grocers Association and FMI – The Food Industry Association separately urged Congress to reopen the government and ensure continued funding for food nutrition programs, noting that millions of people are at risk of facing food insecurity if they can’t use their benefits. The most recent USDA data shows nearly 42 million people participated in SNAP and received an average of $188 in May.
The “USDA has indicated that current funding may be insufficient to provide full benefits for November unless a continuing resolution is enacted very soon,” FMI Chief Public Policy Officer Jennifer Hatcher said in a statement.
Twenty-five states, including California, New Jersey and Indiana, told Politico that they are telling SNAP participants they will not receive their benefits next month.
Along with the individual consumer impact, dried-up SNAP funding could hurt communities and grocers’ sales. The NGA noted that SNAP is a vital economic driver in communities, supporting over 388,000 jobs and generating over $20 billion in wages and $4.5 billion in tax revenue.
Delayed November SNAP benefits could create “an operational nightmare” for food retailers and distributors across Pennsylvania, Alex Baloga, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, which represents grocery stores, convenience stores, wholesalers and CPGs, said in an emailed statement.
A sudden change in benefit timing, Baloga noted, would impair accurate demand forecasting and could lead to bare shelves of fresh foods like produce, dairy and meat.
In case you missed it
Is Kroger Boost fading?
ABC affiliate WCPO 9 reported this week that Kroger has ended its Boost delivery service in select parts of Kentucky. The grocery company confirmed in a statement to the news outlet that it “reduced [Kroger Boost] in select zip codes, including parts of Bracken and Pendleton counties” in the state, noting customers can still receive home delivery via Instacart.
Kroger did not respond to a request to comment from Grocery Dive to confirm the Kroger Boost delivery changes or further elaborate on whether it will continue to pull back the service.
Albertsons equips Afresh chainwide
The companies announced on Thursday the rollout of Afresh’s Fresh Replenishment solution across bakery and deli departments at all the stores under the grocer’s banners. The technology solution uses AI and data modeling to align Albertsons’ ordering, inventory and demand understanding for perishable items.
This milestone builds on Albertsons and Afresh’s existing partnership, which includes Afresh systems operating at its bakery, deli, meat, seafood and produce departments.
Massachusetts lawmaker proposes self-checkout regulations
A new bill from state Sen. Paul Feeney aims to regulate self-checkout stations in grocery stores. The proposal would require grocery stores to operate no more than eight self-checkout kiosks at once and open a minimum of one manual checkout station for every two operating self-checkout stations. The bill also states that employees can monitor no more than two self-checkout stations at once, and that any employee monitoring self checkout stations will be “relieved of all other duties.”
Impulse find
H-E-B supports the arts and sciences
The grocer is covering admissions fees for people visiting museums and other attractions in some of its key Texas markets, KRIS 6 News reported this week.
In the Corpus Christi area, H-E-B plans to cover admissions costs for the Art Museum of South Texas, the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, the Texas State Museum of Asian Cultures and the South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center.
The grocer will also pay for admissions to the Children’s Discovery Museum and the Texas Zoo in Victoria, the Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum in Cuero, the Matagorda County Museum in Bay City, and the City by the Sea Museum in Palacios, according to the local news outlet.
This is the second year of H-E-B paying for admission fees, and the grocer tripled the number of attractions this year. H-E-B’s website noted that the free admission varies by location throughout November and December.
