Corporate Responsibility & Awareness

From the Progressive Grocer Magazine -

MARCH 03, 2006 -- SALISBURY, N.C. -- For a fifth consecutive year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will recognize Food Lion here with an Energy Star partner award, the retailer said yesterday.Food Lion, a major U.S. division of the Delhaize Group, has earned its latest Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award for outstanding and continued leadership in protecting the environment through energy efficiency and superior energy management. Food Lion will receive the award at a March 21 ceremony in Washington, D.C.

"At Food Lion, we believe a company can help protect the environment and meet its business objectives," said Kyle Mitchell, Food Lion v.p. of construction and indirect procurement in a statement. "Food Lion is demonstrating a long-term commitment to the environment and to its bottom line, which benefits the environment, our customers, the company and its investors. Our company goal is to be a world-class leader in energy management in the supermarket industry."

According to the EPA, the Sustained Excellence 2006 Award goes to a select group of organizations that exhibit outstanding leadership, year after year. These organizations set and achieved aggressive goals, employed innovative approaches, and have shown others what can be achieved through energy efficiency. The award winners are selected from thousands of organizations that participate in the Energy Star program.

Food Lion also earned the Sustained Excellence award in 2004 and 2005. Food Lion received Energy Star Partner of the Year Awards in 2002 and 2003. Food Lion is the first supermarket company to earn Energy Star partner awards in five-consecutive years.

Since 2000, through new lighting, refrigeration and heating and cooling technologies and company-wide energy management efforts, Food Lion has reduced its energy use by more than 2.29 trillion Btu. In 2005, Food Lion saved 312 billion Btu and cut its natural gas consumption by nearly 18 percent. The company reduced its water consumption by more than 5 percent.

Food Lion announced in late 2005 that more than 400 of its stores had earned the prestigious Energy Star designation from the EPA. Food Lion plans to add 200 more Energy Star stores in 2006 through benchmarking, renovations, and new construction.

Not a shakedown strategy, just a corporate strategy - nuff said!