Initiated in 2017, by the Food Lion subsidiary of Ahold Delhaize, the Local Goodness Campaign now includes 1,000 stores in ten states where the company operates.  According to Chris Dove, Vice-president of Produce, Food Lion purchases local foods and vegetables to be stocked in stores close to their origin.

Food Lion sources from 200 growers across their ten-state area.  The Company actively solicits partnerships with local farmers and visits facilities and assists with logistics, coordinating with State extension services.

Dove stated, “Fresh produce is at the heart of Food Lion’s Local Goodness Program.”  He added, “It is important to us that customers feel they can easily nourish their families with quality and healthy foods while supporting farmers and suppliers in their communities.”

Food Lion tags local products with labels and displays point of sales signage to encourage consumption of local produce.

The success of the Food Lion Local Goodness Campaign and equivalent programs by competitors demonstrate the role of free enterprise in linking farmers and customers.  The achievements of Food Lion illustrate the fallacy of the USDA devoting millions of dollars in public funds for farmers’ markets that only survive with external support and benefits.  It is far better for farmers to establish commercial relationships with supermarkets to reduce time and expense in direct marketing.  The problems with farmers’ markets are high unit costs and their lack of consistent variety based on the seasonality of produce.  Supermarkets have the ability to supplement local products to provide a full range of produce, dairy and groceries to satisfy the needs and purchasing patterns of consumers.