Food Lion Becomes Only U.S. Company to Receive ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award 19 Years Consecutively

SALISBURY, N.C., July 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- When you shop at Food Lion, you may have noticed doors on dairy and produce cases to contain cold temperatures and motion sensors on the freezer cases that turn the lighting on and off. These are just some of the many ways Food Lion is delivering on its promise to be a better neighbor for the towns and cities we serve by caring for the environment. It is also what led to being Food Lion recently being named ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for a 19^th consecutive year.

Since 2000, Food Lion's energy reductions in carbon emissions are equivalent to supplying the energy needed to charge more than 75.3 billion smart phones or providing 70,717 neighbors homes’ energy for one year. An example of an energy-saving technique used is upgrading our in-store lighting to LED’s. So far, more than 400 stores have been upgraded within our 10-state footprint.  

“Food Lion has won the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award 19 years consecutively, achieving the Sustained Excellence distinction for the last 17 of those years,” said Stephan Sylvan, director of communications for the climate protection partnerships division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Food Lion has received this honor more times than any other company.”

The Energy Star Partner of the Year awards are given to organizations to recognize their contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through superior energy efficiency achievements. The EPA presents the Sustained Excellence Award to partners that have already received ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year recognition for a minimum of two consecutive years and have gone above and beyond the criteria needed to qualify for recognition.

“We are honored to serve as a leader in energy conservation and efficiency,” said Matt Yates, vice president of Brand Strategy for Food Lion. “Our energy savings help us lower our costs, so we can keep our prices low for our customers."

As part of its commitment to caring for its neighbors and caring for our planet, Food Lion has routinely set and achieved a number of sustainability goals. In addition to energy conservation, Food Lion also has industry-leading sustainable sourcing standards, increased recycling to divert more waste from landfills and has donated the equivalent of more than 300 million meals through its pioneering Food Lion Feeds food rescue effort, through  which food is donated to local hunger relief organizations and 30 food banks across the grocer’s 10-state footprint before it perishes to feed neighbors in need.

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 68,000 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 500 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

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 companies—rely on their partnership with EPA to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its thousands of partners helped American families and businesses save more than 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity and achieve over 3.5 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. In 2018 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped Americans avoid nearly $35 billion in energy costs. More background information about ENERGY STAR can be found at: energystar.gov/about and energystar.gov/numbers.

Contact:   
    
Emma A. Inman, APR
704-245-3317
Emma.Inman@foodlion.com

Kelly Powell
704-310-3886
Kelly.powell@foodlion.com