Perris wants to put healthy eating in reach by putting junk food out of reach at the grocery store checkout.
A new law passed unanimously passed by Perris’ City Council earlier this year bans junk food from being sold at supermarket checkout aisles. Instead, no later than 2024, grocers will be limited to selling healthy snacks and drinks near the register.
Perris is the second city in the United States to enact rules on what’s sold at grocery checkouts, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group. Berkeley was the first.
Perris officials hope the ordinance encourages healthy habits.
“This was driven by our community,” Perris Mayor Michael Vargas said. “It’s not a mayor’s thing, it’s not a council thing.”
But the head of San Bernardino-based Stater Bros. and the California Grocers Association — an industry lobbying group — say the law is unfair, especially because it exempts convenience stores and other junk food retailers.
“Why don’t you let the people in the food business help you and show you better ways to accomplish what you want as opposed to a city council who’s not in the food business, they’re not in the health business, mandating and dictating things they know nothing about?” said Pete Van Helden, Stater Bros.’ CEO and board chairman.
Concerned about what other rules the city might impose, Stater Bros., which has one supermarket in Perris, shelved plans to spend $20 million on a second Perris location, Van Helden said.
“Today is (about) health. I get it. We could say that’s not a big deal. We could move on,” Van Helden said. “But what’s next? What other items in the store are they unhappy with us selling that they will tell us that we can’t sell and Wal-Mart can?
“… I’ve got five other cities begging us to come with a store and none of them are telling us how to merchandise our stores. We’d much rather go there.”
Ronald Fong, California Grocers…
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