Tobacco Products Pulled From NorCal Grocery Store Shelves

By AUTUMN JOHNSON

In an effort to help promote health and wellness, grocery store chain Raley’s has 86’d all tobacco products from store shelves and by the end of the month, customers in need of a nicotine fix will have to grab their cigarettes and chew elsewhere, according a Raley’s spokesperson.

On Friday, Raley’s released the following statement about the removal of tobacco products from their shelves:

“In our continuing effort to raise awareness about health and wellness, and our commitment to infuse life with health and happiness, Raley’s has decided to remove tobacco products from our stores in February 2015. We have already stopped ordering tobacco products and as a result of this transition, we will not be ordering any more.This is not a decision that we’ve taken lightly.

At Raley’s, we are committed to infusing life with health and happiness, and removing tobacco products is another example of that commitment. We have a dedicated health and sustainability leader on our team to further support our commitment to provide more healthy options for our customers. There is a very strong correlation between tobacco use and many serious health issues. While other substances can also have adverse effects with high consumption, there is far less evidence at this time to indicate that consumption of sugary snacks and alcohol in moderation poses a significant health threat to healthy adults. At this time, the evidence against tobacco usage is simply too strong to ignore.

Raley’s decision to remove tobacco products is our next big step in ongoing efforts to provide healthier options and to raise awareness about health and wellness. This decision was not based on any governmental pressure or reward. It was based on Raley’s commitment to the health and happiness of our customers. We care about our customers and the communities we serve.”

The grocery store chain based out of Sacramento, has 128 stores in Northern California and Nevada. In the East Bay, Raley’s/ Nob Hills Foods can be found in Pleasanton, San Ramon, Alameda, Hayward, Livermore, Fremont, Newark and San Pablo.

Photo courtesy: Autumn Johnson

Also on Patch:

• Mystery Goo That Covered East Bay Seabirds Partially Identified, But Still A Mystery
• Plane Loses Power After Taking Off, Makes Emergency Landing on Hayward Golf Course
• Livermore Premium Outlets Gets Rebranded (Again)
• VIDEO REVIEW: Is ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Worth All the Hype?
• College Officials Say Body Found on Hayward Campus Not that of Student, Staff or Faculty
• Alameda Fire Crews Knock Down Fire in Townhouse Garage
• Pit Bull Named Piglet Found on I-880 in Oakland Reunited With Owners
• Police Nab 3 Suspected of Using Fraudulent Credit Cards, Stolen IDs at Pleasanton Hotel
• Group Calls on Chevron to Stop Spending Money on Politics
• Recent School Parking Lot Burglaries Prompts Pleasanton Police to Remind Community to ‘Hide It, Lock It or Lose It’
• CHP Looking for Information About Crash That Killed Tri-Valley Teen

What do you think of the move to pull tobacco products? Tell us in the comment section below.