Hannaford Supermarkets is ranked fifth among the 10 healthiest grocery stores in America according to a survey in the November issue of Health magazine.
“Hannaford is the largest certified-organic supermarket in the region, and in the past two years, it has boosted its produce selection to provide more than 50 local and organic products from 200 farms close by,” Health said in announcing the top 10 list.
“It’s an impressive amount of local produce, which is not that easy in temperate New England,” says Kate Geagan, MS, RD, a nutrition consultant and judge for the Health contest.
In addition to its organic and local produce offerings, Hannaford earns high marks for its groundbreaking Guiding Stars program, which is a three-star system designed to make nutritious shopping simple for consumers. Many foods throughout the stores earn one, two or three stars, corresponding to good, better and best levels of nutrition, offering customers healthy shopping at a glance.
Health emphasized that many on its list are affordable grocers with convenient, close-to-home locations. Hannaford provides healthy, lower-cost options, including its private brand products. Many foods in its Nature’s Place and Hannaford-brand lines also earn stars in the Guiding Stars program.
Hannaford also offers customers free in-store nutrition classes and store tours led by registered dietitians on topics ranging from heart health and diabetes to good nutrition on a tight budget. The registered dietitian program also supports efforts to combat childhood obesity by partnering with local pediatric practices and offering free nutrition education for at-risk patients and their families.
Food Lion, a sister company of Hannaford within the Delhaize Group, is also on the top 10 list. Health cites Food Lion’s commitment to organic products and incorporation of Guiding Stars, as well as its fresh-focused Bloom chain, which has 61 supermarkets throughout the Southeast. The full top 10 list is Whole Foods, Safeway, Harris Teeter, Trader Joe’s, Hannaford, Albertson’s, Food Lion, Publix Super Markets, Pathmark and SuperTarget.
Health’s expert panel of six leaders in the food and nutrition field reviewed the 35 largest food retailers in the country and selected the healthiest. Judges based their findings on everything from the freshness of produce and taste of prepared foods to the healthiness of packaged goods and availability of supplemental nutritional information.