Southeastern Grocers Announces Policy Commitment To Local Growers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Southeastern Grocers, parent company to BI-LO, Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores, announced a new local sourcing policy with a commitment to only source produce from local farms and orchards in the Southeast whenever possible.

Southeastern Grocers is completely devoted to helping grow Southeastern agriculture and provide customers with the freshest local produce by developing and maintaining great relationships with local farmers and growers. Currently up to 30 percent of Southeastern Grocers’ fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables are sourced directly from the Southeast.

Ian McLeod, President and CEO of Southeastern Grocers says, “We are focused on providing our customers stunning fresh produce; which has been grown by our own neighbors, families and communities in the Southeast.”

“Our new Local Sourcing Policy is a commitment to local farms and growers, that will guide how we source produce from both market and farms directly,” continued Ian McLeod.

“The numbers clearly confirm our customers prefer locally sourced produce. We sell more than 1 million pounds of local strawberries each month and more than 1.1 million pounds of local red potatoes a month each season!” said Ian McLeod.

To honor this commitment, Southeastern Grocers announced set standards for fresh produce:

• We work with our growers to provide a high standard of fresh produce planting, growing and harvesting.
• All of our produce is inspected by our growers, by our distribution centers and by our stores to provide the best quality product we can for our customers.
• Southeastern Grocers’ organic products are sourced from certified organic farmers who follow the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines for organic farming, ensuring their crops are grown without synthetic herbicides or pesticides.

Currently 750 Southeastern Grocers stores serve customers over 150 varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables directly from the Southeast.

With over 90 years of experience working with growers in the Southeast, Southeastern Grocers knows how to pick the freshest produce, at peak-of-season perfection, with the best flavor customers expect.

About Southeastern Grocers

Southeastern Grocers, LLC, parent company and home of BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, is the second-largest supermarket in the Southeast based on store count. The company employs nearly 60,000 associates who serve customers in approximately 750 grocery stores, 140 liquor stores and 500 in-store pharmacies throughout the seven southeastern states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie are well-known and well-respected regional brands with deep heritages, strong neighborhood ties, proud histories of giving back, talented and loyal associates, and strong commitments to providing the best possible quality and value to customers. For more information, visit www.bi-lo.com, www.harveyssupermarkets.com and www.winndixie.com.

Source: Southeastern Grocers