The New Jersey Food Council will hold its Annual Membership Meeting at the Hilton Woodbridge in Iselin, NJ next Thursday, January 22, at 5:30 PM.
Leslie G. Sarasin, President and CEO of the Food Marketing Institute, will be the featured speaker and there will be a special appearance by former NY Jets defensive end, Mark Gastineau sponsored by Pepsi. Bring your football paraphernalia to be autographed. The Reception will include the election of the 2009 NJFC Board of Directors and Officers.
The meeting also serves as an opportunity to network with industry leaders, and to congratulate the 2009 Board of Directors, so do not miss the first NJFC event of the year!
If you have not yet registered for
the event, please contact the New Jersey Food Council at 609-392-8899.
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE CREATES WISH LIST
This week, the Government Affairs Committee held its first meeting of the year to discuss and create a proactive “wish list” of issues that will benefit the NJ food distribution industry. Over the past five years, NJFC has used the Wish List to impact legislation and regulation that benefit food distribution in NJ. Responsible tobacco sale requirements, shopping cart notification, and two organized retail theft proposals have all become law in recent years at the persistence of the members’ Wish List.
The list is as follows:
1. Bank Interchange Fees
2. Uniform Weights & Measures Inspection Standards
3. Lottery
4. Liquor Licensing
5. Fuel Marketing Rules
Of course, NJFC will continue to fight poor policy issues
that are introduced in
ENERGY RATE LEGISLATION HEARING DELAYED
This week, the Chairman of the Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee, Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, postponed taking testimony on a controversial piece of legislation that will allow utility companies to use formula based energy rates instead of usage based rates when billing customers.
The Senate version of this bill, as there currently is no Assembly counterpart, known as the “21st Century Infrastructure Investment Act,” will guarantee electric and gas utilities a set profit regardless of how much gas and electricity they sell, was heard for discussion only several weeks ago in the Senate Economic Growth Committee. The bill, which is being backed by PSE&G, will lead to higher costs for consumers.
NJFC is an active member of a diverse coalition which includes AARP, NAACP, Citizen Action, Sierra Club, NJ Business & Industry Association, NJ Chemistry Council and several unions that oppose the implementation of this legislation.
NJFC sees the action taken by Chairman Chivukula as a positive step in defeating this burdensome proposal. NJFC will continue to monitor this issue and update the membership as necessary.
The New Jersey Food Council will
be honoring Lawrence R. Inserra, Jr. of Inserra ShopRites, Bill Donahoe of
Foodtown, and Lawrence Rothwell of Pennington Quality Market with Industry
Achievement Awards during its 2009 Night of Distinction event which will
be held on March 19, 2009 at the Sheraton Meadowlands in
Each year, NJFC honors a distinguished class of food
industry leaders who have made a meaningful contribution to advance the mission
of the Food Council, have achieved a significant food business success and have
a history of civic service within the
The event will also serve as a celebration for the 40th Anniversary of NJFC. Please join us in celebrating these fine industry leaders and 40 years of progress on behalf of the food industry.
Governor Jon S. Corzine highlighted his record of progress
Tuesday in the
He stated that although rough days are ahead, predicting a
10% unemployment rate by the end of 2009,
Highlights of the speech included the need for consolidation
of local services, strict enforcement of the 4% tax levy cap, affordable
housing regulations, pension deferments, increased transparency in the State’s
financial dealings, building a mass transit tunnel into
Overall, Governor Corzine’s speech has been criticized for its lack of new ideas, but praised for its optimism.
NJFC will monitor any proposals being put forth by the Administration and any impact it would have on the membership.