Landover, MD and Quincy, MA– Stop & Shop is introducing "Nature's Promise," a new line of organic and natural food products available exclusively at Stop & Shop's nearly 350 locations. Stop & Shop will initially introduce 25 Nature's Promise products in the dairy and grocery categories, including organic and soy milk, assorted natural cookies, organic juices and organic chips. A total of 90 new Nature's Promise products will be available in Stop & Shop by early next year.

Suppliers for Stop & Shop stores follow strict quality standards for every item. Nature's Promise Natural and Organic products are free of artificial colors and flavors, hydrogenated oils, and bleached and bromated flours, delivering true flavor and great taste. Above and beyond these requirements, Nature's Promise Organics meet all USDA organic certification requirements. Choosing Nature's Promise Organics means helping the environment – no pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, growth hormones, antibiotics or genetically modified seed.

"Nature's Promise packaging will be a great help for shoppers needing to avoid certain allergens, using easy-to-understand icons," said Paulette Thompson, Stop & Shop's Health and Wellness Manager. "The icons let shoppers see at a glance if a product is gluten free, nut free, lactose free or egg free without having to spend lots of time reading the listed ingredients," she said. "Customers will also find nutrient and health information through easy to read icons and call-outs. All nutrient and health claims meet federally defined criteria."

"Our Nature's Promise product line is yet another way Stop & Shop is extending value to its customers," said Thompson. "Nature's Promise empowers many customers who may have wanted to purchase more organic and natural foods, but who felt that price was a barrier. Nature's Promise now opens a new and exciting world of natural and organic foods to customers who want great quality natural and organic products at an affordable price."

About Stop & Shop

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, based in Quincy, Massachusetts, employs more than 56,000 associates and operates nearly 350 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey.

Stop & Shop is part of the Ahold USA group, owned by Ahold of the Netherlands. In addition to Stop & Shop, Ahold USA currently operates five other prominent supermarket companies along the eastern seaboard including Giant Food LLC, based in Landover, MD; Tops Markets LLC, with headquarters in Buffalo, NY; Giant Food Stores LLC, based in Carlisle, PA; BI-LO LLC, headquartered in Mauldin, SC and Bruno's Supermarkets, Inc., with headquarters in Birmingham, AL.

In aggregate Ahold operates over 1,300 supermarkets. Ahold (NYSE: AHO) is a leading food provider in the United States and elsewhere in the world with total consolidated sales of USD 49 billion.