News

Register now to attend timely sessions with expert insights on AI, consumer trends, physical security and safety, and other key industry topics!

• State of the Industry and Consumer Behaviors with Sally Lyons Wyatt
• Making AI Work for Distribution: A Practical Playbook for Every Team with Benj Cohen
• Understanding FSMA Section 204(d) with Jennifer McEntire and Richard Owen
• Attracting Tomorrow’s Talent with Today’s Leaders with Steve Bench
• And more!

Exhibitors

• Less than 10 exhibit spaces remain.
  Secure your space now.
• If your company has already reserved exhibit space, booth assignments were emailed to your designated team lead on Oct. 8. The 2026 planning guide will be emailed to team leads the week of Oct. 20.

Questions? Reach out to eventsupport@cdaweb.net.

Marketplace Website | Distributor Registration | Exhibit Space Registration
Schedule | Education | Hotel and Travel

*The distributor showcase is for CDA member distributors only. Participation is required.
By attending Marketplace 2026, you agree to the CDA Notices & Disclaimers.

On Oct. 7, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) held a day-long hearing regarding a customary review of Philip Morris International’s (PMI) request that the agency renew the Modified Risk Tobacco Product designation previously authorized for IQOS heated tobacco products. TPSAC is comprised of independent scientific researchers which provides nonbinding recommendations to the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP).

The IQOS system heats tobacco instead of burning it, which significantly reduces the production of and exposure to harmful chemicals while still providing tobacco taste and the ritual of smoking. As of June 30, 2025, PMI estimates there are approximately 34 million legal-age IQOS consumers globally.

The modified risk tobacco products (MRTPs) submitted for renewal include two versions of the IQOS device and three variants of the tobacco consumables, called HEETS, including:

• IQOS 2.4 System Holder and Charger
• IQOS 3.0 System Holder and Charger
• Amber HEETS
• Green Menthol HEETS
• Blue Menthol HEETS

The FDA initially granted PMI the MRTP designation for IQOS products in 2020. The MRTP designation for the IQOS system authorizes PMI to communicate to legal-age consumers the following messages:

"AVAILABLE EVIDENCE TO DATE:

• The IQOS system heats tobacco but does not burn it.
• This significantly reduces the production of harmful and potentially harmful chemicals.
• Scientific studies have shown that switching completely from conventional cigarettes to the IQOS system significantly reduces your body’s exposure to harmful or potentially harmful chemicals."

During the FDA hearing, representatives from PMI and committee members discussed a range of scientific, technical and consumer-communications topics. The company provided an overview of its responsible marketing practices and presented additional evidence and research demonstrating high levels of complete switching among current legal-age smokers while maintaining low levels of use by unintended populations.

TPSAC will now review all the scientific evidence and advice to finalize a recommendation to the CTP regarding the request by PMI for the renewal of the MRTP designation for the IQOS products.

Read more here. Watch the full hearing here.

CDA is excited to share the dates for Marketplace 2028:

February 28 – March 1, 2028
The Woodlands Waterway Marriott
Hotel & Convention Center
The Woodlands, TX

Previously Announced Events:

• Marketplace 2026: Feb. 16–18, Loews Arlington Hotel, Arlington, TX
• CDBX 2026: Sept. 14–17, JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa, Aventura, FL
• Marketplace 2027: Feb. 22–24, Loews Arlington Hotel, Arlington, TX
• CDBX 2027: Dates/location to be announced soon

Visit the CDA Events page for more details on all CDA events.

The Senate rejected dueling government funding bills for the sixth time the afternoon of Oct. 8, 2025. Democrats and Republicans are at a stalemate as the government shutdown crosses the one-week mark without a clear resolution in sight.

Reports of a draft memo from the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) were circulated suggesting that the 750,000 furloughed workers are not guaranteed back pay. House and Senate leaders on Tuesday pushed back against the reports, saying it was their understanding the law is clear that furloughed workers would get back pay. When asked about furloughed workers getting back pay, President Trump said Tuesday that "I would say it depends on who we're talking about."

Some House members have expressed frustration over House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-LA) decision to remain in recess until the Senate can pass a bill to fund the government. “The House is done. The ball is now in the Senate’s court,” Johnson said Wednesday during a press conference. “It does us no good to be here dithering on show votes.” Read more here.

Register now to attend timely sessions with expert insights on industry trends, FSMA traceability compliance, AI, physical security and safety, and more!

• FutureNomics: The Economic Snapshot You Need Now with Mary Kelly
• Understanding FSMA Section 204(d) with Jennifer McEntire and Richard Owen
• Trusted to Lead: Energizing High-Performance Cultures in Convenience Distribution
  with Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jason O. Harris
• Making AI Work for Distribution: A Practical Playbook for Every Team with Benj Cohen
• And more!

Exhibitors

• Less than 10 exhibit spaces remain.
  Secure your space now.
• If your company has already reserved exhibit space, booth assignments will be shared soon, and the 2026 planning guide will be emailed to your designated team lead in mid-October.

Questions? Reach out to eventsupport@cdaweb.net.

Marketplace Website | Distributor Registration | Exhibit Space Registration
Schedule | Education | Hotel and Travel

*The distributor showcase is for CDA member distributors only. Participation is required.
By attending Marketplace 2026, you agree to the CDA Notices & Disclaimers.

On Sept. 24, 2025, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is proposing changes to stocking requirements for retailers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Currently, SNAP-approved retailers must carry three varieties of food in each of four staple food groups: dairy, protein, grain, and fruits and vegetables. Under the proposed changes from USDA, retailers would need to stock seven varieties in each staple food category, more than doubling the number of food options for participants. According to the release, the change also “closes loopholes” that allow snack products to count toward staple food varieties. The department said this change emphasizes “healthy, whole food.” Read more here.

On Sept. 25, 2025, President Trump announced on Truth Social that the U.S. will increase tariffs on heavy trucks, kitchen cabinets and pharmaceuticals starting Oct. 1, 2025, the latest in a steady series of trade actions aimed at protecting domestic industry from lower-priced imports.

The U.S. will impose 25% tariffs on imports of heavy trucks. Trump directed the Commerce Department to launch national security probes into lumber imports in March, as well as trucks that weigh more than 10,000 pounds and pharmaceutical products in April. Read more here.

As part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) broader strategy to combat the crisis of youth vaping, the agency is launching an initiative to increase voluntary compliance from retailers—including vape shops, convenience stores and gas stations—that play a key role in the distribution of both legal and illegal products into American communities.

Too often, retailers in communities are selling illegal vaping products marketed to young people with fruit or candy flavors and even marketing gimmicks such as built-in video games and Bluetooth speakers. The FDA has not authorized any such products, which are mainly illegally imported from China. As much as 54% of vaping products sold nationally are illegal. These products frequently contain chemicals such as formaldehyde, lead and acrolein—materials more commonly found in industrial textiles and pesticides.

The FDA has received questions from retailers about which tobacco products are legal to sell, so the agency is mailing materials to more than 300,000 retailers nationwide containing:

• A list of the 39 vapes and 20 nicotine pouch products that can be legally marketed in the United States, which features QR codes linked to the FDA real-time digital versions of these lists - www.fda.gov/authorizedecigs and www.fda.gov/authorizednicotinepouches;
• Information on accessing FDA’s new Searchable Tobacco Product Database, a database of over 17,000 tobacco products—covering all categories, such as cigarettes, cigars, hookah, and e-cigarettes—that may be legally marketed in the United States; and
• New tobacco retailer education materials, including a wall calendar of reminders focused on retailer requirements such as only selling tobacco products to those 21 and older and requiring a photo ID check of anyone under 30.

Read more here.

On Sept. 25, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted new materials related to the modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) renewal applications submitted by Philip Morris Products S.A. for several IQOS heated tobacco products. The documents are available on the Philip Morris MRTP application webpage.

As a reminder, the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) meeting to discuss the renewal of the modified risk granted orders issued for these products is scheduled for Oct. 7, 2025. Visit the event webpage to learn more about attending in person or online.

Read the Application Materials

Annual funding for much of the federal government expired at 11:59pm ET on Sept. 30, 2025, and certain activities have ceased due to a lack of appropriated funding. The government shutdown began with the Senate rejecting both Republican and Democratic stopgap funding bills, leaving Congress deadlocked. The House-passed GOP measure to fund the government through Nov. 21, 2025, failed 55–45, falling short of the 60 votes needed; three Democrats: Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Angus King (I-ME), joined most Republicans in support, while Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) opposed. A Democratic stopgap also failed along party lines.

On the floor, a bipartisan group of senators discussed possible alternatives, including a 10- to 14-day continuing resolution (CR) to create time for negotiations on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits. Democrats expressed openness to linking a short-term CR with ACA talks, while Republican leadership maintained that subsidy negotiations should not be tied directly to government funding.

Senate leaders recessed on Oct. 2, 2025, for Yom Kippur, with votes likely resuming Friday. In the background, the White House has signaled it is prepared to use the shutdown to make broad structural changes. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought is consulting with House Republicans, and President Trump has said the administration could cut federal programs and benefits during the shutdown. Read more here.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) contingency plans for a lapse in appropriations funding can be found here. FDA’s plans state that “activities funded through carryover user fee funding and other unlapsed funding would continue. This includes certain activities related to the regulation of human and animal drugs, biosimilar biological products, and medical devices, and all FDA activities related to the regulation of tobacco products.”

“FDA will be limited in the number and type of inspections to be conducted, unless the inspections are for cause or otherwise necessary to detect and address imminent threats to the safety of human life, or can be conducted with carryover user fee funding. Additionally, review work, guidance development, and pre-approval inspections related to whole blood, blood components for transfusion, and antivenom would cease completely during a lapse in appropriations, excepting work that is necessary to detect and address imminent threats to the safety of human life.”

Under the Antideficiency Act, the only agency activities that are allowed to continue during a shutdown are those that are:

• Funded outside current-year appropriations;
• Specifically authorized by law to continue in the absence of appropriations;
• Implied to continue in the absence of appropriations;
• Required for the President’s constitutional duties; and
• Related to emergencies where there is a reasonable likelihood that the safety of human life or the protection of property would be compromised.

These activities are open to interpretation and OMB gets to set the rules during a potential shutdown.

The House and Senate returned to Washington last week with just seven legislative days remaining to come to an agreement on a continuing resolution (CR) to avert a government shutdown starting Oct. 1, 2025. On Sept. 19, 2025, Congress left Washington for a week-long recess with no agreement and just two legislative days remaining to find some sort of deal on a CR to keep the federal government operating.

House Republicans released a CR, which would keep the government operating until Nov. 21, 2025, which went on to pass on a 217-212 mostly party-line vote, with two Republicans voting against the measure and one Democrat voting in favor.

The House Republican CR would go on to fail in the Senate, however, on a 44-48 vote, with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) casting the sole Democratic vote in favor and Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) casting the two Republican votes against. Senate Democrats also introduced their own CR, which would keep the government operating through Oct. 31, 2025, while also extending Affordable Care Act premium subsidies and reversing Medicaid cuts passed as part of Republicans’ reconciliation passage earlier this year. That proposal failed on a 47-45 vote, with both the Republican and Democratic CRs falling well short of the 60 votes needed to move forward and avoid procedural obstacles in the Senate.

It remains to be seen whether any progress can be made with Congress out of town. Barring any changes, the Senate is not scheduled to return until Sept. 29, 2025, while the House has canceled votes until Oct. 1, 2025, after FY 2025 funding expires. Read more here.

This month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) launched a pilot program that aims to increase efficiency and streamline the review process for premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for nicotine pouch products.

The initiative recognizes a continuum of risk among tobacco products, with combusted products like cigarettes being most harmful and non-combusted products, such as nicotine pouches, posing lower health risks. The program will focus reviews on the most critical elements, emphasize real-time communication with applicants and provide more frequent feedback to reduce review timelines. FDA will continue case-by-case evaluations to determine if marketing a product is appropriate for public health, aiming to address information gaps earlier and limit deficiencies at the end of the process. As part of the pilot, FDA intends to have ongoing conversations with applicants to discuss missing information or request clarification with the hope of addressing issues sooner or at least limit the number and severity of issues included in a deficiency letter at the conclusion of the evaluation. To date, FDA has authorized 20 nicotine pouch products.

Sens. Blumenthal (D-CT), Merkley (D-OR), Durbin (D-IL), Gillibrand (D-NY), Reed (D-RI) and Kim (D-NJ) sent a letter on Sept. 15, 2025, to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Martin Makary and Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) Acting Director Bret Koplow asking FDA to finalize the proposed rule to cap nicotine levels. The letter states, “FDA should consider applying the new nicotine standard to all combustible and heated tobacco products. Doing so would help prevent tobacco manufacturers from circumventing the standard by developing or promoting non-cigarette substitutes. Not including some combustible tobacco products and heated tobacco products from the nicotine standard would reduce the benefits of the rule.”

The FDA's proposed rule to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products (Docket Number FDA-2024-N-5471) was published in the Federal Register on Jan. 16, 2025, and comments were due Sept. 15, 2025. CDA submitted comments opposing the rule in August. With the comment period officially closed, it typically takes FDA about a year to organize comments, develop the legally required responses to all relevant, substantive comments, and make any related desired or necessary changes to the proposed rule before continuing the process to issue it in final form. However, since this ruling was issued during the Biden Administration, it is unclear if the Trump Administration supports the release of a final rule. Read more here.

On September 15, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Surgeon General announced its Youth Vaping Resource Guide to combat the youth vaping. The Resource Guide provides actionable steps for a wide range of stakeholders committed to protecting young people from the harms of e-cigarette use, including urging regulators and retailers to strengthen enforcement, improve legislation, and work together to remove illegal vape products from the market. Read more here.

On September 16, Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), along with five other Democratic colleagues, sent a letter to Senate Leadership asking to make sure no government spending bill re-criminalizes hemp products, and instead work together to consider legislation that would fully regulate these products and improve consumer safety.

The letter states, “We write to express strong opposition to the inclusion of any language … that would decimate the American agricultural hemp industry and imperil states’ ability to prevent unsafe hemp-derived cannabinoid products from getting into the hands of children,” the senators wrote in their letter. “[W]e suggest considering legislation to establish a hemp-derived cannabinoid product framework that: (1) restricts the sale and possession of hemp products to adults over age 21; (2) standardizes packaging and labeling to eliminate “look-a-like” snack products that are appealing to children while allowing adult-only consumers to make informed choices; (3) prohibits synthetic or artificially derived products; and (4) requires independent third-party laboratory tests for consumable hemp-derived cannabinoid products to ensure safety.” Read more here.

During the 37th annual National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, the Convenience Distribution Association 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 2026 – start thinking now about the employees who could fuel your company’s future. View the scholarship winners from 2024 and 2025 to see the impact of this program in action.

Click here to learn more about the scholarship or contact Lauren Herbert.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) plans to bring a stopgap funding bill or continuing resolution (CR) to the House floor Thursday or Friday to extend government funding through November 20. The bill includes $88 million for federal security and authority for Washington, D.C., to spend its local budget. Government funding is set to expire Tuesday, September 30, and Congress is scheduled to recess next week for Rosh Hashanah.

In the House, Republicans hold a narrow majority and, with full attendance, can lose no more than two votes if all Democrats oppose the measure. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has publicly stated he will vote no. In the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53–47 majority, the measure will require 60 votes to advance. Democratic leaders have signaled opposition to a short-term CR that does not address health care, including $28 billion annually for Affordable Care Act subsidies and possible Medicaid adjustments, noting that ACA open enrollment begins November 1. Democrats have also raised concerns following a $9 billion rescissions package in July and a $5 billion foreign aid rescission last month. If the stopgap fails to pass this weekend, the Senate could return late next week to attempt further action. Read more here.

iFoodDS offers connected traceability and quality software, helping food distributors deliver wholesome, fresh, traceable products to customers. Our Trace Exchange platform is your all-in-one platform to simplify FSMA 204 compliance and meet customers’ data sharing requirements. It stores data securely for 2+ years, integrates with your current systems, and lets you share traceability data with any customer—even outside our network. With expert support and robust reporting, Trace Exchange protects your business from costly recalls, reduces food waste, and keeps you compliant.

Contact information for iFoodDS is as follows:

Karen Long
karen@ifoodds.com
iFoodDS
101 2nd Ave, Suite 915
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 219-3703
www.ifoodds.com

2025 is We Card’s 30th year of serving retailers.

We’ve seen a lot of changes in the past 30 years but the fundamentals of “responsible retailing” of age-restricted products remains constant.

Since We Card’s launch in 1995, a coalition of national trade associations representing retailers and distributors along with leading manufacturers came together to launch the We Card program to provide actionable tools and education to help retailers comply with youth access laws and raise awareness of the problem of underage access to tobacco and other age restricted products.

Back then, non-compliance or violation rates were as high as 40%. Today these rates hover around 10%.

The coalition is stronger than ever and has a wide base of support among state-level retail and wholesale associations serving retailers.

We Card offers a plethora of tested and effective in-store tools and training materials to help you stay compliant and up to date.

CDA expresses its thanks to all the distributors and suppliers that participated in last week's Convenience Distribution Business Exchange (CDBX), held Sept. 8-11, 2025, in Phoenix, AZ, where over 1,450 individual meetings between trading partners took place. Save the date for next year's CDBX, being held Sept. 14-17, 2026, at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa in Aventura, Florida.

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.