|
|
Interested in Pennsylvania's Hot Join one of PFMA's Member Committees!
Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT Committee) The Electronic Benefits Transfer Program was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to eliminate the use of paper food stamps. Each state was given the task to develop its own system. The Pennsylvania EBT system, which rolled out county by county in 1998. PFMA formed a stakeholder's group with the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) to address concerns, and it meets periodically to improve the operation of the program. The Food Protection Committee began in 1998 to establish a forum where members work with contacts from the Department of Agriculture to update Pennsylvania's Food Code based on FDA's model Food Code. Since then, the committee has taken on other issues important to the membership including food employee certification and counter terrorism. The PFMA Food Protection Committee provides a forum for state and local regulators, industry, academia, and other interested parties to share ideas and offer their unique perspectives on emerging food safety, food security, and food protection issues. It is the goal of the committee to educate PFMA members on these important issues and to influence public policy and regulations to promote safe food and safe food handling throughout the Commonwealth. The Loss Prevention Committee is a group of Pennsylvania retailers interested in sharing ideas and educating law enforcement officials in an effort to minimize retail theft in their stores. Grocery and convenience store members from across the state first met in March 2002 to form the group. PFMA provides the latest state legislative updates on loss prevention issues. Members are provided copies of draft bills, which are introduced on retail theft, identity theft, "Drive-offs", OTC drug regulation, cigarette theft, and more to get the group's feedback in hopes to strengthen the collective effort. Discussion topics covered in the past include: Organized Retail Theft (ORT) issues, pay-at-the pump scam warnings, credit card and coupon fraud, organized nighttime burglaries of store safes, identity theft, Patriot Act reporting of money order transactions, pharmacy drug theft/maintenance scams and much more. The Legislative Committee plays a crucial role in helping develop an industry position on proposed laws and regulations. Through active participation on the committee, members are kept abreast of current legislative and regulatory news affecting the grocery and convenience store industries. Supportive retailers also play a key role in efforts seeking to improve the business climate in Pennsylvania. Join Today! You help set the agenda by actively voicing your concerns. * Participate in periodic committee meetings. (Either in person or via conference call.) * Contribute member feedback. State agencies and departments periodically publish regulations or policies that affect a segment of the grocery or convenience store industry. We will ask how this may affect your business. * Volunteer to serve on subcommittees of interest to you as the need arises. If you have any questions regarding these committees, please contact: Annette Knapp (717) 731-0600 or Toll Free 800-543-8207
|
PFMA's member committees ultimately determine the course of action for the association. The input generated from committee meetings is an invaluable resource. All PFMA members (Retailer and Associate) are eligible to participate. If you are interested in becoming involved, please consider joining one of the following: