Health magazine, one of the most respected consumer publications focused on health and wellness, named Safeway Inc. (NYSE:SWY) one of "America's Healthiest Grocery Stores" in the November 2008 issue. Safeway was ranked Number 2 in the top-10 list of what the magazine called "standout supermarket chains" that are "leading the way to healthier food shopping."
"We are honored to be recognized for our commitment to providing the best food options at affordable prices, making organics accessible to everyone and helping to make health and wellness not just a catch phrase, but a way of life," said Mike Minasi, President of Marketing.
For the article, six prominent health experts reviewed the 35 largest food retailers in the U.S. and selected the healthiest based on criteria that included freshness of produce, the quality of prepared foods, the health attributes of packaged goods and the availability of supplemental nutritional information.
Members of the panel "” which included four noted registered dieticians, a clinical professor of pediatrics, and an expert on community health "” praised Safeway for its popular O Organics and Eating Right brands. O Organics, a line of premium-quality, USDA-certified organic foods, is the best-selling brand of organic products in the country. Eating Right, a line of better-for-you packaged foods and frozen entrees, highlights the products' health attributes on the packaging in user-friendly "spot your needs" dots.
The article also noted that many stores have undergone a transformation to offer an expanded produce section. Safeway has made these changes as it has rolled out its Lifestyle store remodel program. Each store is dramatically redesigned with earth-toned décor, subdued lighting and special features that significantly enhance the shopping experience. The stores are designed to provide customers with the finest, freshest products available in the produce, meat, seafood, bakery, deli, food service and floral departments.
The judges were particularly impressed with the company's online FoodFlex program, which analyzes the nutrition content of a customer's grocery basket at Safeway based on USDA guidelines and identifies heart healthy alternatives as defined by the American Heart Association. The program also creates a personalized shopping list to help the customer achieve their nutritional goals. For those concerned with specific health conditions, FoodFlex can be customized to provide appropriate nutrition information and food alternatives. Safeway is the first company to offer its consumers this type of wellness resource. "They're a major pioneer in this area," said panelist Christine Palumbo, a nutritionist who serves on the American Dietetic Association's board of directors. "It's like having your own registered dietician."
Safeway is an industry leader in promoting health and wellness, both as a retailer and as a major employer. The company provides free or discounted fitness center memberships to its employees and developed a healthcare plan for employees focused on prevention and behavior incentives that has been praised and emulated by healthcare experts and other large employers.
The healthcare plan provides financial incentives through reimbursements and flexible spending accounts, meaning fewer out-of-pocket expenses for employees. Safeway's Chairman, President and CEO Steve Burd founded the Coalition to Advance Healthcare Reform (CAHR), an organization of more than 60 leading employers and business leaders dedicated to advancing meaningful market-based solutions to the healthcare crisis.
ABOUT SAFEWAY www.Safeway.com
Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, based on sales. The company operates 1,738 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual sales of $42.3 billion in 2007. Safeway supports a broad range of charitable and community programs and last year donated more than $172 million to important causes, such as cancer research, education, food banks and programs focused on assisting people with disabilities. Safeway is also one of the largest retail purchasers of wind energy, using 57 million kilowatt hours of wind energy, enough to power all 303 Safeway retail fuel stations, all stores in San Francisco, California and Boulder, Colorado, as well as all of the company headquarters and all corporate offices in Northern California. Safeway was the first major retailer to join the Chicago Climate Exchange, the world's first and North America's only legally binding GHG allowance trading system, and the California Climate Action Registry, which commits the company to reduce its carbon footprint by 6 percent from year 2000 levels.
Safeway has implemented unique energy-saving strategies throughout its manufacturing, distribution and grocery stores by installing new energy-efficient technologies, introducing new maintenance procedures and implementing new sustainable design and construction practices. Additional information about the company's environmental programs can be found at www.Safeway.com. Click on "About Us" and "Going Green."
Safeway's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY.
