ASSEMBLY, No. 2568

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman ROSAURA "ROSY" BAGOLIE

District 27 (Essex and Passaic)

Assemblyman STERLEY S. STANLEY

District 18 (Middlesex)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Morales

SYNOPSIS

     Prohibits increase of staple food prices more than once per day.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

An Act concerning staple food prices and supplementing P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.).

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

     1.    a.  A retail food store that sells or offers for sale staple food goods shall not increase the retail price of a staple food good more than once per day.

     b.    A retail food store that violates the provisions of this act shall be subject to a civil penalty of $1,000 for a first offense, $2,500 for a second offense, and $5,000 for a third and subsequent offense.

     c.     Violations of this act shall be investigated and enforced by the Office of Weights and Measures within the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety in consultation with the Office of Consumer Protection within the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety.

     d.    As used in this section:

     “Retail food store" means any retail establishment where groceries, including staple food goods, and other foodstuffs are regularly and customarily sold in a bona fide manner for off-premises consumption.

     “Staple food good” means a food item intended for home preparation and consumption and shall include cereals, bakery products, meats, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, fruits, and vegetables.

     2.    This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

     This bill prohibits a retail food store from increasing the retail price of a staple food good more than once per day.  Under the bill, “staple food good” means a food item intended for home preparation and consumption and shall include cereals, bakery products, meats, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, fruits, and vegetables.

     A retail food store that violates the provisions of this bill shall be subject to a civil penalty of $1,000 for a first offense, $2,500 for a second offense, and $5,000 for a third and subsequent offense.  Violations of this bill shall be investigated and enforced by the Office of Weights and Measures in consultation with the Office of Consumer Protection.