Hannaford Opens First CO2-Only Refrigeration Grocery Store

Delhaize America this week is opening a grocery store that will use carbon dioxide as a refrigerant rather than hydroflourocarbons (HFCs) — the first such supermarket in the US, according to the Environmental Investigation Agency.

The Hannaford grocery store in Turner, Maine, will use a CO2 transcritical system that reduces the store’s carbon footprint by 3.4 million pounds of CO2e annually, EIA reports.

Delhaize America operates seven banners in the US, including Hannaford and Food Lion.

Using CO2 as a refrigerant has other advantages to HFCs, a gaseous compound used in refrigerants and insulating foams and a major source of greenhouse gases. CO2 is inexpensive, leaks are easy to fix, the system is energy efficient and pipes are smaller, EIA says.

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