Giant Food's Barbecue Battle Aims To Be 100% Carbon Neutral

With barbecue season upon us, Ahold Delhaize's Giant Food banner is making sure its upcoming 30th annual Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle, to be held June 25-26 in Washington, D.C., is not only tasty but carbon neutral.

GreenPrint, Landover, Md.-based Giant said this year’s event is an opportunity for the grocery retailer to collaborate with global environmental technology company GreenPrint to make the Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle 100% carbon neutral for the first time through investments in certified carbon reduction projects.

“The certified offset projects are furthering environmental innovation to reduce the harmful effects of carbon and include reforestation, alternative energy and methane reduction,” Giant Food said in a statement.

The event, which will spotlight Giant Food’s commitment to sustainability, will feature live music, family entertainment and barbecue all while making the event greener.

“We aim to be a leader in the sustainable grocery space and look forward to furthering our commitments to making a positive environmental impact by offering these programs to the communities Giant serves,” Steven Jennings, brand lead for health and sustainability for Ahold Delhaize USA, said in a statement. “With more than 125,000 visitors to our Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle, this is an ideal forum to share resources and sustainable examples with our guests, introducing them to the exciting work we are undertaking with these partners: GreenPrint, Divert, Loop and Volta.”

Divert, a company focused on the decarbonization of food waste in the retail industry by donating, repurposing and processing unsold food, will install 20 bins throughout the event to collect food waste and turn it into clean energy.

“Reducing food waste is core to what we do, and we’re honored to be a part of the 30th annual Barbecue Battle,” Divert CEO Ryan Begin said in a release. “We've been fighting the food waste battle for over 15 years and are excited to partner with Giant Food to help them meet progressive sustainability goals and have a positive impact on our communities and planet."

Loop, the circular reuse platform designed to give consumers a new way to shop by offering a selection of products in reusable packaging rather than in single-use versions, will debut its upcoming in-store purchase and return experience at Giant stores during the Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle.

“I can’t think of a better way to introduce Loop to Giant shoppers than this milestone year marking three decades of the annual Barbecue Battle,” said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle and Loop, in a statement. “The Barbecue Battle will be a great opportunity to show consumers how convenient reusable packaging can be.”

Volta has worked with Giant since 2020 to offer electric-vehicle charging stations near the front doors of Giant Food stores. “Since the rollout, over 1 million electric miles have been delivered to customers,” Giant Food said in a statement.

"We're thrilled to drive forward in partnership with Giant Food to further our goal of weaving EV charging seamlessly into people's everyday lives and offering customers the convenience of shopping while charging. While reducing emissions for the community, we’re proud to acknowledge Giant’s, ‘A Million Miles Charged’ at this year's Barbecue Battle,” said Sharon Baker, VP of enterprise solutions for Volta, in a statement.