Who manufacturers your private label products, and how do you keep the prices lower than national brand?
At Hannaford, our goal is to provide our customers with high quality products at consistently low prices. We work with many different suppliers to produce products that meet rigid standards for our private label brands. We do continuous and rigorous quality testing to ensure our products remain equal to in quality or better than the leading national brands. When compared to national brand items, you will find little or no difference in the ingredients. Any variation in the ingredients will not negatively impact quality or taste.
The companies that develop the national brands invest money in advertising and research to develop their products. These costs ultimately get passed on to consumers. Because our private label products do not have the research and advertising overhead, we can sell the products for less.
We are extremely proud of our multi-faceted portfolio of high quality private brand products, and are so confident in the quality of these products that we have applied our Double Money Back" quality guarantee to all items. We encourage you to look for these brands in store:
Hannaford Brand: Products that are equal to in quality or better than the leading national brands, but at lower prices or first-to-market at a value.
Hannaford Brands - Fresh: These are delicious foods with excellent quality you can consistently count on.
Natures Place: High quality certified organic and natural products at affordable prices.
Taste of Inspirations: Delicious premium-plus foods with quality you’d expect to find only at the best specialty-food stores.
Home 360: General merchandise products equal to in quality or better in quality than the leading national brands, or first-to-market at a value.
Smart Option: These are reasonable quality products at unbeatable prices.
Product Availability
What do I do if I cannot find a desired product in my local Hannaford store?
You can speak directly with an associate at your local store, fill out a suggestion card, call the Hannaford Information Center @ 1-800-213-9040, or click here to send the Information Center a message. Our associates appreciate the input and will research to determine if the product is available for the store to order. If the product is available, they will work to get it back in stock as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, store space is limited and we cannot honor all customer requests to add new products to the store shelves. Please be assured that all product requests are forwarded to our merchandisers for review.
Why did you stop carrying a product I enjoyed?
There are many factors that influence the decision to carry a product in our stores. Product availability, sales history, and other factors are considered as our merchandisers work to continuously offer the right product mix to fulfill the needs the communities we serve. Consumer response to new and discontinued items also influences those decisions.
We understand that it can be frustrating when you are unable to find products that you want. Through At Your Request a special order service located on hannaford.com, we offer thousands of hard to find food and specialty items for your convenience. Simply order on line and the items will be shipped right to your home.
If I am not satisfied with a product I purchased at a Hannaford store, can I return it?
Absolutely! We work closely with our suppliers to ensure that we are offering high quality products in our stores. Your feedback is valuable to us. Any time that you are not satisfied with a product purchased at a Hannaford store, bring the item back to the store for a full refund or replacement product. Our merchandising departments, Quality Assurance team, and the supplier monitor the information we gather through the refund process to ensure that quality standards are met.
Our "double-your-money-back" quality guarantee applies to all private label items throughout our stores: Hannaford brand, Nature's Place, Taste of Inspirations, Smart Options, and Home 360. We also offer the double money back guarantee on loose/unpackaged items (e.g., baked goods offered in the bakery case, unpackaged fruits & vegetables, salad bar, etc.).
Can I get a raincheck for an item that is out of stock?
If a sale item is out of stock, rainchecks can be obtained at the service center. They are valid for 1 month and must be redeemed at the store where they were issued.
Can you assist me with choosing products that do not contain gluten?
Because our product offering is continuously evolving, and product formulations may change without notice to us, we cannot with 100% confidence provide a list of products that are gluten free. We encourage you to click here to view a page on our website designed to help you identify which types of foods may contain gluten.
Food Storage/Food Safety
What's the difference between the sell by date and the use by date?
A "sell by" date indicates the last day a product can be sold and still provide a reasonable period of normal home storage and consumption. A "use by" date is intended to show how long a product will retain optimum quality before consumption.
There are different approaches to code dating on products:
1. "Sell-by" dates can be put on products by the manufacturer or the retailer. These are quality dates and have no correlation to safety. Products can be sold and consumed safely after the sell-by date.
2. "Use-by" dates or "Best-if-used-by" dates usually are put on products by the manufacturer top help consumers know when the product is at it's peak of freshness and quality. These are quality dates and have no correlation to safety. Products can be consumed safely after the use-by date.
3. "Expiration" or "Use-by" dates are required by law on pharmaceutical products, infant formula and baby foods. These dates are required because the nutritional value of the product cannot be guaranteed by the manufacturer. These products should not be sold or used after the expiration or use-by date.
On average, we carry more than 40,000 products in our stores. If you have questions about the shelf life of one of our private label items, please contact our Information Center by email or phone: 1-800-213-9040.
How can I determine the shelf life of the item I have purchased?
Food Marketing Institute (FMI) has a great website for researching food storage and safety advice: http://www.fmi.org/consumer/foodkeeper/. Simply type in the name of any product in the "search" field to learn how long you should store the item in your pantry, refrigerator, or freezer. You can also find important information about safe food handling.
How long can I store my canned goods?
Preservatives are used in canned foods to maintain quality. Any preservatives in the product must be listed on the label. The canning process keeps it safe. If a product is correctly processed, it should remain safe until opened or the seal is broken. However, long storage is not recommended. For high quality (versus safety), the broadest guideline given by the USDA is to use high-acid canned food (fruits, tomatoes and pickled products) in 18 to 24 months, and low-acid (meats and vegetables) in two to five years. The system for coding can differ from one manufacturer to the next. Most companies offer a toll-free consumer information number on the label. We recommend that you call the number provided if you have questions about the code and/or the shelf life of a particular product.
What do I do if I have purchased a product that is being recalled?
If you have purchased a product at a Hannaford store that is being recalled, please bring the product back to the store for a refund.
Click here to visit the "News" section of our website where we post the latest FDA and FSIS recalls, and other notable recalls that you should be aware of.
