Who owns Food Lion?
Food Lion is owned by Ahold Delhaize (the Netherlands, AEX: AD), which has owned the brand since 24 July 2016.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. Annual Report 2025, 25 February 2026. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. reported
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands, Zaandam
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, Salisbury, North Carolina
- Founded
- 1957
- Category
- Food › Meals & meal components › Canned & shelf-stable meals
- Parent ticker
- AEX: AD
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Food Lion
Food Lion operates supermarkets across the southeastern United States, founded in 1957 as Food Town. Delhaize acquired control in 1974, making it Belgian-owned decades before the merger that created the present company. It now sits within Ahold Delhaize, formed in 2016, alongside Stop and Shop, Giant and Hannaford in the same American division.
Ownership timeline of Food Lion
- 2016 – present Ahold Delhaize [1] reported
Where Food Lion sits in Ahold Delhaize
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Ahold Delhaize ownership tree →
See the full Ahold Delhaize brand portfolio (12) →
Other brands owned by Ahold Delhaize
Ahold Delhaize controls 12 brands on Brandtree, 4 of them in food.
Also in food
- Albert Heijn (1887)
- Hannaford (1883)
- Stop & Shop (1914)
Other brands in canned & shelf-stable meals, and who owns them
The 74 brands in canned & shelf-stable meals on Brandtree belong to 43 owners. The largest is Thai Union, with 13; Ahold Delhaize has 4.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken of the Sea | Thai Union | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| Bonduelle | Bonduelle | 🇫🇷 France |
| Heinz Baked Beans | Kraft Heinz | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Aunt Nellie's | Seneca Foods | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Aldi (Nord) | Aldi Nord | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| Aldi (Süd) | Aldi Süd | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| 365 by Whole Foods Market | Amazon | 🇺🇸 United States |
| 555 | Century Pacific | 🇵🇭 Philippines |
About the owner: Ahold Delhaize
Ahold Delhaize is a publicly listed company headquartered in Zaandam, Netherlands, founded in 1887. Brandtree records 12 brands under its control, and it is listed as AEX: AD.
Ahold Delhaize was formed in 2016 by the merger of the Dutch Ahold and the Belgian Delhaize, and it operates supermarket chains across Europe and the eastern United States. Most Americans who shop at its chains have never heard of the parent company.
Ahold Delhaize: full profile, brands and acquisition history →
🇺🇸 Food Lion and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,549 brands that began in the United States. 478 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Food Lion among them.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Food Lion?
The parent company of Food Lion is Ahold Delhaize, a publicly listed company headquartered in the Netherlands.
Is Food Lion American or Dutch?
Food Lion originated in the United States in 1957, but it is owned today by Ahold Delhaize, which is headquartered in the Netherlands. So Food Lion is an American-origin brand under Dutch ownership.
Since when has Ahold Delhaize owned Food Lion?
Ahold Delhaize has owned Food Lion since 24 July 2016.
Is Food Lion still owned by Ahold Delhaize?
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Food Lion is still owned by Ahold Delhaize. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. Annual Report 2025 — Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V., Annual report, published 25 February 2026; retrieved 16 September 2026.
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