Google Gemini was used to research this piece. This Essay was posted on 12/23/2025 and appeared in the Portland Sunday Telegram on 1/4/26.
Hannaford Supermarkets, which operates 189 stores in the Northeast, has been the target of protests over an alleged lack of free-range eggs and alleged bad meat. The protests are an organized effort that includes a TV ad telling people to shop elsewhere. As a regular shopper at Hannaford, I have not experienced the kinds of problems described in the protests or in the ads.
Near its end, the TV ad displayed the organization name, New England Consumer Alliance (NECA). NECA targets supermarket practices, quality, and pricing. But it is linked to Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), a national organization with a different mission.
The CEA mission is geared to the energy industry in areas of affordability, reliability, energy infrastructure, domestic production, and environmental issues. CEA promotes energy solutions that favor the fossil fuel industry, because it is funded by the major oil producers.
So, why is Hannaford targeted in an obvious attempt to disrupt its customer base? The answer is as clear as the charging stations that are showing up at some of the Hannaford stores. Hannaford has a very active renewable energy program with the goal of being a net-zero carbon business by 2040. Hannaford already has stores with the highest rating for clean energy usage and is investing heavily in regional solar farms.
In addition to promoting fossil fuel solutions to our energy grid, CEA appears to be using ancillary organizations to sabotage the efforts of companies that are successfully switching to renewable energy solutions.
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