US store chain announces new sustainability policies. In its latest move to make its products and packaging more sustainable, US food store chain Food Lion has announced new sustainability policies for genetically modified food (GMOs) and farm animal welfare, including for fish.
Working in partnership with Retail Business Services, which develops private brand products for each of the Ahold Delhaize USA local brands, Food Lion and Retail Business Services is requiring all private brand products to have clear on-pack Bioengineered Food labelling.
“At Food Lion, a healthy and sustainable community is at the heart of everything we do,” said Geoff Waldau, executive vice president of Merchandising at Food Lion. “We are committed to nourishing our neighbours in the towns and cities we serve in a sustainable manner. In addition to providing healthier food choices and more locally sourced products for our customers, we are working hard to deliver greater transparency into the food they buy. The addition of these policies furthers our commitment to nutritious, transparent products that meet our customers’ preferences and lifestyles.”
The announcement of these policies builds on previously-announced commitments regarding sustainable chemistry, climate change and artificial ingredients. It also builds on Food Lion’s announcement that it joined the Ocean Disclosure Project early in 2020 to increase transparency of sustainable seafood sourcing efforts. Food Lion has an industry-leading sustainable seafood policy covering more than 2,500 products, and all its own brand coffee, cocoa, tea and soy products are 100 percent sustainably sourced.
Under the new GMO policy, Food Lion is requiring all private brand products to have clear on-pack Bioengineered Food labelling, well ahead of the Federal Bioengineered labelling deadline of January 1, 2022.
Food Lion supports the National Bioengineered Food* Disclosure Standard and is also committed to monitoring science and assessing risk around GMOs and will look to organisations like the World Health Organisation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences to continue to enhance the GMO policy.
For customers who want to avoid GMOs, Food Lion offers Nature’s Promise products. None of Food Lion’s Nature’s Promise items (organic or non-organic) include any intentionally added GMOs. Food Lion also offers products that are non-GMO certified by a third party. Food Lion does not knowingly sell animal products derived from genetically modified protein sources, including salmon, and does not plan to carry these products in the future.