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Kroger Agrees to Curb Tobacco Sales to Minors

Retailer folds to multi-state enforcement effort

October 25, 2007

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Kids under the age of 18 should be finding it harder to buy cigarettes from the nation's largest grocery chain.

Attorneys general from 42 states have reached a settlement with the Kroger Company under which the grocery chain will implement new procedures to reduce sales of cigarettes to minors in more than 2,400 stores that the company operates nationwide under two dozen different store names.

“We know that studies indicate that 80 percent of adult smokers begin this deadly habit before reaching the legal smoking age of 18. By limiting a child's access to cigarettes, we can help protect the health of the next generation,” Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said.

The agreement with Kroger is the eleventh settlement reached by the multi-state enforcement effort covering more than 80,000 retail outlets across the nation.

Previous agreements include all 7-Eleven, CVS, Wal-Mart, Walgreens and Rite Aid stores and all gasoline stations and convenience stores operating as Conoco, Phillips 66, 76, Exxon, Mobil, BP, Amoco, ARCO and Chevron within the participating states and Guam.

The enforcement effort seeks to secure national retailerss agreement to take specific corrective actions to prevent sales of tobacco to minors.

Under the agreement, all Kroger stores are required to:

• Check the identification of any person purchasing tobacco products who appears to be under the age of 27, and accept only valid government-issued photo IDs as proof of age;

• Hire an independent entity to conduct random compliance checks of Kroger stores;

• Limit tobacco signage to brand names, logos and pricing and ensure that all tobacco advertising inside the store is confined to the area where tobacco products are sold; and

• Train employees on state and local laws and company policies regarding tobacco sales to minors, including explaining the health-related reasons for laws that restrict youth access to tobacco.

Kroger also agreed to pay $325,000 for costs incurred by the states in the investigation.

Addiction starts early

Research indicates that every day in the United States more than 2,000 people under the age of 18 start smoking and that one-third of those persons ultimately will die from a tobacco-related disease.

Young people are particularly susceptible to the hazards of tobacco, often showing signs of addiction after smoking only a few cigarettes.

Participating Attorneys general represent Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming and Guam.

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