According to WABI TV 5, Hannaford is now the first grocery store chain in the entire region to say that they send no food at all to landfills. So, what happens when they end up needing to get rid of food that is no longer good to sell?

Hannaford has a partnership with Agri-Cycle which is a Scarborough-based company which takes food that is no longer suitable for people and animals and turns that food into energy. And how much food does Hannaford send to Agri-Cycle? Well, we're not sure of the exact weight per month, but we do know that all 183 Hannaford stores are sending their unused food to Agri-Cycle.

Food that is still safe for human consumption? Hannaford donates that, too. Hannaford has a long-time relationship with regional hunger-relief programs and continues to donate to more than 500 of them on a regular basis. Additionally, food that is not suitable for humans but is still okay for livestock gets donated to regional farms and farmers for their animals.

According to Mike Vail, President of Hannaford Supermarkets,

“The health and well-being of our planet are a top priority for all of us at Hannaford and we recognize that our role in the food supply chain comes with great responsibility. The impact food waste has on our environment cannot be overstated. When we first established this goal, it was with the greater purpose of making a real and positive impact on our communities. Eliminating hunger and food waste are essential to improving the world we live in.”

Below is a video that will give you an idea of how unused food, along with food waste, can be used to generate things like electricity.

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