Consumer advocacy group takes aim at Hannaford, brings its campaign to Waltham

Flyers posing the question “What Happened to Hannaford?” appeared in mailboxes across the city recently, part of a campaign organized by the New England Consumer Alliance.

The Center for Responsible Food Business, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit made up of 10 people, is funding and operating the initiative.

Founded in October 2023 by Taylor Warren Ford, former corporate engagement director at the Humane League, the Center for Responsible Food Business organized the New England Consumer Alliance as a way for volunteers to run regionally focused campaigns.

According to Ford, the campaign against Hannaford began on Nov. 13, initially by targeting residents in Maine and New Hampshire, where Hannaford has the majority of its stores. Ford said the NECA, made up of a core group of a dozen volunteers, hopes to spread its message to more communities throughout the region.

Waltham’s Hannaford location, at 55 Russell St., is one of 15 stores in Massachusetts. The grocery chain is headquartered in Scarborough, Maine, with 188 total locations across the Northeast.

The “What Happened to Hannaford?” campaign alleges that since 2016, when the grocery chain’s parent company Delhaize merged with Dutch company Ahold, quality has gone down and prices have gone up.

According to Ford, the campaign aims to amplify customer concerns about rising prices, declining quality and eroding trust at a grocery store many New Englanders rely on.

Included on the flyer is a QR code leading to a website with images of expired ground beef and caged chickens. Information about a customer data breach and the 2016 merger are included alongside alleged complaints from customers, vendors and former employees.

Ford said the campaign hadn’t received any complaints naming Waltham’s location specifically but said he feels confident there was an increase in submissions on its website after distributing flyers in Massachusetts.

“We can sort of tell the correlation between when we send out some mailers to a new community with a Hannaford there and their zip code,” Ford said.

In response to requests for an interview, a Hannaford spokesperson said he was unable to coordinate an interview with management at Waltham’s Hannaford and provided a statement calling the campaign “baseless” and part of a “misguided effort.”

“Hannaford is aware of the recent campaign, which is comprised of baseless allegations as part of a misguided effort. We want to assure our customers that Hannaford remains deeply committed to supporting our communities and delivering fresh, quality food at a dependable value. We demonstrate this commitment everyday by helping families make a healthy dinner on a budget, supporting local farms and producers, and investing in programs that increase food access and create a healthier planet. We thank our customers and associates for their continued loyalty and support,” the statement read.

Ford said he wasn’t surprised by that response.

“They have a history of just looking the other way and not accepting the scrutiny that comes from their own customers and their own workers,” Ford said.

He said he encourages the company to read complaints the campaign has collected on its website documenting scrutiny. Ford said being in the grocery sector means taking complaints seriously, not claiming they are “baseless.”

Ford said he hopes the campaign will spark conversation and help hold Hannaford accountable.

“It’s become clear to us that people have been raising these complaints and going through normal channels, and we feel that public scrutiny is the only tool we have left,” Ford said.

The Center for Responsible Food Business, however, has faced public scrutiny of its own.

In a post on its website, the Center for Environment and Welfare criticized The Center for Responsible Food Business, which accuses the organization of supporting a push to remove animal products from grocery stores.

The Center for Environment and Welfare, according to its website, “was founded to help consumers, companies, and stakeholders navigate issues related to sustainability and animal welfare.” The organization’s executive director, Jack Hubbard, is an owner and partner at Berman and Company, a public relations firm run by former lobbyist Richard Berman. 

According to Ford, the group is a meat and restaurant industry-funded “front organization” and an attempt to discredit any criticism of both industries.

The Center for Environment and Welfare did not respond to multiple requests for comment.