NEW YORK, NY — September 9, 2026 — Today marks a moment of great significance for every independent supermarket owner in New York City.

The National Supermarket Association (NSA) has initiated legal action against the City of New York, challenging its proposed municipal supermarket program and defending the right of independent supermarkets to compete on a fair and level playing field.

It is important for our members to understand the significance of this action: this is not about protecting the NSA as an organization. It is about protecting your supermarkets, your investments, and your future.

For generations, independent supermarket owners have invested their own capital, assumed financial risks, created jobs, paid rent and taxes, and served families throughout our communities. Many have devoted their entire lives to building businesses that have become an essential part of the neighborhoods they serve.

The NSA has decided to take this step because these merchants deserve to compete on equal terms and should not be forced to compete with establishments supported by government funding that may operate under different economic conditions.

This legal action is for your supermarket. For your investment. For your employees. For your family. And for the future of independent supermarkets in New York City.

The NSA recognizes the importance of pursuing solutions that make food more accessible and affordable for all New Yorkers. However, those solutions should strengthen our communities without placing at a disadvantage the independent supermarkets that have served them for decades.

What is happening today goes far beyond a single store, a single neighborhood, or a single lawsuit. What is at stake is the future of free and fair competition and the continued presence of independent supermarkets in our city.

For nearly four decades, our merchants have worked, invested, and taken risks to build their businesses and serve their communities. Today, the NSA is using the strength of its collective representation to defend the right of these entrepreneurs to continue growing, competing, and thriving.

THAT IS WHY WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY IS SO IMPORTANT.

The NSA is taking this step not to protect the Association itself, but to defend the independent supermarket owners it represents and the businesses they have built through years of hard work and sacrifice.