Announced Actions for September 18, 2001

Commission approval of proposed sale:

Following a public comment period, the Commission has approved an application for sale of assets in the following matter: Albertson's/American Stores. Under the terms of the consent order related to this supermarket chain merger, Unified Western Grocers, Inc. (Unified, formerly Certified Grocers) is required to obtain FTC approval before selling any of the 31 stores it acquired as a result of Albertson's divestiture obligations as specified in the order. This matter concerns an application filed on July 20, 2001 by Unified to sell Albertson's Store No. 1609, in Apple Valley, California, to Ralphs Grocery Company. The Commission vote to approve the proposed sale was 5-0. (File No. C3986; staff contact is Daniel P. Ducore, Bureau of Competition, 202-326-2526; see press release dated June 22, 1999.)

Consent agreement given final approval:

Following a public comment period, the Commission has made final a consent agreement regarding the following: Natural Organics, Inc., et al. The Commission vote to approve the agreement as final was 5-0. (FTC File No. 972-3175, Docket No. 09294; staff contacts are Matthew Gold and Kerry O'Brien, FTC Western Region - San Francisco; 415-848-5176 or 415-848-5189; see press releases dated August 16, 2000 and July 31, 2001.)

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC's Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC's Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint, or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at www.ftc.gov. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database.