CHICAGO, Dec. 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EnsembleIQ’s Progressive Grocer has announced the 2025 Impact Award honorees, recognizing 49 companies across the grocery ecosystem whose initiatives are meaningfully advancing environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities in their communities and businesses. This year’s winners were selected for high-impact programs spanning community service, sustainability, food access, ethical sourcing, philanthropy, educational investment and workforce development.
The winners reflect a grocery industry that is using its scale and reach to address real-world challenges — from food insecurity and workforce empowerment to regenerative agriculture, climate resilience, community safety, plastics reduction and DEIB advancement. Their accomplishments demonstrate how purpose-driven leadership can create measurable, lasting change.
“ESG isn’t an initiative — it’s an imperative,” said Eric Savitch, senior vice president & group brand director, Progressive Grocer. “This year’s Impact Award winners show what happens when companies take that responsibility seriously. Whether the work is happening in stores, in supply chains, in production facilities or in communities, these organizations prove that doing the right thing is inseparable from running a modern, resilient grocery business.”
The 2025 honorees represent retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, solution providers, CPG brands and nonprofits whose work has yielded meaningful outcomes — from millions of meals donated, to innovative agricultural practices, to groundbreaking employee-support benefits, to major resource-conservation milestones.
Honorees were recognized across seven key categories, each reflecting essential ESG dimensions:
- Community Service / Local Impact
- Educational Support / Learning Advancement
- Ethical Sourcing / Supply Chain Transparency
- Food Security / Nutritional Leadership
- Philanthropic Innovation / Corporate Giving
- Sustainability / Resource Conservation
- Workforce Development / Employee Support
Across these categories, the 2025 Impact Award winners include Albertsons Cos., ALDI, Equifruit, Freson Bros., Kent’s Market, Organic Hive, Roots Market, Sendik’s, Southeastern Grocers, UNFI/Cub, Giant Food, SpartanNash, Western Michigan University, Diestel Family Ranch, Fairtrade America, Publix, SunOpta, Tonnino, UNFI, Dollar General, Mars Food & Nutrition, Rudy’s Markets, MegaFood, Niman Ranch, SimplyProtein, Botticelli Foods, CFIN, Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods, Raley’s, Verdant Technologies, and others.
“What makes this year’s class extraordinary is the depth of commitment behind these initiatives,” said Bridget Goldschmidt, managing editor of Progressive Grocer. “These companies aren’t checking boxes. They are building programs with measurable impact — programs that respond to community needs, strengthen supply chains, support the environment and uplift employees. Their work represents the highest aspirations of our industry.”
The 2025 list includes efforts such as:
- Major volunteer mobilizations supporting hunger relief, disaster response and charitable causes
- Scholarship and education programs investing in future industry leaders
- Fair, transparent sourcing models supporting farming communities globally
- Large-scale food-access initiatives expanding fresh and nutritious options to underserved communities
- Regenerative-agriculture and sustainability programs reducing waste, emissions and packaging impacts
- Employee-first workplace innovations from mental-health support to financial well-being initiatives
These programs are featured in detail in the November/December 2025 print issue and on ProgressiveGrocer.com.
About Progressive Grocer
For more than 100 years, Progressive Grocer has been the leading source of business intelligence for the food retail industry, delivering award-winning journalism, research and live-event experiences that inform, connect and empower grocery leaders across North America.
About EnsembleIQ
EnsembleIQ is a premier business intelligence company providing insightful information and actionable connections that help business leaders and their teams drive growth across the retail, consumer goods, technology, healthcare, and hospitality industries.
Media Contact
Bridget Goldschmidt
Progressive Grocer
bgoldschmidt@ensembleiq.com
