Bill > HF2149

This bill establishes the Consumer Grocery Pricing Fairness Act, which aims to prevent large retailers from obtaining unfairly advantageous pricing terms from suppliers that smaller retailers cannot access. The bill defines key terms such as "covered goods" (which include grocery items and consumer packaged goods, but exclude items like gasoline and prescription drugs), "covered suppliers" (producers selling over $6 billion annually), and "dominant covered retailers" (retailers with over $18 billion in annual sales and stores in more than 20 states). The legislation makes it unlawful for covered suppliers to provide different sales terms to different retailers purchasing the same volume of goods, and prohibits dominant retailers from coercing suppliers or creating purchasing conditions that might unreasonably limit product availability for other retailers. Suppliers can defend against allegations of unfair practices by proving they offered different terms due to genuine efficiencies, voluntary acceptance of different terms, or specific circumstances like perishable goods. The bill allows the attorney general or injured parties to file suits seeking injunctions and civil penalties up to one-and-a-half times actual damages. Importantly, the law does not require businesses to engage in transactions they do not want to and does not supersede existing antitrust laws, but instead provides additional protections for smaller retailers in the grocery and consumer goods markets.

Business and Industry

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF2149&ssn=0&y=2025