Their voices were electronically scrambled, and screens shielded them from audience members and C-SPAN cameras. It wasn't a hearing on organized crime. They're afraid they're going to be blackballed by the supermarkets.
Manufacturers pay slotting fees to retailers in order to secure shelf space.
But while slotting fees have been applied to non-perishables for years, produce traditionally has been relatively immune. That is changing on the West Coast, though, and some are wondering if the trend will move eastward to Massachusetts. The fees, they say, allow them to wade through the more than 100,000 products available for limited in-store shelf space that typically accommodates closer to 30,000 items. They're nothing more than a cost for doing business. They see them as a predatory requirement that gives a competitive edge to larger manufacturers and prevents a wider array of new products from reaching consumers.