Food Lion takes local produce to the next level

Food Lion is bringing local produce even closer to home with its continually expanding Local Goodness program.

Part of Ahold Delhaize, the Salisbury, N.C.-based grocer with more than 1,000 stores in 10 states in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, first launched its Local Goodness campaign in 2017 to offer its shoppers a greater selection of locally grown food.

To learn the latest on Food Lion’s Local Goodness program, which teams with local businesses to provide fresh and affordable produce while supporting local farmers and vendors in the communities Food Lion serves, The Packer recently connected with Food Lion’s Chris Dove, vice president of produce category and merchandising for an email interview.

Food Lion’s Local Goodness sounds like a great program. How did the idea come about and what is its goal? 

Dove: We want to make sure that purchasing local fruits and vegetables is available to all our customers, no matter their budget. Our ultimate goal is to provide our customers with easy access to fresh and local produce at affordable prices, all while supporting the local communities we serve! Food Lion has been sourcing from local suppliers for more than 60 years, and the program continues to grow each year. We continuously strive to support local suppliers while making it easy for our customers to connect with their community. 

How many local growers is Food Lion working with on the program? How are you connecting with area farmers to expand your fresh produce offerings?  

Food Lion works with nearly 200 individual growers across our 10-state footprint. Our Local Goodness team visits growers throughout the year to learn what opportunities might exist to start a partnership. Connecting with new farms is a great way to expand and strengthen our local assortment, and in turn, help farms grow their operation. Regular farm visits, along with regional, vendor and state Department of Agriculture-sponsored meet-and-greet events, bring growers and our team together every year across our 10-state operating area, allowing farms direct access to the Local Goodness team.   

How important is fresh produce to the program? 

Fresh produce is at the heart of Food Lion’s Local Goodness program. It is important to us that customers feel they can easily nourish their families with quality and healthy foods while supporting farmers and suppliers “just down the road.” Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, we’re seeing many of our customers focus on healthy eating and local produce helps them do that. 

How is Food Lion promoting the program in-store and online?

You can find Local Goodness signage and tags throughout Food Lion stores to identify which products are locally sourced from your community. Most of our stores have dedicated Local Goodness displays that feature a wide array of local products. If you are shopping online with Food Lion To Go, check our Local Goodness page to find local products sorted by state. We are continually striving to update our local online assortment to better reflect what is available in store.