Food Lion vs Acme Markets: Who is Cheaper?
Food Lion is a medium sized grocery store chain with about 1100 stores in 10 states mainly in the Eastern US. Acme Markets is part of the Albertsons Company and has 161 stores in the Northeast US.
We are going to build a meal plan and grocery list, and then price compare both stores. This will help us determine if Food Lion or Acme Markets has the cheaper groceries. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict.
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Is Food Lion cheaper than Acme?
For this price comparison, I have made a meal plan for a family of 4 using “25 Cheap food that fills you up when you are broke!” as a guide. Our plan is to get groceries for a week that are healthy and cheap!
Here is our meal plan:
Breakfasts
- Scrambled Eggs with Bacon and Toast
- Banana Pancakes with Syrup
- Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars
Lunches
- Leftover Chicken Salad with Raisins Sandwiches
- Black Bean Hummus (using leftover black beans) with Homemade Potato Chips and Carrots
- Taco Salads (leftover taco meat)
- Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream, Cheese, and Bacon
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Lentil Veggie Soup (using dry lentils, canned tomatoes, chicken broth made from whole chicken, and frozen mixed vegetables)
- Baked BBQ Pork Chops with Carrot Raisin Salad (mayo, lemon juice, & maple syrup), and Baked Potato Wedges
- Chicken Carbonara-ish Pasta with Bacon and Frozen Peas (alfredo sauce with Italian seasoning) *using leftover chicken*
- Whole Baked Chicken with Brown Rice and Baked Carrots
- 1/2lb Ground Turkey and Black Bean Tacos (with lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream) and Brown Rice
- 1/2lb Ground Turkey Chili with Cornbread and Side Salad with lemon juice & oil dressing
Snacks
- Bananas
- Carrots
- Popcorn
Sweet Treat
- Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Newark, Delaware. I will be selecting items for our meal plan that are the absolute cheapest.
This means mostly generic store brand options and the smallest size needed. This may not be the best value, but we are going for the cheapest option.
We are assuming that we already have kitchen basics like cooking oil, seasonings, salt/pepper, and baking powder at home. Everything else needed for the meal plan will need to be purchased.
For a more in depth break down on how I would make this meal plan work, check out “Healthy Grocery List for Family of 4 on a Budget #3.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Food Lion Price | Acme Market Price |
| 8 bananas | $0.55 a lb= $1.78 | $0.28 each= $2.24 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of red potatoes= $3.50 *on sale* | 5lb bag of white potatoes= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Carrots | $0.69 a lb | 1 lb bag= $0.99 |
| Lettuce | 1 head Romaine= $1.89 | 1 head Romaine= $2.49 |
| 1 Tomato | On the vine= $0.63 each | On the Vine= $0.99 each |
| 1 Cucumber | $0.99 each | $1.19 each |
| 2 lemons | $0.99 each x 2= $1.98 | $0.99 each x 2= $1.98 |
| Total: (7 items) | $11.46 | $13.87 |
In the produce section, Food Lion came out cheaper with a total of $11.46. This was $2.41 cheaper than Acme Market’s total of $13.87.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Food Lion Price | Acme Market Price |
| Pork Chops | Boneless Ribeye Chops $2.99 a lb (1.5lbs) = $4.49 | Pork Loin Bone-In Chops 1.5lbs= $6.49 |
| Whole Chicken | Food Lion whole chicken $1.29 a lb (4.5lbs) = $5.81 | Perdue $2.13 a lb (3.5lbs) = $7.99 *on sale* |
| Precooked Bacon | Food Lion 2.1oz pack= $3.99 | Signature Select 2.1oz pack= $4.49 *on sale* |
| 1lb ground turkey | Food Lion 85% fresh= $3.49 *on sale* | Signature Farms 85% fresh= $4.99 |
| Total: (4 items) | $17.78 | $23.96 |
In the meat section, Food Lion came out cheaper with a total of $17.78. This was $6.18 cheaper than acme Market’s total of $23.96.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Food Lion Price | Acme Market Price |
| Peanut Butter | Cha-Ching 16.3oz jar= $1.79 | Signature Select 16oz jar= $2.79 |
| Sandwich Bread | Cha-Ching 20oz white bread= $1.09 | Signature Select 20oz white bread= $1.99 |
| Pancake Syrup | Food Lion 24oz bottle= $2.19 | Signature Select 24oz bottle= $2.99 |
| Quick Oats | Food Lion 18oz container= $2.19 | Malt O Meal 16oz container= $3.49 |
| Brown Sugar | Food Lion 1lb bag= $1.69 | Signature Select 1lb bag= $1.67 *on sale* |
| Mayonnaise | Food Lion 16oz jar= $2.49 | Signature Select 15oz jar= $2.89 |
| Raisins | Food Lion 6oz mini boxes= $1.99 | Signature Select 12oz box= $2.49 |
| Black Beans dried | Food Lion 1lb bag= $1.59 | Signature Select 1lb bag= $2.00 *on sale* |
| Lentils (dry) | Iberia 12oz bag= $1.39 | Signature Select 1lb bag= $2.00 *on sale* |
| Canned tomatoes x 2 | Food Lion 14.5oz can $0.90 x 2= $1.80 | Signature Select 14.5oz can $1.19 each x2= $2.38 |
| BBQ sauce | Food Lion 18o= $1.49 | Signature Select 18oz bottle= $2.49 |
| Alfredo Sauce | Food Lion 16oz jar= $1.89 | Signature Select 16oz jar= $2.49 |
| Brown Rice | Food Lion 1lb bag= $0.99 | Signature Select 1lb bag= $1.50 |
| Taco Seasoning | Food Lion 1.25oz pack= $1.00 | Signature Select 1oz pack= $0.99 |
| Flour Tortillas | Chi-Chis 10ct= $1.79 | Signature Select 10ct= $1.99 |
| Kidney Beans | Food Lion 15.5 oz cab= $0.84 | Signature Select 15.5oz can= $1.19 |
| Chili Powder | Sauer’s 2.25oz jar= $2.29 | Signature Select 2.5oz jar= $2.99 |
| Cornbread Mix | Pillsbury 7.5oz pack= $0.59 | Jiffy 8.5oz box= $0.89 *on sale* |
| Microwave Popcorn | Food Lion 3 bag= $1.79 | Pop Secret 3 bag= $2.00 *on sale* |
| Total: (18 items) | $30.88 | $41.22 |
In the dry goods section, Food Lion came out cheaper with a total of $30.88. This was $10.34 cheaper than Acme Market’s total of $41.22.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Food Lion Price | Acme Market Price |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Bird’s Eye 10oz bag= $1.39 *on sale* | Green Giant 10oz bag= $2.29 |
| Frozen Peas | Bird’s Eye 10oz bag= $1.39 *on sale* | Green Giant 10oz bag= $2.29 |
| Total: (2 items) | $2.78 | $4.58 |
In the frozen section, Food Lion came out cheaper with a total of $2.78. This was $1.80 cheaper than Acme Market’s total of $4.58.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Food Lion Price | Acme Market Price |
| Eggs | Food Lion 12ct white eggs= $3.49 | Open Nature 12ct brown eggs= $3.89 |
| Sour Cream | Food Lion 8oz container= $1.49 | Lucerne 8oz container= $1.49 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Food Lion 8oz bag= $2.29 | Lucerne 8oz bag= $2.99 |
| Shredded Mozzarella Cheese | Food Lion 8oz bag= $2.29 | Lucerne 8oz bag= $2.99 |
| Butter (sticks) | Food Lion 1lb= $4.49 | Lucerne 1lb= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Milk | Food Lion gallon= $2.69 | Lucerne gallon= $4.79 |
| Total: (6 items) | $16.74 | $20.14 |
In the dairy section, Food Lion came out cheaper with a total of $16.74. This was $3.40 cheaper than Acme Market’s total of $20.14.
Is Acme more expensive than Food Lion?
Food Lion came out cheaper in every section, but let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Food Lion Price | Acme Market Price |
| Produce | $11.46 | $13.87 |
| Deli/Meats | $17.78 | $23.96 |
| Dry Goods | $30.88 | $41.22 |
| Frozen Foods | $2.78 | $4.58 |
| Dairy | $16.74 | $20.14 |
| Overall Total: (37 items) | $79.64 | $103.77 |
Overall, Food Lion came out cheaper than Acme Market with a total of $79.64. This was $24.13 (about 23%) cheaper than Acme Market’s total of $103.77.
Food Lion consistently came out cheaper in every section of the grocery store, so the only way to save more money would be to utilize the weekly sales flyer.
Food Lion had a good amount of sale items, and their sales were pretty good. If we use the weekly ad to make our weekly meal plan and stock up, we could potentially get our weekly total closer to $60 a trip!
Food Lion has a program called “Shop & Earn” where you not only get digital coupons and savings, but you can also collect cash back off your total. Plus you will want to sign up for their MVP card that gives you access to all sale prices.
If you love Acme and want to save more money, try out their grocery delivery! They currently have a deal where you can get $20 off your first order and free delivery.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Acme vs ShopRite: Who is Cheaper?” and “Food Lion vs Target: Who is Cheaper?“
