SALISBURY, N.C., March 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded Food Lion Family, Bloom and Bottom Dollar Food with its tenth consecutive ENERGY STAR award. The company was one of 46 organizations recognized in the Sustained Excellence category and among 111 overall 2011 ENERGY STAR award winners chosen from more than 20,000 partners in the ENERGY STAR program.

"We are honored to receive this ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence award and are committed to being strong corporate citizens in the communities in which we operate," said Kyle Mitchell, vice president of Store Development for Delhaize America South.  "Food Lion Family, Bloom and Bottom Dollar Food remain dedicated to environmental stewardship and are proud to continue to lead the way with energy conservation initiatives."

According to the EPA, organizations are recognized in one of three major categories: Sustained Excellence, Partner of the Year and Excellence. As a Sustained Excellence winner, Food Lion Family, Bloom and Bottom Dollar Food were recognized for continued energy consumption reductions, as well as a strong corporate commitment to promoting superior energy performance.

"Food Lion Family, Bloom and Bottom Dollar Food have earned EPA's highest ENERGY STAR award - the 2011 Sustained Excellence Award," said Elizabeth Craig, Acting Director of EPA's Office of Atmospheric Programs.  "The grocers' long term leadership and commitment to energy efficiency demonstrates the types of accomplishments that we can all achieve in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting our global environment. We look forward to their continued partnership and leadership."

Food Lion Family, Bloom and Bottom Dollar Food have been leaders in the energy and environmental sector for many years and have one of the most advanced retail energy conservation programs in the country. For nearly a decade, the grocers have been dedicated to numerous sustainability initiatives, such as energy conservation and reducing carbon dioxide emissions throughout its 11-state footprint, reducing its energy consumption by more than 25 percent since 2000 or 2.61 trillion BTUs. Of the more than 1,570 grocery stores recognized by EPA for earning ENERGY STAR labels for superior energy efficiency, Food Lion Family of Banners and Bottom Dollar Food have earned more than 900 of these labels. Company representatives will receive the award on April 12 in Washington, D.C.

About Food Lion Family

The Food Lion family, based in Salisbury, N.C., operates more than 1,300 supermarkets, either directly or through affiliated entities, under the names of Food Lion, Harveys or Reid's. These stores meet local customer needs and preferences for the freshest and best quality products. The Food Lion family employs approximately 74,000 associates in 11 Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com.

About Bloom

Bloom is a subsidiary of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG). It operates 49 stores in the Southeast Virginia and Washington, D.C. areas.

About Bottom Dollar Food  

Bottom Dollar Food, based in Salisbury, N.C., operates 45 stores in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The full-shop soft-discount grocer is a subsidiary of Delhaize America and offers the most popular national brands and private brand products at everyday best prices. Bottom Dollar Food is redefining discount shopping with its lighthearted atmosphere and focus on fresh produce and quality meats. For more information, visit www.bottomdollarfood.com.

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants associated with energy use. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 60 kinds of products as well as new homes and buildings. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved $18 billion on their utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas equivalent to those of 34 million cars. Products, homes and buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR prevent emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the EPA.  For more information, go to energystar.gov

SOURCE Food Lion Family