Nevada Attorney General Announces Agreement With Kroger Co. To Curb Tobacco Sales To Minors

October 23, 2007 -- Carson City, NV – Nevada Attorney General Masto today announced she has joined the Attorneys General of 41 other states and Guam in an agreement with Kroger Co. to curb tobacco sales to minors. Kroger is the nation’s largest grocery chain with 2,468 supermarkets in 31 states under two dozen banners and 779 convenience stores in 15 states under 5 banners. All but 92 of the convenience stores are company-owned. There are 55 stores in Nevada operating under the names of Food 4 Less and Smith’s.

"Every day we keep a child from smoking is a public health victory. With this agreement, Kroger joins the growing list of retailers who have demonstrated their commitment to keeping our kids healthy in Nevada and across the country," said Masto.

The Kroger "Assurance of Voluntary Compliance" (AVC) is the eleventh such agreement produced by an ongoing, multi-state enforcement effort. Previous agreements cover all 7-Eleven, CVS, Wal-Mart, Walgreens and Rite Aid stores, and all gas stations and convenience stores operating under the Conoco, Phillips 66, 76, Exxon, Mobil, BP, Amoco, ARCO and Chevron brand names, in the signing states. Combined, the agreements cover over 80,000 retail outlets across the nation. Launched in 2000, the multi-state enforcement effort by the Attorneys General seeks to secure national retailers’ agreement to take specific corrective actions to prevent sales of tobacco products to minors. State laws prohibit such sales. The agreements incorporate "best practices" to reduce sales to minors, developed by the Attorneys General in consultation with researchers and state and federal tobacco control officials.

The agreement announced today provides that Kroger implement comprehensive youth prevention tobacco retailing practices in its company-owned stores. Kroger will also take a number of steps to prevent youth access to tobacco in its franchise outlets, including providing annual notices of the importance of complying with youth access laws; requiring franchisees to report violations to the corporate office; and modifying franchise agreements to provide that violations of youth access laws could constitute grounds for termination or non-renewal of the franchise agreement.

The Attorneys General have long recognized that youth access to tobacco products ranks among the most serious public health problems. Studies show more than 80 percent of adult smokers begin smoking before the age of 18. 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.

Source: Nevada Attorney General