Food Lion, LLC banners and sister Delhaize Group division Bottom Dollar Food have joined the Environmental Protection Agency’s list of Energy Star Leaders, a select group of organizations that have improved energy efficiency across all of their sites. As well as supermarket operators, Energy Star Leaders include schools, hospitals, commercial real estate businesses and hospitality companies.

“The Food Lion family of banners and Bottom Dollar Food [have] a long-standing commitment to serving as a caring neighbor and [are] committed to being a strong corporate citizen in the communities in which we operate,” said Food Lion, LLC energy manager Gina Rye. “Energy conservation has always been a key initiative for the company.”

Organizations on the list have boosted the energy performance of their building portfolio by 10 percent or more. The highest recognition goes to those entities with portfolios that perform in the top 25 percent of energy efficiency nationwide, based on the average of the buildings operated.

For almost a decade, the Food Lion banners and Bottom Dollar have carried out various sustainability initiatives, including energy conservation and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions throughout its 11-state footprint, and the reduction of energy consumption by over 25 percent, or 2.61 trillion BTUs, since 2000. Of the over 1,570 grocery stores that earned ENERGY STAR labels for superior energy efficiency since it was introduced by EPA in 1992, Food Lion banner/Bottom Dollar stores have garnered more than 900.

Employing about 74,000 associates in 11 Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states, Salisbury, N.C.-based Food Lion, LLC operates over 1,300 supermarkets, either directly or through affiliated entities, under the Food Lion, Bloom, Harveys and Reid’s banners. Full-shop discount grocer Bottom Dollar, also based in Salisbury, operates 28 stores in North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland.