20 Years: Food Lion Again Receives ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award

Retailer is the Only Company in the Country with this Distinction

SALISBURY, N.C., April 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the 20^th consecutive year, Food Lion has received the 2021 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Food Lion is the only company in the U.S. with this distinction.

Additionally, this marks the 18^th consecutive year Food Lion has been recognized with the Sustained Excellence Award, which is the highest honor among the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year recognition. The Sustained Excellence Award is given only to partners that have gone above and beyond the criteria needed to qualify for recognition and that have already received ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year recognition for a minimum of two consecutive years.

More than 900 Food Lion stores have received the ENERGY STAR certification at least once. These stores make up 89% of all Food Lion locations and account for 36% of all Energy Star certified supermarkets in the entire country.

"We are proud and honored to serve as a leader in energy conservation and efficiency,” said Matt Yates, vice president of brand strategy for Food Lion. “Our work to reduce our energy usage stretches through every part of our business, from our supply chain to our store operations. We remain committed to reducing our carbon footprint and doing our part to be a responsible, trusted neighbor in the towns and cities we serve.”

Since 2000, Food Lion's energy reductions in carbon emissions are equivalent to supplying the energy needed to charge more than 75.6 billion smart phones or take 128,136 passenger vehicles off the road for one year. An example of an energy-saving technique used is upgrading in-store lighting to LED’s. So far, nearly half of Food Lion’s more than 1,000 stores have been upgraded to LED lighting within its 10-state footprint.

“ENERGY STAR award-winning partners are showing the world that delivering real climate solutions makes good business sense and promotes job growth,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Many of them have been doing it for years, inspiring all of us who are committed to tackling the climate crisis and leading the way to a clean energy economy.”

Food Lion has achieved a number of goals tied to its 2020 Sustainable Retailing plan, including goals related to energy conservation, sustainable seafood, recycling and food rescue efforts through its Food Lion Feeds program.

About Food Lion
Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, has more than 1,000 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 82,000 associates. By leveraging its longstanding heritage of low prices and convenient locations, Food Lion is working to own the easiest full shop grocery experience in the Southeast, anchored by a strong commitment to affordability, freshness, and the communities it serves. Through Food Lion Feeds, the company has donated more than 750 million meals to individuals and families since 2014 and has committed to donate 1 billion more meals by 2025. Food Lion is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam-based Ahold Delhaize. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com or job applicants may visit www.foodlion.com/careers.

About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations—including more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500®—rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped American families and businesses avoid more than $450 billion in energy costs and achieve 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. More background information about ENERGY STAR can be found at: https://www.energystar.gov/about and https://www.energystar.gov/about/origins_mission/energy_star_numbers

Contact: 
Food Lion Media Relations
704-245-3317
publicrelationsteam@foodlion.com

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