Cigarettes and Tobacco News

Oct 27, 2007 -- Following a multistate investigation involving several attorneys general, Kroger Company is taking steps to curb sales of tobacco products to minors.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan said this week Kroger will start new procedures to reduce sales of cigarettes to minors in the more than 2,400 stores the company operates nationwide under two dozen store names.

The change is the result of a settlement Madigan's office and 41 other attorneys general have reached with Kroger.

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

Employees at the Ottawa and Streator Kroger stores would not comment on the former policy or the new procedures, which include checking the identification of any person purchasing tobacco products who appears to be younger than 27 and accepting only valid government-issued photo IDs as proof of age.

Store officials also will hire an outside business to conduct random compliance checks of Kroger stores, limit in-store tobacco advertising to brand names, logos and pricing, ensure 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.

Handy Foods owner Mike McGrogan said cigarrette sales to minors isn't a problem at his store, 604 W. Main St., Ottawa.

"If they don't have an ID, they don't get it," McGrogan said. "We don't want to be the root of any problems."

He said clerks check identification of anyone who looks younger than 30. The cash registers automatically prompt the cashier to ask for a birth date for purchases of tobacco or alcohol. Tobacco is displayed behind the service counter. When making staff assignments, Handy Foods generally pairs a younger checker with a senior checker in adjoining checkout lanes.

"They monitor each other to make sure peer pressure isn't there," McGrogan said. "If there's ever any questions, they're right next to each other."

A front-end supervisor and floor manager are on duty with each shift as well, McGrogan said, to make sure there are no problems.

Madigan said the attorneys general have long recognized youth access to tobacco products ranks among the most serious public health problems. Research indicates that every day in the United States more than 2,000 people younger than 18 start smoking and one-third of those people 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.

Illinois is home to about 60 Kroger-operated stores under the names of Food 4 Less, Hilander and Kroger. Kroger also agreed to pay $325,000 for costs incurred by the states in the investigation that led to the new procedures.

The agreement with Kroger is the 11th settlement reached by a multistate 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.