Food Lion Recognized as Best-of-the-Best Company for Diversity, Inclusion
For the fifth consecutive year, Food Lion has been honored as a Best-of-the-Best company in America committed to diversity and inclusion across all communities by the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and the National Business Inclusion Consortium (NBIC).
To be considered for the recognition, companies must provide a report of diversity and inclusion policies and achievements, and complete a detailed survey of statistics.
“The Best-of-the-Best designation honors corporations for their commitment to America’s diverse employees and business owners, which includes LGBT people, people of color, women, and people with disabilities,” said Justin Nelson, co-founder and president of Washington D.C.-based NGLCC. “This designation is highly competitive and is bestowed only to corporations that we see constantly striving to strengthen and celebrate diversity. These corporations being honored are true leaders in ongoing global commitments to create a better future for all diverse communities in business – especially as we work to help all our communities recover equitably from the pandemic.”
The NGLCC, the business voice of the LGBT community, is the largest global organization specifically dedicated to expanding economic opportunities and advancements for LGBT people. NGLCC is the exclusive certification body for LGBT-owned businesses.
Only companies achieving industry-leading results across all diverse segments are eligible to receive the prestigious designation from the NBIC, whose members include the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce; Disability:IN; the National Minority Supplier Development Council; the National Veteran-Owned Business Association; the U.S. Black Chambers Inc; the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; the U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce; WEConnect International; Women Impacting Public Policy; and the Women's Business Enterprise National Council.
“To be named a Best-of-the-Best corporation by leaders in the LGBTQ industry reaffirms that the work we’ve been doing is making a difference for our associates and the communities we serve,” noted Food Lion President Meg Ham, who earlier in the year joined the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion coalition, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance this work. “Diversity, equity and inclusion are woven into the fabric of our business. We take great care to create an environment where everyone can feel they belong.”
As an example of its commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion, Food Lion recently made a $50 million deposit supporting Mechanics and Farmers (M&E) Bank, the second-oldest minority-owned bank in the United States, to provide greater financial opportunities for the communities the bank serves, including loans to small businesses, investments in technology, and financial literacy programs.
Salisbury, N.C.-based Food Lion has more than 1,100 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, and employs more than 82,000 associates. Its parent company, Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize operating more than 2,000 stores across 23 states, is No. 10 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
