Fresh & Easy Opens 1st Green Chill Store

SN STAFF

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market on Wednesday opened what it said was the first grocery store in Southern California to use naturally occurring carbon dioxide refrigeration.

The store, located in Rosemead, is Fresh & Easy’s first to be GreenChill certified and is among four stores that the company opened Wednesday, including its 100th location in California.

Fresh & Easy’s "sub critical cascade" CO2 refrigeration system, which is one of only four in the U.S., reduces the impact of the store’s refrigeration on the ozone layer by about 70%, compared with industry standards, according to the chain, which is owned by Cheshunt, U.K.-based Tesco.

The store also earned a silver certification award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenChill Partnership by meeting benchmarks for cutting emissions that harm the ozone and contribute to global warming.

"Fresh & Easy's Rosemead store is an excellent example of what can be achieved when a supermarket puts technology to work to help the ozone layer and fight climate change," said Keilly Witman, manager of EPA's GreenChill Partnership.

The store also includes energy-efficient doors on freezer and dairy cases, triple-pane glass with an anti-fog coating on refrigerator doors, night curtains on refrigerators and LED lighting on chilled cases.

“On average, our stores use 30% less energy than a typical supermarket, which helps our customers save money while also helping the environment,” said Tim Mason, chief executive officer, Fresh & Easy. “We’ve worked hard to make sure we are thoughtful in the impact we have on the environment and we’re excited to continue to innovate in this area."