Safeway Settles Suit Over Cigarette Sales to Minors

Safeway Inc. agreed Thursday to pay $245,000 and boost its efforts to curb underage cigarette sales to settle a California lawsuit charging the grocer with selling tobacco to minors.

State Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer said Safeway agreed to a number of new policies, such as checking the identification of any person buying tobacco products who looks younger than 27 years old and using cash registers programmed to prompt checks on all such sales. The settlement, which takes effect immediately, also requires Safeway to pay $145,000 in civil penalties and another $50,000 each to cover the state’s and city of Los Angeles’ costs in bringing the lawsuit.