Important News on Finely Textured Beef

Stop & Shop announced today that it will no longer purchase fresh ground beef containing Finely Textured Beef. While the USDA, the Department of Agriculture, has indicated this product is safe for consumption and complies with all applicable standards for lean beef, many of our customers have voiced concern regarding Finely Textured Beef. We value the trusted relationship we have with our customers and their feedback on this issue. Stop & Shop will continue to communicate openly with customers and stands by the quality, safety and compliance of all products we sell.

Key notes -

• We will no longer purchase fresh ground beef containing Finely Textured Beef.
• While absolutely safe for consumption and in compliance with all USDA standards for lean beef, many of our customers have voiced their concern about Finely Textured Beef.
• We value the trusted relationship we have with our customers and their feedback on this issue.
• We have and will continue to communicate openly and stand by the quality, safety and compliance of all products we sell.
• Stop & Shop's fresh and frozen Own Brand ground beef products are affected by this announcement and we are currently working to convert these products to those that do not contain Finely Textured Beef.
• For customers who wish to purchase an alternative to the conventional ground beef supply, Stop & Shop offers Certified Angus Beef, Nature's Promise, and Laura's Lean beef products in all of our stores.
• We are focused on giving customers a variety of choices on the types of products they would like to buy.

Additional Questions & Answers

If the USDA states that Finely Textured Beef is safe for consumption, why did you make the decision to stop purchasing products that contain it?
Finely Textured Beef is safe and in compliance with all USDA standards for lean beef. We value the trusted relationship we have with our customers and are responding to their concerns.

What beef items in your stores are affected by this announcement?
Stop & Shop's fresh and frozen Own Brand ground beef products are affected.

How long will it take to ensure that your fresh ground beef is Finely Textured Beef-free?
We are currently working on converting all of our fresh ground beef within our stores and believe it will take us a few weeks to sell our current inventory of products. If customers wish to purchase ground beef that does not contain FTB, they are encouraged to purchase Nature's Promise, Laura's Lean or Certified Angus Beef products sold in all stores.

How will customers know that fresh ground beef products are FTB-free?
We will post signs in our Meat Departments letting customers know that our fresh ground beef is FTB-free.

Will there be a shortage of ground beef products now?
There is a large quantity of ground beef being removed from sale and the supply chain, but it's still too soon to measure the impact it will have for consumers.