State Affairs provides resources in the form of studies, research, testimony and regional and national meetings, to FMI member companies and State Associations as they tackle legislative and regulatory issues of importance in the state and local realm.

State Issue Papers

Algorithmic Pricing

Jan 5, 2026
There is growing concern among lawmakers throughout the country about the use of customer information and digital algorithms in ...

Food Additive Legislation

Dec 8, 2025
States moved fast in 2025 on several food-related fronts: banning certain ingredients from school meals, requiring food labeling and banning foods with certain ingredients and color additives....

Hemp-Derived Food and Beverages

Dec 3, 2025
In the wake of the 2018 Farm Bill, states have taken a variety of approaches to regulating hemp-derived THC ...

State Incentives for Data Centers and Emerging Concerns Over Energy Costs

Nov 25, 2025
For more than a decade, states have aggressively pursued data center development as a catalyst for economic growth....

California's Climate-Related Financial Risk Reporting Law Stayed by Ninth Circuit Pending Hearing

Nov 21, 2025
The Ninth Circuit has partially stayed California's climate disclosure laws, pending ...

Artificial Intelligence

Oct 29, 2025
Over 1,000 AI-related bills were introduced in 2025, nineteen of which became ...

PFAS in Food Packaging and other Consumer Goods

Oct 29, 2025
State Laws on PFAS in Food Packaging and other consumer ...

Comparison of Enacted Baby Food Testing Laws

Sep 22, 2025
See a comparison chart of the California, Illinois, Maryland, and Virginia baby food safety laws in this FMI ...

Polystyrene and Plastic Straws

Mar 11, 2025
See the details on state and local efforts to restrict polystyrene and plastic ...

Chart of WIC Approved Eggs and Substitutions

Mar 5, 2025
WIC plays a crucial role in promoting the well-being of low-income families by providing nutritious foods, education, and support. Among the food options, eggs are an essential part of the program....

Pets in Grocery Stores

Feb 5, 2025
The legality of animals and/or pets in food retail stores – and food retailers’ options for prohibiting them – is a complex question, with federal, state and sometimes even local laws all governing the state of play. ...

SNAP Photo ID

Feb 3, 2025
State legislative efforts to combat fraud in the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) sometimes turns toward efforts to require recipient pictures on SNAP EBT cards....

State Alcohol Laws

Jan 28, 2025
The FMI State Affairs Team tracks grocery store alcohol sales policies in all 50 states....

Paid Leave Legislation

Jan 28, 2025
This issue paper examines state and local policymaking on paid sick leave, paid time off and paid family and medical leave....

No Swipe Fees on Sales Tax Legislation

Nov 18, 2024
Prohibiting swipe fees on state sales tax will lift a costly burden on retailer and keep dollars in ...

State Affairs Sustainability Outlook for 2025

Oct 10, 2024
FMI has created an initial “State Affairs Sustainability Outlook for 2025” document. It currently covers EPR, PFAS and Date Labeling....

Single-Use Carryout Bags

Sep 26, 2024
Retailers support efforts to promote recycling and reduce bag litter. Still, there is no “one size fits all” solution to the shopping bag issue, and retailers should carefully examine any proposal....

California AB 899/Chapter 668, Food Safety: Baby Food

Aug 28, 2024
Manufacturers of baby food for sale or distribution in California will have to comply with a new law regarding heavy metals beginning January 1, ...

California SB 1446, Regulating Self-Checkout Stands

Jun 25, 2024
A proposed California bill places limits on self-checkout stations and installs staffing requirements, in a bid to cut down on shoplifting and retain jobs. The bill has passed the Senate and will be heard in the ...

The California Food Safety Act, AB 418/Chapter 328

Oct 18, 2023
“The California Food Safety Act” (AB 418) is the first of its kind, providing for the regulation of the safety of food products, including adulterated and misbranded food, wholesale food, and food in retail food ...

Latex Glove Bans in Food Service

Nov 30, 2022
See the state laws banning latex gloves in food ...

State INFORM Act Laws

Sep 23, 2022
Thirteen states have passed some form of the Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplace for Consumers Act (INFORM Act)...

State Price Gouging Laws

May 18, 2022
Generally, when a state’s governor declares a “state of emergency,” this automatically puts the state’s “price gouging” law into ...

Food Waste

Mar 16, 2022
The United States is calling for a 50-percent reduction of food waste in landfills by ...

Truth in Labeling on Recycling Materials

Mar 16, 2022
An overview of state legislation regarding how to label consumer products as ...

Minimum Recycled Content

Mar 16, 2022
Several new state laws require that consumer packaging contain increased amounts of recycled ...

Beverage Container Deposit Laws

Mar 16, 2022
Ten states and Guam currently have beverage container deposit ...

Minimum Wage

Feb 18, 2022
A compilation of talking points regarding the minimum ...

Enacted State and Local Premium Pay Mandates

Dec 15, 2021
This resource tracks enacted state and local premium pay ...

Inventory Taxes: Local, State and Federal

Jul 20, 2021
Some states and localities require businesses to pay taxes on ...

State and Local Limits on Facial Recognition Technology

Jul 15, 2021
To date, only two jurisdictions restrict the use of facial recognition technolgoy by private ...

States Ending Federal Unemployment Benefits Early

Jul 13, 2021
Twenty-six states have announced they will end their federally funded unemployment programs and associated benefits ...

States Address Civil Liability Protections for Businesses

Mar 26, 2021
During the COVID-19 pandemic, among the many issues the grocery industry must consider is the potential for lawsuits. States have taken to protecting businesses and healthcare workers from civil liability resulting from Coronavirus transmissions, ...

Tobacco Sales

Jan 14, 2021
As sellers of tobacco products, grocers need to be aware of laws surrounding these types of age-restricted products. This paper addresses federal, state and local law as it pertains to purchase age, tobacco flavoring and ...

State Workers' Compensation and COVID-19 Coverage

Nov 18, 2020
A number of states are moving quickly to update their workers’ compensation programs to address the ...

State Milk and Meat Labeling Laws

Feb 5, 2020
An emerging issue, 13 states have enacted bills regarding the labeling of milk and meat that is considered plant-based or cell-based. Already this session, more than ten states have introduced such ...

Antibiotic Use in Food Animals Issue Paper

Sep 3, 2019
This issue paper provides an overview of the current federal regulatory framework and argues that state and local mandates in this policy area are redundant and unnecessary....

The California Cleaning Product Right to Know Act

Aug 20, 2019
The California Cleaning Product Right to Know Act requires cleaning product manufacturers to disclose information related to chemicals contained in certain cleaning products on the product label and online....

New York Household Cleansing Product Information Disclosure Program

Aug 20, 2019
New York State has launched a new initiative to require the public disclosure of chemical ingredients in household cleaning ...

Weights and Measures

Aug 20, 2019
We promote honesty and equity in the marketplace for both consumers and the business community. As such, we work closely with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Office of Weights and Measures (OWM) to ensure that the standards ...

State-by-State Monthly SNAP Benefit Issuance Schedules

Jun 14, 2019
This resource provides a state-by-state monthly analysis of SNAP benefit issuance schedules....

Sugar and Sweetened Beverage Legislation

Feb 1, 2019
States and localities are looking to the taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages and snack foods to generate income and change purchase behavior. Several localities have enacted such legislation, and those communities that have are now suffering job ...

Beverage Tax Toolkit

Jan 18, 2019
Check this page for advocacy and outreach materials, including sample testimony, talking points and impact data....

SNAP Distribution Expansion

Jun 14, 2017
Currently, eight states issue SNAP benefits on only one day, and others, on just three days. This creates a bottleneck for SNAP recipients and customers, as grocery lines become frustratingly long, on that one day....

Drug Testing and SNAP

Feb 22, 2017
Our State Affairs Team created a resource documenting the ability of a state to enact legislation that requires the drug testing of SNAP ...

Item and Unit Pricing

Jan 11, 2017
With the almost universal installation of scanners, the need to individually price mark each item in a supermarket (item pricing) no longer exists for checkout purposes. Seven states still require some level of item pricing. They are Arizona, ...

GMO Labeling - State Law Fact Sheet

Jan 1, 2017
From November 2012, our State Affairs Team has been documenting the legislation pertaining to GMO Labeling....

Gift Card Legislation

Jul 1, 2012
In June 2012, New Jersey Governor Christie signed gift card legislation (A. 3045/S.1928) into law, as a result of a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and negotiations by New Jersey retailers. Key provisions of the bill ...