Six Stater Bros. Supermarkets Earn EPA Awards For Earth Friendly Refrigeration Systems

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – In celebration of Earth Day 2012, Stater Bros. is pleased to announce that six of the company's newest Supermarkets have earned the prestigious EPA GreenChill Gold Award for meeting tough environmental standards and using ozone friendly refrigerants. These GreenChill store certifications are valid for one year, and four of these Stater Bros. Supermarkets also received GreenChill Gold Awards in 2011 (Grand Terrace, Moreno Valley, Cathedral City and Carlsbad).

Each of these "Blue Ribbon" Stater Bros. Supermarkets has earned the Gold Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) GreenChill Partnership for using refrigeration technology that is better for the environment. The Gold Certificate is the second highest award from GreenChill, and Stater Bros. is the only Southern California grocer to have six stores that are certified at the Gold Level.

"Stater Bros. is very proud to receive these awards from the EPA's GreenChill Partnership," stated Jack H. Brown, Stater Bros. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We are happy to be doing our part to protect our Planet Earth, and we are especially pleased that the EPA has recognized our environmental achievements."

On Earth Day 2009, Stater Bros. introduced a "Green Waste" Composting Program in all its Supermarket locations to turn organic waste into compost that is sold to area farmers. For this environmentally friendly program along with the Company's many other recycling efforts, Stater Bros. received a Waste Reduction Award in both 2011 and 2010 from the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP).

About EPA's GreenChill Partnership

EPA's GreenChill Partnership works with supermarkets to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact on the ozone layer and climate change. The Partnership provides information and assistance to help supermarkets transition to environmentally-friendlier refrigerants; reduce harmful refrigerant emissions; and adopt green refrigeration technologies and environmental best practices. For more information on EPA's GreenChill Partnership, including its store certification program, please visit www.epa.gov/greenchill.

About Stater Bros. Supermarkets

Stater Bros. was founded in 1936 in Yucaipa, California, and has grown steadily through the years to become the largest privately owned Supermarket Chain in Southern California and the largest private employer in both San Bernardino County and Riverside County, with annual sales in 2011 of $3.7 billion. The Company currently operates 167 Supermarkets, and there are over 18,000 members of the Stater Bros. Supermarket Family.

Source: Stater Bros.