News

A new U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlights the challenges at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the premarket tobacco and nicotine product application review framework. The report underscores significant performance issues at the agency and the need for greater accountability, while also acknowledging FDA’s more recent strides to improve its regulatory performance. Read more here.

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus to End Youth Vaping, sent a letter to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas questioning whether potential changes to the agency’s tobacco product review process could weaken scientific standards for manufacturers. The letter follows FDA’s Sept. 28, 2026, announcement that it is considering a new rulemaking to replace the 2021 regulations governing approval of new tobacco products.

Leonard “Lenny” Allen, the second-generation president of Allen Brothers Wholesale Distribution and a longtime figure in the convenience distribution industry, died Sept. 17, 2026, at the age of 97.

Lenny grew up in South Philadelphia, attended South Philadelphia High School and later Penn State University, where he met Pauline “Polly” Allen, his wife of 74 years. Following college, he joined the family business and ultimately became the second-generation president of Allen Brothers Wholesale Distribution.

Allen Brothers was much more than a career for Lenny. Under his leadership, the company grew far beyond its rowhouse beginnings and moved in the mid-1970s to a larger facility. Over the years, it evolved into a major regional distributor serving thousands of convenience stores, mom-and-pop grocery stores, drug stores and other retailers throughout the Mid-Atlantic.

CDA sends its condolences to the Allen Brothers Wholesale Distribution family. Learn more about the life and career of Lenny here.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) final rule updating SNAP retailer stocking standards took effect July 7, 2026, with retailer compliance required by Nov. 4, 2027. The rule implements requirements established by the 2014 Farm Bill that Congress had previously delayed through annual appropriations legislation. Stores that fail to comply may lose their SNAP authorization and must wait six months before reapplying, so retailers will be preparing to meet the November 4 deadline.

USDA has published retailer guidance and sample compliance pathways to assist with questions regarding the final rule. This includes a calculator for stores to determine pathways to compliance with the new rules. Read more here.

The Trump administration is reportedly preparing changes to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) review process for new tobacco products that could make it faster and easier for products such as flavored vapes and nicotine pouches to receive marketing authorization. Read more here and here.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched a redesigned form that streamlines industry submissions for tobacco product establishment registration and product listing. The agency consolidated two previously separate forms for different categories of tobacco products into a single form. Read more here.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold a nomination hearing of Heidi Overton to be Commissioner of Food and Drugs on Sept. 24, 2026. Overton is a deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy at the White House working on health issues, is a medical doctor and has a doctorate in clinical investigation from Johns Hopkins University. Former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigned in May and Kyle Diamantas has been serving as Acting Commissioner. Read more here.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) has received questions about how companies can improve the quality of their premarket applications under the substantial equivalence (SE) pathway. To help, FDA is launching a three-part webinar series on the SE predicate review process.

Muswick Wholesale Grocers is a family-owned wholesale distributor based in Little Rock, AR, serving independent convenience stores, gas stations, smoke shops and other retailers throughout the region. The company provides a broad selection of grocery, beverage, tobacco, nicotine, candy, snack and general merchandise products, with a focus on competitive pricing, dependable service and strong customer relationships. The Muswick Wholesale Grocers goal is to help independent retailers succeed by providing the products, promotions and support they need to operate and grow their businesses.

Contact information for Muswick, LLC is as follows:

Mark Mandani
mark@muswick.com
Muswick, LLC
4000 W. 65th Street
Little Rock, AR 72209
(501) 374-5562
https://www.muswick.com

CDA expresses its thanks to all the distributors and suppliers that participated in last week's Convenience Distribution Business Exchange (CDBX), held Sept. 14-17, 2026, in Aventura, FL, where over 1,500 individual meetings between trading partners took place. Save the date for next year's CDBX, being held Sept. 13-16, 2027, at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel in Fort Worth, TX.

Enjoy a short video recap of our time at the event last week. For details on how your company can be a part of CDBX, contact Jenn Finn at jennf@cdaweb.net or (703) 208-1649.

The Senate Agriculture Committee met on Sept. 16, 2026, to pass the “Farm Bill 2.0” out of committee by a vote of 12-11 along party lines. Despite Democratic opposition, the bill was able to move forward once Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) returned to the panel this week. The business meeting comes after the committee failed to advance the legislative package in a 10-11 vote in August, with all Democrats opposing it. The House passed its version of the farm bill at the end of April. Read more here.

On Sept. 16, 2026, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a full committee markup of 16 bills to enhance American technological development and strengthen communications networks. Those bills included the Packaging and Claims Knowledge (PACK) Act of 2025 - H.R. 6832, the Recycled Materials Attribution Act - H.R. 7502, and the Nitrous Oxide Safety Act of 2026 - H.R. 7945. All 16 bills were approved and reported to the full House. Read more here.

On Sept. 16, 2026, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing to consider the nominations of Chris Klomp to be Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services and Nicole Saphier to be Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service and Surgeon General of the Public Health Service. Saphier reported investments in companies including McDonald's Corp. and tobacco company Philip Morris International Inc., and plans to divest from those holdings if she is confirmed, according to her ethics agreement. Several senators questioned Saphier about her stance on smoking and vaping following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision to approve several flavored e-cigarette products in May. Saphier said she sees value in flavored vapes as a potential off-ramp for adult smokers, but understands concerns about access for children. Saphier said she opposes smoking broadly and as a physician she doesn’t “want anyone smoking anything.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a rule on Feb. 13, 2026, restricting non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses primarily to H-2A, H-2B and E-2 visa holders. The rule is being challenged by CDL drivers together with AFSCME and the American Federation of Teachers. At oral arguments on Sept. 15, 2026, they argued that FMCSA lacked evidence for excluding other legally present drivers and that its visa exceptions and concerns about state processing were irrational; FMCSA argued that the rule addresses unavailable foreign driving records and licensing errors. The D.C. Circuit will determine whether to uphold, invalidate or return the rule to FMCSA, but it has not announced a decision date. Read more here.

During the 38th annual National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, CDA proudly recognizes the dedicated drivers behind the wheel, and behind every delivery that keeps our industry moving forward.

CDA is also celebrating the future of the profession by supporting the industry’s next generation of drivers through CDA’s The Drive to Thrive: CDL Scholarship Program. This initiative provides employees of CDA distributor member companies with up to $5,000 towards CDL training, helping them grow their careers and become commercial truck drivers.

Nominations will open again in 2027 – start thinking now about the employees who could fuel your company’s future. Click here to learn more about the scholarship and view the 2026 winners to see the impact of this program in action.