Food Lion President Meg Ham on Hiring Strategies, Inflation and Sustainability

Food Lion, Ahold Delhaize’s Salisbury, N.C.-based banner, continues to be the company’s strongest U.S. performer. And Food Lion President Meg Ham is certainly a driving force behind the company’s achievements. Meg Ham spoke with Winsight Grocery Business recently about how Food Lion shifted its hiring strategy to tackle the current labor issues, inflation and sustainability.

Diane Adam: Following your roundtable discussion with President Joe Biden last fall, you issued a statement, which included the following excerpt: “During the pandemic, the world realized that grocery workers were essential. It’s something we’ve always known because of the work we do every day to nourish families in the towns and cities we serve.” With 82,000 associates why is it essential to recognize the importance of grocery workers and how is Food Lion handling the labor shortages in the grocery space?

Meg Ham: One of Food Lion’s core values is "care." Our associates truly care about the towns and cities we serve, and they live our brand promise of nourishing neighbors and setting them up for success in life. It’s also important to us that our associates know we care about them. We make it a priority to communicate the difference our 82,000 associates make to our company and the customers we serve. 

We also fully understand and appreciate that with more than 1,100 stores across 10 states, every town and city we serve is unique, and every associate brings a different set of gifts to our organization. We place great emphasis on all of our associates finding their own sense of belonging at Food Lion so associates can bring their whole self to work. Simply put, the care we show our associates extends to the care they show each other and to customers.

We’re certainly not immune to the labor challenges facing all retailers. We’ve always placed great emphasis on not just filling job vacancies but hiring associates who are passionate about delivering our brand, strategy and culture in a caring way that customers can see and feel. In this environment, we’ve continued to adapt and adjust some of our hiring practices, which include conducting interviews on a more frequent basis—daily in some locations.

Food Lion is anchored by a strong commitment to affordability. During this inflationary time with food-at- home inflation hitting 10.8%, are you concerned that inflation may continue to increase and how is Food Lion making sure families most vulnerable are navigating these challenging times?

We know our neighbors are counting on us more than ever, and that helps keep us grounded in our strategy: “Easy, Fresh and Affordable … You Can Count on Food Lion Every Day.” Our heritage of providing fresh and affordable groceries for our neighbors dates back more than 60 years. We’re committed to doing everything we can to keep our prices low and maintaining our commitment to fresh, quality products.

We also recognize that many of our neighbors are relying more on our food bank partners, who we work with every day to provide food, financial and volunteer support through our Food Lion Feeds hunger-relief initiative. We’re committed to eliminating difficult choices our neighbors have to make between necessities like gas and groceries or dinner and rent. We never lose sight of that, and we remain dedicated to keeping our prices low for those who shop our stores and supporting our neighbors who need help right now.

It’s a reality that many of our neighbors are facing more difficult decisions today than two years ago, and that’s why we’re doubling down to support our feeding agency partners even more. In 2021, we donated more than 152 million meals to neighbors in need. We’re on pace to achieve that number again this year. Through Food Lion Feeds ... we’ve donated more than 900 million meals to individuals and families in need since 2014 and have a goal to donate 1.5 billion meals by the end of 2025.

Food Lion continues to lead brand performance in the U.S. as an Ahold Delhaize banner. For the past 38 consecutive quarters, Food Lion has delivered positive sales growth and in fact, Ahold Delhaize CEO Frans Muller said, “close to double-digit comparable sales.” What makes up this winning strategy?

Our associates are empowered to deliver a shopping experience centered on meeting customers’ needs through our "count on me" culture. It’s a culture based on accountability. It allows associates to provide a great omnichannel shopping experience by making shopping easier, ensuring our products are fresh and affordable, and showing care for each other, our customers and the communities we serve.

In addition, we’re continually listening to our customers, enhancing our assortment and making the shopping experience seamless and convenient—whether customers shop in-store or online. We’ve remained focused on growing our business, exciting our current customers and winning new customers.

For the past consecutive 21 years, Food Lion has earned the Energy Star Partner of the Year Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. As an Ahold Delhaize banner, why is this such an important recognition especially when it comes to sustainability?

Food Lion is the only company in the country to receive this distinction, and we’re proud of that. In addition to this recognition, Food Lion has a long and proud history of being a sustainability leader. Over the years, we’ve reduced food waste in our operations. We’ve cut carbon emissions, and we’ve worked with our partners to provide even more fresh, local and responsibly sourced products to help our neighbors nourish their families. Operating in a sustainable manner is part of being a good neighbor. We want to do our part to make the world a better place for future generations.