Ahold Delhaize’s US stores risk group’s global climate goals
New research commissioned by Mighty Earth reveals meat and dairy methane emissions is a blind spot of Ahold Delhaize’s US grocery brands, including Stop & Shop and Food Lion.
- Ahold Delhaize global group meat and dairy methane emissions outstrip those of Denmark or Sweden
- Its US subsidiaries emit 45% of global group’s methane emissions from meat and dairy, and yet there is no reduction plan.
- Dutch retailer can’t achieve Net Zero commitment without US action on methane.
Link to Mighty Earth brief here
Dutch retail giant’s US stores risk group’s global climate goals
“Ahold Delhaize’s Methane Footprint: The hidden climate cost of animal products,” a report written by Profundo and commissioned by Mighty Earth, reveals that the Dutch global retail giant Ahold Delhaize is failing to tackle methane emissions in its meat and dairy supply chains and won’t meet its climate goals without US action on methane.
Although headquartered in the Netherlands, Ahold Delhaize owns multiple U.S. supermarket brands — including Food Lion, FreshDirect, The Giant Company, Giant Food, Stop & Shop, and Hannaford. When considered together, they are the largest grocery retail group on the US East Coast and the fourth largest in the country.
The report finds that 45% of the Ahold Delhaize’s methane emissions can be attributed to its U.S. operations, while the company’s Dutch operations produce 24% of its meat and dairy methane emissions. Methane is a superheater fueling nearly a quarter of global heating, but its short-lived nature means rapid cuts would be a massive win for climate and nature.
The report by Profundo analyses methane emissions from Ahold Delhaize’s meat and dairy sales by country, including the United States and key European countries. It estimates these sales generated 11.7 million tons of CO₂-equivalents (CO2e) in 2023—44% of the company’s Scope 3 emissions in the forest, land, and agriculture (FLAG) category. The study finds Ahold Delhaize, is responsible for more methane emissions than that of Denmark or Sweden.
The analysis builds on the findings of the recently released Methane Action Tracker, which ranked Ahold Delhaize fourth out of 20 of the world’s biggest retailers by revenue for its performance on taking any meaningful action on methane, scoring just 33 out of 100.
Ahold Delhaize has set a Net Zero by 2050 target, but has not taken action to cut methane specifically, especially in the U.S., where its brands lack clear climate targets, timelines, and strategies compared to its European operations. To deliver on the groups’ Net Zero and Scope 3 reduction commitments, an effective methane reduction strategy that includes group-wide transparent reporting is urgently required, with a focus on improving the climate ambition of the group’s U.S. brands.
Jurjen de Waal, Senior Director, Netherlands said:
“Ahold Delhaize’s US grocery chains are hindering the group’s ambitions of being a climate leader and dragging down its progress on reducing environmental pollution by turning a blind eye to the methane crisis hidden in their meat and dairy aisles.”
“The retailer needs to commit to disclosing its methane emissions from meat and dairy and to developing a reduction plan, which includes its largest market – the US brands. Without that it risks its Net Zero by 2050 pledge made to investors and its global climate goals being little more than greenwash.”
Mighty Earth is calling for:
- Ahold Delhaize to adopt a group-wide methane reduction target of at least 30% by 2030, in line with the Global Methane Pledge.
- Develop plans to reduce methane from meat and dairy sources.
- Adopt increased and consistent public transparency in climate reporting and annually disclose methane emissions across all its brands.
- Increase company ambition for plant-based sales with a 60:40 protein split (plant-based versus animal protein
