On Friday, Bob and Randy Harmons, co-owners of Harmons Grocery Stores, are scheduled to receive a Friend of Public Health Award for removing tobacco products from supermarket shelves.
The Weber-Morgan Health Department and the Coalition for Tobacco-Free Utah honored the brothers for helping raise awareness of tobacco health risks, organizers said.
The award was sponsored by Riverdale Elementary KAT Kids, Roy City Manager Chris Davis, WMHD Board of Health Chair Jay Jenkins and the Roy City Police Department.
"Tobacco is a known killer," says Weber-Morgan Health Director Gary House. "By removing these products from their grocery store shelves, Harmons has demonstrated a genuine concern for their customers and a commitment to improving the health of our community. It's a high water mark among retailers and we commend them for their work."
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, killing more than 400,000 people every year, say health officials. Every day, more than 4,000 kids try their first cigarettes; another 1,000 kids become addicted smokers, one-third of whom will die prematurely.
The West Valley-based Harmons operates 16 stores throughout Utah, including its Roy store at 5370 S. 1900 West and in Ogden at 145 Harrisville Rd.