Mar 14, 2012
March 14, 2012 – ARLINGTON, VA – Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and the National Grocers Association (N.G.A.), representing a spectrum of food retailers and wholesalers, met with commissioners at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and urged them to block the proposed acquisition of Medco Health Solutions by Express Scripts, Inc.

In a letter to FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz last month, FMI argued that the supermarket industry ranks among the most competitive in our economy. The trade group reiterated at its meeting with FTC commissioners that consumers and pharmacy patients have benefitted from this robust competition in the form of low prices and high levels of service. N.G.A. also wrote to the Chairman and Commissioners urging that the FTC block the proposed merger so consumers could continue to have choice and access to competitive pharmacy services.

FMI’s vice president of health and wellness and executive director of the FMI Foundation, Catherine Polley, RPh, said: “We believe this merger will harm the tens of thousands of consumers who depend every day on the valuable services and low prices they receive at their supermarket pharmacy. Consumers need to reduce their drug expenses and they know their supermarket pharmacy often can deliver the highest value at the lowest price, especially for generic drugs.”

Joined in the fight against this non-competitive deal, N.G.A. Executive Vice President and General Counsel Tom Wenning commented, “Permitting this merger would harm consumers and deny the benefits to competition that are so essential to control health care costs. For this reason, food retailers were joined by some of the leading consumer groups, unions and health plans in this unified effort.”

For Media:

FMI’s letter to the FTC can be accessed here.

N.G.A.’s letter to the FTC can be accessed here

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Food Marketing Institute (FMI) conducts programs in public affairs, food safety, research, education and industry relations on behalf of its nearly 1,250 food retail and wholesale member companies in the United States and around the world. FMI’s U.S. members operate more than 25,000 retail food stores and almost 22,000 pharmacies with a combined annual sales volume of nearly $650 billion. FMI’s retail membership is composed of large multi-store chains, regional firms and independent operators. Its international membership includes 126 companies from more than 65 countries. FMI’s nearly 330 associate members include the supplier partners of its retail and wholesale members. www.fmi.org.

About The National Grocers Association: N.G.A. is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. An independent retailer is a privately owned or controlled food retail company operating a variety of formats. Most independent operators are serviced by wholesale distributors, while others may be partially or fully self-distributing. Some are publicly traded but with controlling shares held by the family and others are employee owned. Independents are the true "entrepreneurs" of the grocery industry and dedicated to their customers, associates, and communities. N.G.A. members include retail and wholesale grocers, state grocers associations, as well as manufacturers and service suppliers. Visit www.nationalgrocers.org for more information.