Government policy, regulations, and legal developments affecting global commerce and retail.
US SNAP enrollment fell nearly 13% year over year to just over 37 million people, with 49 of 50 states declining. At the same time, every SNAP-authorized retailer must meet a tougher USDA staple food stocking standard by November 4, 2026.
A US action treating undisclosed commercial steering of AI product recommendations as deception is likely by 31 March 2027, with a state attorney general the likelier first mover than the FTC. Three independent signals from July and August 2026 point the same way, and one design detail argues against it.
Three regulatory signals from the past five weeks point to US marketplace product-safety escalation arriving through customs and import-data enforcement rather than platform rulemaking. The first attributable action is likely before the end of Q1 2027.
The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation entered into application on 12 August 2026, replacing a directive that governed the bloc’s packaging rules for three decades. A PFAS restriction, new conformity documentation and marketplace verification duties bite immediately, while the heavier design rules wait until 2030.
A fast-growing group of US states is moving to outlaw surveillance pricing, the practice of using a shopper’s personal data to set an individual price, …
Governor Mikie Sherrill signed the Fair Price Protection Act on July 23, 2026, banning retailers from using personal data to set individualized prices. The law also freezes new electronic shelf labels for a year as New Jersey joins Maryland and Connecticut.
From July 19, 2026, large EU companies can no longer destroy unsold clothes, accessories and footwear and must resell, donate or recycle them instead. Medium-sized firms follow in 2030, with fines and annual disclosure rules backing the ban.
US subscription-trap enforcement is likely to sharpen through H2 2026, with another major FTC action probable before year-end. Three fresh signals, from a June court order to Virginia’s new click-to-cancel law, point the same way.
Three regulators are converging on drip pricing at once, and June 2026’s CMA fines signal the enforcement net widening into mainstream online retail. The pattern points to all-in ‘total price’ checkout becoming the default across major UK and EU platforms before the 2026 holiday peak.
The Financial Conduct Authority began regulating buy now, pay later credit on 15 July 2026, forcing Klarna, Clearpay, PayPal and other lenders to run affordability checks and hand users new complaint rights. Around 11 million UK shoppers now fall under protections that already cover credit cards, but analysts warn stricter checks could shut some borrowers out.