Food Lion Mulling Adoption of Hannaford's Nutrition Labels

SALISBURY, N.C. - Food Lion spokesman Jeff Lowrance confirmed on Friday that the chain, based here, is looking at the Guiding Stars nutritional labeling program created by its sister banner, Hannaford Bros., to see if it's something that might work at its stores.

"Hannaford has had great success with the program," Lowrance told Progressive Grocer.

A groundbreaking health and wellness initiative for supermarkets, Guiding Stars features a ranking of one, two, or three stars to designate a product's level of nutritional value. Hannaford is applying the program currently to 27,000-plus edible items, under all brands.

The Guiding Stars scoring system is based on a proprietary formula created by a board of scientific advisers, and aligns with the federal government's dietary guidelines. Food products earn credits for ingredients such as minerals, vitamins, dietary fiber, and whole grains, and debits for trans fats, saturated fats, cholesterol, added sugars, and added sodium.

In other Food Lion news, Bloom, its experimental banner that's gradually been expanding in the Southeast, launched a loyalty program around what it is calling a "Breeze Card" to reward shoppers with rebates, gifts, and coupons.

The card is currently available only in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Unlike many grocers' loyalty card setups, Bloom shoppers are not required to get the card to enjoy Bloom's discounts, Bloom on its Web site.

The way it works in that every time shoppers visit their local Bloom store, they scan their cards so that Bloom can keep track of their purchases. If card shoppers spend more than $100 in a given 3-month promotional period, they receive a rebate credit for 1 percent of their expenditures.

Breeze card members have the option of donating their rebates to local charities or schools.

Bloom, a banner of Food Lion, LLC which is owned by Brussels-based Delhaize Group, now operates stores in North and South Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.
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