Dollar General, Increasing Access to Fresh Food

Origins:

As the nation’s fastest growing retailer by store count, millions of Americans rely on Dollar General (DG) to provide convenient access to everyday essentials, including food products. Given DG’s expansive reach of 20,000+ stores across 48 states, with approximately 75% of the U.S. population living within five miles of a store, DG is uniquely positioned to help increase affordable access to nutritious foods and fresh produce items. DG’s ongoing commitment to address food insecurity and investment in the health of its customers and communities can be seen across the following:

• ‘Food First’ initiative: A customer feedback-driven expansion of the Company’s private label brand, Clover Valley, welcoming over 600 new items to shelves at affordable price points.

• Expansion of fresh produce offerings from 5,400 in January 2024 to more than 6,700 stores in March 2025 – over 1,300 of which are located in USDA-defined “food deserts.”

• Annual support and ongoing partnership with Feeding America to address food insecurity among millions of Americans, including over 14 million children, combining resources of the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization and the nation’s largest retailer by store count.

• Partnerships with local policy makers and national nonprofit organizations to raise awareness of the positive impact of healthier food options.

DG maintains its unwavering commitment to mitigating food insecurity, utilizing growth, offerings and community partnerships to ensure customers and communities can meet and access their basic needs.

Contribution:

• DG’s in-kind donations from stores and distribution centers, alongside funding to Feeding America, provides food access to rural and underserved communities, helping those who may go without nutritious foods.

• Over 6,700 DG stores sell produce, more than any U.S. mass retailer or grocer, offering the top 20 items sold in a grocery store.

• Customers and elected officials regularly ask DG to provide fresh produce in their communities. Answering the call to serve and meet the needs of its hometown communities, DG added or remodeled stores to provide fresh produce in Fruitdale, AL; Bluford, IL; Jackson, MS; Little Rock, AR; Evansville, IN; Hitchcock, TX; and Kingston Township, MI (among many others).

• In August 2024, DG, along with leaders in Little Rock, AR, and nonprofit Fifty for the Future, was recognized for its positive fresh produce expansion efforts in the community with a Gold Globe American Business Award in Stakeholder Relations Achievement.

Objectives:

DG’s primary mission is to increase access to fresh food options for millions of U.S. households - better serving its customers and communities while continuing to grow the Company. With 80% of DG stores in communities of 20,000 or fewer people, the retailer is a vital resource, offering convenient access to essentials and fresh foods. The following objectives demonstrate DG’s dedication to increasing fresh food access, stemming from its mission of Serving Others:

• Since piloting its Feeding America partnership in 2019, DG has donated 60+ million meals to neighbors in need and seeks to continue increasing its impact in the years to come.

• DG seeks to add/remodel/relocate stores to best fit customers’ and communities’ needs, often where other retailers either can’t or won’t serve.

• Through ‘Food First,’ DG seeks to provide customers with a wider variety of options, including components of a nutritious meal, through food and fresh produce selections at competitively affordable prices.

Impact:

In the U.S., 47 million people are food insecure and rural communities bear the heaviest burden with a lack of convenient retail options for food. With DG’s growth and evolution of its business model, DG has continued to keep its customers at the center of all it does. Though not a grocer, when communities call on DG for fresh food, the team works to deliver. With a deep understanding of the unique needs of its customers in communities across its expansive footprint, DG provides customers with affordable access to the components of a nutritious meal in all 20,000+ stores – at the affordable prices shoppers rely on. In one year, DG added produce to more than 1,800 stores and plans to begin selling fresh produce at over 300 more locations in 2025, bringing the total number of stores that have this offering to roughly 7,000. DG also supports hometown communities through in-kind food donations and has donated over 60 million meals and more than $5 million to Feeding America, currently serving over 40% of U.S. counties. Additionally, DG’s ‘Food First’ initiatives reflect the Company’s ongoing focus on providing access to affordable and nutritious food options – expanding DG’s private brand, Clover Valley – helping customers stretch their budget. DG’s mission of Serving Others and investment in growing fresh food options across the nation continues meeting customer needs with an unwavering commitment to serving those who need it most.

Quote:

“Food insecurity impacts people of all ages in communities across the country. With our extensive store footprint, often in communities’ others cannot or have chosen not to serve, Dollar General is uniquely positioned to help combat hunger by offering convenient access to a variety of nutritious foods at affordable prices. At Dollar General, we pride ourselves on the role we play as America’s neighborhood general store and have pursued opportunities to serve and support our communities, customers, neighbors, and each other.”

– Todd Vasos, CEO, Dollar General

Support Statement:

When the only grocery store in Talihina, OK burned down in 2019, residents were forced to travel 45 minutes for fresh food – a common struggle in rural America, where food insecurity is a growing problem. However, DG continues to place a heavy emphasis on supporting rural areas and decided to step in and help the community. Mayor Nikki Hibdon, who has lived there since she was 15 years old, says the community was facing very tough times before the DG Market opened. “I appreciate the fact that Dollar General has come into our community and increased the ability for our folks to remain here – serviced with good food and good projects,” says Mayor Hibdon. “It saves people money, and it has really helped us to grow. I think we’ve become a stronger little community for each other.”