No person, firm or corporation engaged in any business enterprise in this state shall, by any method or procedure, directly or indirectly, by itself or through a subsidiary agency owned or controlled in whole or in part by such person, firm or corporation, sell or procure for sale or have in its possession or under its control for sale to its employees or any person, any article, material, product or merchandise of whatsoever nature not of his or its own production or not handled in his or its regular course of trade, excepting meals, cigarettes and tobacco, and excepting such specialized appliances and paraphernalia as may be required in said business enterprise for the safety or health of its employees. The provisions of this section shall not apply to associations organized under “An Act to provide for the incorporation of cooperative associations for pecuniary profit,” filed July 8, 1915, as amended, or to associations organized under “An Act in relation to Agricultural Cooperative Associations and Societies,” approved June 21, 1923, as amended.