FOOD LION LAUNCHING QUALITY UPGRADE PLAN

AMY I. STICKEL

SALISBURY, N.C. -- Food Lion here is implementing a program to convey an image of quality and customer service, according to a company source.

The program, which the 1,029-unit retailer is calling Gold Lion Guarantee, has several aspects, including a marketing campaign and various internal quality-control programs throughout the company, the source said.

"Quality is going to become our No. 1 issue," the source said, adding that all perishables departments will be affected by the program, and even possibly departments beyond fresh foods in the future. The Gold Lion Guarantee Program is a promise to provide low prices along with high quality and customer service.

He said the new emphasis on quality is not just a momentary fad. "It's not. Quality is becoming a way of life," he said.

As part of the Gold Lion Guarantee program, the produce department at Food Lion sponsored an in-house quality-control seminar, sponsored by the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association, Alexandria, Va., the source said.

"As part of our ongoing commitment to our customers, we have focused our efforts on improving the quality of all our perishable products, while maintaining reasonable prices," said Bruce Efird, Food Lion's director of fresh category management, in a statement issued by United. Food Lion executives could not be reached for further comment.

Sarah Delea, director of public affairs at United, said Food Lion officials approached the association several months ago about conducting a quality-control seminar

to improve the company's produce receiving, handling and inspection methods. United sponsors about six quality-control seminars annually in different areas of the country. Those seminars are usually open to any company wishing to attend, said Delea. Food Lion, though, requested a special seminar strictly for company employees, she said.

About 20 quality assurance inspectors from Food Lion's nine distribution centers participated in the seminar, Delea said. The seminar took place Oct. 13 and 14 at Food Lion's largest distribution center, which is in Salisbury.

The seminar, led by former U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector Sheldon Kurzweil, involved hands-on training in inspecting and storing products and what determines whether a product should be rated acceptable and unacceptable, Delea said. She said the quality assurance supervisors watched potatoes, onions and other products being loaded and unloaded in order to fully understand the receiving process. They also received lessons on ways to politely decline shipments that are deemed unacceptable and learned about federal laws regulating perishable items.

"Our people responded very well," said the source. "We're already seeing the results."

The source said Food Lion plans to follow up with its own seminars and expand the quality-control programs to all aspects of the company.

Marshall Johnson, a retail analyst who is vice president of the investment firm Scott & Stringfellow, Greensboro, N.C., said he was not familiar with the details of the program. However, he said it could be a mistake for Food Lion to emphasize quality, for several reasons.

"Also, it sounds like they're using high quality to overcome something in their past," he said, referring to the November 1992 broadcast of ABC's "PrimeTime Live," which alleged poor sanitation in Food Lion deli and meat departments.