Grocers back US challenge to HFC phase down

USA: The USA’s leading association of independent supermarkets has backed a resolution to nullify the US AIM Act to phase down HFC refrigerants.

The National Grocers Association (NGA) has announced its strong support for Florida congressman Neal Dunn’s resolution to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Final Rule: Management of Certain HFCs and Their Substitutes Under the AIM Act phase down.

The NGA, which represents over 1,700 retailer members, maintains that the management rule imposes a series of costly and complex compliance requirements that threaten the viability of independent grocers, particularly smaller businesses with limited resources.

“The EPA’s new refrigeration regulations place an undue financial and operational burden on independent grocers who are already grappling with historic increases in labour, utility, and credit card swipe fee costs,”  said the NGA’s chief government relations officer Chris Jones. “In an industry that sees an average net margin of 1.4%, any additional expenses can be detrimental,” he added.

“The EPA clearly did not consider the undue burden they would place on American businesses when they finalised their sweeping refrigeration regulation,” said congressman Dunn. “American grocers and restaurants do not need government regulators in their kitchens and storerooms, driving up operating costs and forcing them to pass that cost on to the consumer.”