NJFC 2023 Good Government Breakfast
Click here to view the full photo gallery from the event.
The critical and ongoing connection between state lawmakers and New Jersey’s food retailers was heralded during the Food Council Committee for Good Government’s (FCCfGG) 49th Annual Good Government Breakfast held October 4.
“The global pandemic taught us many things, especially that our food distribution industry is ‘Beyond Essential’ and serves as the cornerstone of New Jersey communities,” said Linda Doherty, FCCfGG treasurer, as well as president & CEO of the New Jersey Food Council (NJFC).
“While our industry still faces challenges and food inflation is having an impact on the pocketbook of today’s shoppers, our friends in Trenton understand that Food Council members are resilient and reliable,” Doherty said. “New Jersey residents depend on our members for health and wellness, for their generous charitable giving and support of foodbanks and civic groups, for being a dependable source of employment and for our community assistance during emergencies.”
About 60 state legislators and policy makers joined food industry representatives at the breakfast. Lawmakers, key government officials and business leaders were provided with a state legislative election perspective from both political parties represented by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19th Dist.) and Senate Republican Leader Anthony Bucco (R-25th Dist.).
New Jersey food retailers provided information about several priority issues for the food industry, including the threat of organized retail theft, the ongoing success of the single-use bag ban, the detrimental decision by the New Jersey Lottery Commission to become an agent for online lottery sales, burdensome packaging/labeling mandates, the need for liquor license reform and the dangers of suggested bottle deposit legislation, dubbed the “bottle bill.”
Attendees were also updated about the statewide roll-out of the “Litter Free NJ” campaign through the New Jersey Clean Communities Council (NJCCC). This effective state law bans plastic and paper shopping bags after a single use and encourages consumers to bring their own reusable bags to shop.
“Since the single-use bag ban was implementated in May 2022, we are saving 8.4 billion single-use bags every year from entering our landfills or polluting our environment,” Doherty said. “This will benefit future generations of New Jersey residents.”
As part of the event, food retailers unveiled a new tool for shoppers who want to donate their bags to local food banks and neighbors in need. A collaboration with the NJCCC, and its Litter Free NJ campaign, as well as other key partners, the NJFC is supporting collection sites for reusable bags to be sanitized and recirculated to food banks, food pantries and social services programs.
This pilot program is now in six different counties across New Jersey with a statewide rollout planned.
Attendees saluted three honorees in the political and business sectors who are making an impact in the state’s food industry. They include:
Outstanding Legislator Award: Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19th Dist.)
The Speaker has long championed food security and has passed several legislative packages to increase access to SNAP benefits, reduce hunger and incentivize development in food deserts.
Coughlin described supermarket owners as a “critical piece” in the fight against hunger. “You are the true champions in helping people overcome food insecurity challenges,” he said. “There is no place I know where food providers are not committed to food pantries, so people get the good quality nutritious food they need.”
Coughlin was awarded for his work to expand free school lunches and sponsored four expansive anti-hunger bill packages, including increasing aid to food banks by 500% and creating a first-in-the-nation Office of Food Security. NJFC sits on the Speaker’s Food Security Working Group, comprising various stakeholders and government officials in the anti-hunger community.
Good Government Award: Lori Price Abrams, Government Relations Manager, Wakefern
Price Abrams, a councilwoman in Montclair, leads government affairs efforts at Wakefern Food Corp., the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States. She joined Wakefern in 2020, bringing 30 years of experience and skill in public policy, government and community relations.
Price Abrams serves on the FCCfGG Board of Governors and as Vice Chair of NJFC’s Government Affairs Committee. She is an active member of government affairs committees for state food associations across Wakefern’s nine-state service footprint.
Tribute Recognition: State Sen. Steven Oroho, Senate Republican Leader Emeritus
Oroho is retiring after his fifth term in the New Jersey State Senate, representing the 24th Legislative District in the northwestern part of the state.
“Many of the initiatives that I’ve been able to successfully get enacted into law during my legislature tenure, especially measures to reform business taxes, I have had a dedicated ally in the New Jersey Food Council,” Oroho said. “I have always appreciated their advocacy and their education on industry issues.”
Oroho takes a particular interest in budgetary and economic development issues. He has helped craft, in a bipartisan fashion, major tax reform issues over the past decade. The senator has supported the passage of the minor summer hours bill, product return legislation, and most recently, the expiration of the 2.5% CBT surtax. His contributions have earned him numerous awards and citations from the business community at-large in the state.
The annual event was sponsored by the FCCfGG, New Jersey Food Council’s non-profit political action committee formed in 1973 that aids and promotes the election of state lawmakers who support the priorities of food retailers. To date, the committee has supported more than 4,000 candidates for office in New Jersey.
The FCCfGG was formed in 1973 with the support of the New Jersey Food Council to aid those responsible elected state officials and candidates who share a common objective for good government.