Lawsuit alleges Hannaford improperly markets some salmon products as sustainable
A class-action lawsuit filed this week alleges that Hannaford and its parent company display “misleading sustainability guarantees” in the grocery chain’s seafood sections.
The complaint, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, narrows in on salmon products that it claims are not sustainably sourced, as in-store signage suggests.
A Hannaford spokesperson said Wednesday that the company does not comment on pending litigation and that neither the Scarborough-based grocer nor its Dutch parent company, Ahold Delhaize, had received the complaint.
This image included in a class-action complaint against Hannaford shows in-store signage about the supermarket’s sustainable seafood practices. (Screenshot via U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York)
The suit states that Hannaford stores all contain signs that indicate their seafood products are sustainably sourced, including ones reading, “We sell only high-quality, traceable and sustainably harvested seafood,” and “Every fish has a tale. Ours you can trust.”
“In reality, Hannaford sells industrially farmed salmon whose production inflicts grave harms on pristine marine ecosystems and has caused the destruction of marine life around the world, from Canada to Chile,” the lawsuit says.
The 76-page complaint includes numerous pictures of signage at Hannaford locations and products in question.
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The lead plaintiff in the suit is Kathleen Boyle, of Queensbury, New York. It states she purchased at least some of the products cited at Hannaford stores in New York throughout 2025 and 2026, believing they were “sourced from suppliers whose practices did not harm marine ecosystems” and were otherwise sustainable.
The lawsuit includes as class members anyone who bought any of the products in question in New York within the statute of limitations. The complaint says that the plaintiff believes there are thousands of people who fit this description.
The suit focuses on salmon products predominantly sourced overseas, though some stem from Maine and elsewhere in the United States. It argues those products are not truly sustainable, citing reports of mass mortality events, and details many regions’ salmon farming practices — especially in Chile, where it says some suppliers have histories of overproduction and farming in sensitive or protected areas.
The lawsuit notes that if Hannaford’s products are truly traceable, then it would be aware of some of these “destructive” practices. If not, “their sustainability promises were nevertheless empty and false” when it comes to those products, the complaint says.
The plaintiff is seeking a jury trial and monetary relief.
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Tagged: hannaford, hannaford supermarkets, lawsuit
Drew is the night reporter for the Portland Press Herald. He previously covered South Portland, Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth for the Sentry, Leader and Southern Forecaster. Though he is from Massachusetts,. More by Drew Johnson
