By: Matt Trapani and Joti Rekhi

New research from an environmental group suggests that New Jersey’s strict plastic bag ban is having a positive impact on the environment.

Data from Environment America states that New Jersey has avoided using 2.7 billion single-use plastic bags since the ban went into place.

According to the calculator released in conjunction with this study, Montclair residents avoided using 11.7 million bags. Many residents told News 12 they now have reusable bags.

“A lot of times we have policies that people try to bring in and sometimes there’re negative side effects. This is one that’s like a win-win,” says Montclair resident Erik D’Amato.

In addition to Montclair, Environment America states Newark avoided using 90.3 million bags, Elizabeth 39.7 million and Edison 31.7 million – to name a few.

Proponents say the effectiveness was tied to people’s capacity to change their mindset to remember to bring their reusable bags with them to places like the grocery store.

“We want to make sure that reusable bags are truly reusable. And that people treat them as reusable bags. And we’ve mainly been successful,” says Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey.

At annual beach sweeps, volunteers have reported that they’ve seen a major decrease in cleaning up single-use bags.

Click here to view the full photo gallery of the event.

The New Jersey Food Council (NJFC), in partnership with the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association, the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association and the Delaware Food Industry Council, addressed the most pressing security issues in the food industry at the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Loss Prevention Conference and Expo on November 2.

Under the theme of “Protecting Our Communities and Preventing Loss,” the annual conference focused on pertinent loss prevention issues retailers face today, including an update on evolving concealed carry laws, a firsthand account of a members’ active shooter crisis, effective de-escalation tactics and a deep dive into organized retail crime and how retailers are fighting this ongoing threat.

“With an increase in not only theft but also in violent incidents, this is a critical time to share insight and collaborate in order to protect our communities and prevent loss,” said NJFC President & CEO Linda Doherty. “We are here to help the retail loss prevention community tackle progressive security issues, share information regarding the latest security trends and network with law enforcement officials and partners.”

Ed Rohena of ACME/Albertsons MidAtlantic Division, who chaired the conference, led the annual presentation of the 2023 New Jersey Food Council Mid-Atlantic Loss Prevention Professional Awards.

The winners include:

• Mike Murphy of Retail Business Services, an Ahold Delhaize Company. Murphy is the Investigations Specialist assigned to Stop and Shop & Hannaford locations in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. He has worked in the asset protection field for more than 20 years.

  Murphy assists with the identification of suspects and partners with other retailers to identify and dismantle organized retail crime groups impacting the Ahold Delhaize brands. Murphy is an active member of the Food Council’s Loss Prevention committee as well as the newly-invigorated Organized Retail Theft Taskforce.

• Dawn Roller is a long time champion of the loss prevention world. She has more than 28 years of experience in loss prevention and management positions. As Director of Loss Prevention at Brown’s ShopRite Super Stores, she has experience in loss prevention work for the retail and food retail industries and uses her experience as a guiding light.

  Roller is chair of the PFMA Loss Prevention Committee, with notable accomplishments in reducing shrink and increasing investigation efficiency, while also working with her counterparts to make a greater influence in the loss prevention community.

• Amanda Hobert, the Regional Investigations Manager for Lowes, is a certified forensic interviewer with more than 15 years of experience in the loss prevention industry. Hobert specializes in organized retail crime and fraud.

  Hobert serves as a board member and President of Metro Organized Retail Crime Alliance (METRORCA), which serves New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Two law enforcement professionals, whose work serves as a blueprint for effective public/private partnerships and the building of relationships with the retail community, were honored with the 2023 Retail Law Enforcement Achievement Award. They include:

• Hamilton police Det. Daniel Inman is continually relied upon to assist in resolving habitual shoplifting and large-scale organized retail crime cases. He is well recognized and respected throughout Mercer County, honored with the Officer of the Year, 200 Club of Mercer County Valor Award and the Edgar J. Hoover Award.

  “My personal experience with Detective Inman has been nothing short of outstanding and productive,” said Rohena. “A particular show of his support is during the holidays when he would stop by to make sure the store closed without incident and the associates were safe.

  Inman’s experience and resources helped develop three organized crime cases totaling more than $140,000. “Identifying and linking the key players would not have been possible without Detective Inman,” Rohena said, adding the detective’s resilient approach toward helping retailers provide a safe shopping and working experience makes a difference every day.

• Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton, who has more than 33 years of experience in law enforcement, is the long-time president of the Bergen County Branch of the NAACP, has served on many community boards and has been honored by many community and civic organizations.

  Not only does Sheriff Cureton lead current law enforcement officers, he also teaches the future of law enforcement. The sheriff teaches criminal justice at Ramapo College of New Jersey in Mahwah and Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck and is a guest lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

  “Sheriff Cureton has a strong commitment to his community’s security and the safety and well-being of all of his residents,” said Andrew Kent of Glass Gardens ShopRite and NJFC board chair. “He is invested in making a difference in the safety and mental and physical health of those in Bergen County. It is for his dedication to making New Jersey safer for associates, customers, and businesses through outreach and education that I am honored to present Sheriff Cureton with this award.”

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.