Food Lion, CVS Make ‘Best-of-the-Best’ List of Inclusive Companies

Ahold Delhaize USA banner Food Lion, drug store chain CVS Health and several CPG companies were among the companies to make the National Business Inclusion Consortium’s (NBIC) 2020 Best-of-the-Best list of 50 corporations in the United States committed to diversity and inclusion across all communities.

The Best-of-the-Best designation recognizes corporations for their commitment to diverse employees and business owners, including LGBT people, people of color, women, and people with disabilities. Only those companies achieving industry-leading results across all diverse segments are eligible to receive the honor.

“This designation is highly competitive and is bestowed only to corporations that we see constantly striving to strengthen and celebrate diversity,” noted Justin Nelson, co-founder and president of Washington, D.C.-based National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), which formed the NBIC in 2011. “These corporations being honored are true leaders in ongoing global commitments to create a better future for all diverse communities in business.”

“At Food Lion, we are proud of our diverse and inclusive workforce, which is representative of the towns and cities we serve,” noted Linda Johnson, SVP of human resources at Food Lion. “We are honored to be named the Best-of-the-Best for a fourth consecutive year and remain committed to upholding a diverse and inclusive environment for all of our associates and customers.”

CVS Health was on the list in 2017 and 2018, but was absent from it in 2019.

Other companies to make the list included tobacco producer and marketer Altria, Barilla, Bayer U.S. LLC, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg Co., foodservice company Sodexo Inc., and The Coca-Cola Co.

“Demonstrating commitment to diversity is not only the right thing to do, but it’s also the smartest thing to do for businesses large and small,” noted NGLCC co-founder and CEO Chance Mitchell. “The select group of Fortune 500 companies honored with a Best-of-the-Best designation are innovators and trailblazers for inclusion and are constantly raising the bar forward for themselves, their peers and their competitors.

The presentation of honorees with the Best-of-the-Best designation will take place during the fifth annual Best-of-the-Best Awards reception, which will be held virtually on Nov. 19.

With its CVS Pharmacy subsidiary operating almost 10,000 locations nationwide, Woonsocket, Rhode Island-based CVS Health is No. 6 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in in North America. Salisbury, North Carolina-based Food Lion has more than 1,000 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 68,000 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. 11 on PG's list.