Safeway Inc. Among 2009 "World's Most Ethical Companies"

"We are honored to be included in the Ethisphere Institute's list of the
World's Most Ethical Companies," said Larree Renda, Safeway Executive
Vice President, Chief Strategist and Administrative Officer. "The
importance of maintaining high ethical standards is visible in our daily
operations, communications with employees and our relationships with the
communities in which we operate."

This is the third year Ethisphere, a think-tank dedicated to the
creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics,
corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability, has
published the WME rankings, which appear in Ethisphere Magazine's Q1
issue.

Through a rigorous, multi-step evaluation process, Ethisphere's
researchers and analysts reviewed more than 10,000 companies in order to
determine the finalists.

"Safeway has proven to be one of the world leaders in upholding high
ethical standards, making it a true standout in its industry, especially
as unethical business actions and decisions grab headlines each day,"
said Alex Brigham, Executive Director of the Ethisphere Institute. "The
competition for this year's World's Most Ethical Companies was very
strong and we applaud Safeway for rising to the top. Safeway recognizes
that being ethical is not only the right thing to do, it is also good
business practice and leads to more successful and profitable
operations."

The methodology for the WME ranking includes reviewing codes of ethics,
litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluating the
investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looking at
activities designed to improve corporate citizenship; studying
nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers and
customers; and working with consumer action groups for feedback. The
2009 World's Most Ethical Companies methodology committee, comprised of
leading attorneys, government officials, professors and organization
leaders, were consulted early on in the 2009 WME process and had the
opportunity to review and comment on the methodology used to rate this
year's nominees. Ethisphere researchers further analyze information
provided by the companies through questionnaires.

To view the complete list of the 2009 World's Most Ethical Companies,
please visit www.ethisphere.org/wme2009.

ABOUT SAFEWAY www.Safeway.com

Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest food and
drug retailers in North America, based on sales. The company operates
1,739 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual
sales of $44.1 billion in 2008. The company's common stock is traded on
the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY. Safeway supports a
broad range of charitable and community programs and in 2008 donated
more than $248 million to important causes, such as cancer research,
education, hunger relief and programs focused on assisting people with
disabilities. Safeway is also one of the largest retail purchasers of
wind energy, using 57 million kilowatt hours of wind energy, enough to
power all 324 Safeway retail fuel stations, all stores in San Francisco,
California and Boulder, Colorado, as well as all of the company
headquarters and all corporate offices in Northern California. Safeway
was the first major retailer to join the Chicago Climate Exchange, the
world's first and North America's only legally binding GHG allowance
trading system, and the California Climate Action Registry, which
commits the company to reduce its carbon footprint by 6 percent from
year 2000 levels.

ABOUT ETHISPHERE INSTITUTE

The research-based Ethisphere Institute is a leading international
think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best
practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility,
anti-corruption and sustainability. The Institute's associated
membership group, the Ethisphere Council, is a forum for business ethics
that includes more than 200 leading corporations, universities and
institutions. The Ethisphere Council is dedicated to the development and
advancement of individuals on its membership council through increased
efficiency, innovation, tools, mentoring, advice, and unique career
opportunities. Ethisphere Magazine, which publishes the globally
recognized World's Most Ethical Companies Ranking(TM), is the quarterly
publication of the Institute. More information on the Ethisphere
Institute, including ranking projects and membership, can be found at http://www.ethisphere.org.

SOURCE: Safeway Inc.

Safeway Inc. 
Teena Massingill, 925-467-3810 
Teena.Massingill@Safeway.com 
or 
Ethisphere Institute 
Emily Parker, 212-446-1889 
eparker@sloanepr.com

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