When people in Albany talk about packaging policy, it can sound abstract. For independent supermarket owners, it is anything but abstract. It is about whether the products customers count on are on the shelf, whether they are affordable, and whether neighborhood stores can keep serving the communities that depend on them.
The National Supermarket Association represents more than 600 supermarkets in New York City’s five boroughs that employ over 15,000 New Yorkers. These are not giant corporations. They are family-owned stores, many of them located in working class and minority neighborhoods, where people come for fresh food, pantry staples, and everyday necessities. Our members support reasonable efforts to reduce waste and improve recycling, and we understand the goal. However, the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, S.1464/A.1749 sponsored by Senator Harckham and Assembly Member Glick respectively, gets the balance wrong, even with the limited amendments made this month.
This bill may be framed as an environmental measure, but for independent supermarkets and the communities we serve, it would create a real affordability problem. It would place new pressure on producers to move away from plastic packaging materials that are still widely used to protect food and household products. When workable substitutes do not exist, producers will have two options: charge more or stop offering certain items. Either way, the consequences land on supermarket shelves and at the checkout counter.
That matters at a time when New Yorkers are already stretched. Independent supermarkets do not have the ability to absorb endless new costs as our margins are as thin as ever. If manufacturers face higher packaging and compliance expenses, stores will have little choice but to pass along at least some of those increases. That means higher grocery bills for families who are already making hard choices every week about what goes in the cart and what has to stay behind.
There is also a product availability problem that Albany should not ignore. Many of the items people buy every day rely on packaging that helps keep products safe, sealed, protected, and shelf stable. If those materials are restricted before realistic alternatives are available at scale, some products will simply become harder to sell or harder to stock. That is not a theoretical concern for our members. It is a real concern for stores that have to answer to customers when a popular item disappears or comes back in a smaller quantity at a higher price.
For many families, especially those using SNAP, those disruptions are not minor inconveniences. They hit the products people rely on most. If everyday goods are pushed off shelves because the packaging rules no longer match real world supply chains, Albany will have made food shopping harder for the very people who can least afford it.
The bill also reflects a misunderstanding of how many New Yorkers actually shop. Some advocates speak as if buying in bulk is an easy answer. It is not, especially in a dense market like New York City. Many customers live in small apartments, travel on foot or by public transit, and shop more frequently because they do not have the storage space or transportation to buy large quantities at once. They need products that are practical, affordable, and available in the formats that fit their lives. A policy that effectively pushes more products toward bulk purchasing is not thinking about the realities of city consumers.
None of this means we should give up on sustainability. Far from it. Independent supermarkets have every reason to support smarter recycling systems and less waste. Our stores are part of these communities. We want cleaner neighborhoods and better environmental outcomes too, but public policy must work in the real world. It cannot be built around the assumption that costs will not rise, products will not disappear, and neighborhood stores can absorb every disruption.
Albany should slow down and get this right. Lawmakers should reject the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act in its current form and pursue a more workable approach that improves recycling infrastructure without making groceries more expensive or limiting what families can buy. The recent amendments to the bill simply did not meet this standard as they did nothing to ensure products remain affordable and on the shelf.
New Yorkers need affordable food, reliable access to everyday products, and neighborhood supermarkets that can survive. Albany should not force them to choose.
Nelson Eusebio, Director of Government Affairs, National Supermarket Association
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