Giant Food to highlight minority-owned suppliers on shelves

Giant Food is rolling out updated shelf labels that enable shoppers to identify products from minority-owned businesses. 

Plans call for all Giant supermarkets to post the new shelf labels starting in January, the Landover, Md.-based regional grocer said yesterday. The labels will inform customers about items from companies that are women-, Black-, Asian-Indian-, Hispanic-, LGBT-, Asian-Pacific- or veteran-owned. 

More than 3,100 food and nonfood products will feature the updated shelf labels across Giant’s 164 stores in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia. The retailer said the items come from 281 minority-owned businesses in its network of vendor partners.

The labels spotlight items from vendors that are women-, Black-, Asian-Indian-, Hispanic-, LGBT-, Asian-Pacific- or veteran-owned, Giant said.

Giant, part of Ahold Delhaize USA, said the new shelf-label program is part of its supplier diversity efforts, which focus on developing strong relationships with businesses offering quality products, top-notch customer service and competitive prices.

“Giant Food is proud to better highlight our diverse suppliers,” Giant President Ira Kress said in a statement. “We’re committed to making it easier for customers to identify product attributes that are important to them by fostering a diverse and inclusive network of suppliers that reflects the unique backgrounds and experiences of our Giant family, our customers and our communities.”

Related:Hy-Vee to turn spotlight on local vendors

For customers looking to purchase their groceries online and enjoy the convenience of Giant Pickup or Giant Delivers, 

Customers also will find the minority-owned business product labels for items on the Giantfood.com website and Giant Food mobile app in 2021. The grocer offers online grocery service via 142 Giant Pickup locations and Giant Delivery, available in all of its market areas. In addition, next year Giant plans to begin highlighting the diversity of its vendor partners through storytelling and product spotlights on a new supplier page at GiantFood.com.

Giant added that it offers shoppers other on-shelf and online tools to identify products with characteristics they value. In 2017, the retailer rolled out the HowGood rating system, which flags products based on factors ranging from ingredient sourcing to labor practices. And in 2018, Giant launched Guiding Stars, a food navigation program that decodes the ingredient and nutritional information on product labels into one clear rating.