SpartanNash Shares ESG Progress in Inaugural Report

Company details strides made in health and wellness, hunger and more

3/28/2022

SpartanNash's report details efforts and accountability for initiatives surrounding People, Operational Excellence and Insights That Drive Solutions.

In its inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report, food solutions company SpartanNash is sharing its progress toward delivering what it calls “the ingredients for a better life.”

The report details the company’s corporate strategy and areas of focus, both of which align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and also highlights its core capabilities – People, Operational Excellence and Insights That Drive Solutions.

“The release of our first-ever ESG report is just the beginning of the transformational journey happening at SpartanNash, and it serves as a reminder that we can only achieve business success when we protect and enhance the interests of our stakeholders,” said SpartanNash President and CEO Tony Sarsam. “Our board of directors, executive leadership team and associates have made a long-term commitment to promoting and integrating ESG into how we achieve our mission.”

Within its Good Health and Wellbeing initiative, SpartanNash shared that it has administered more than 140,000 COVID-19 vaccinations in its pharmacies and improved its association recordable injury rate by 48% thanks to an investment in safety experts and programming.

The company increased pay for entry-level employees in retail and supply chain by about 10% while also growing its bonus program, and further aims to expand representation of women and BIPOC in leadership roles. What amounts to more than 5 million meals was donated to local nonprofits and a plan has been put in place to reduce fleet mileage by 10% in 2022.

“We are proud of where we are today but recognize that progress is a journey, and we will dig deeper to set new benchmarks this year while continuing to hold ourselves accountable to ensure transparency and deliver a reliable, sustainable and resilient future for our stakeholders,” Sarsam said.

SpartanNash’s core businesses include distributing grocery products to independent and chain retailers, its corporate-owned retail stores, and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges, as well as fresh produce distribution and fresh food processing. No. 39 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company serves customer locations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Djibouti. SpartanNash also operates 146 supermarkets and employs 19,000 associates.