US Foods Rolls Out First Natural Gas Vehicles in Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK--(Marketwire - Jan 24, 2012) - As part of its continued commitment to sustainable practices, US Foods today announced that its Oklahoma City Division is using five new trucks that run on compressed natural gas. Natural gas is cleaner burning than gasoline, and reduces ozone-forming emissions by an average of 80 percent when compared to gasoline vehicles.

The Oklahoma City Division delivers food and related products to more than 5,000 customers in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Texas, including restaurants, health care institutions and hotels. The division will purchase compressed natural gas from fuel retailers that have partnered with Chesapeake Energy Corporation, the second-largest producer of natural gas in the country and a US Foods customer.

"US Foods continues to make improvements across the company to reduce our environmental footprint and allow us to serve our customers in an energy efficient way," said Sam Erwin, Oklahoma City Division President, US Foods. "These five new vehicles will help us drastically reduce our annual fuel costs while reducing the amount of emissions emitted during our daily deliveries to customers."

US Foods is certified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a SmartWay Partner, thanks to the company's initiatives to maximize fuel economy and reduce emissions. These initiatives have improved the efficiency of the US Foods fleet, reduced the amount of fuel used and enabled the company to avoid 22,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions.

About US Foods
With nearly $19 billion in annual revenue, US Foods is the 10th largest private company in America, and a leading foodservice distributor. Many of the entities that make up US Foods were founded in the 19th century, including one that sold provisions to travelers heading west during the 1850s gold rush. US Foods offers more than 350,000 national brand products and its own high-quality "exclusive brand" items, ranging from fresh meats and produce to prepared and frozen foods. The company proudly employs approximately 25,000 people in more than 60 locations nationwide, and provides the finest quality food and related products to more than 250,000 customers, including independent and multi-unit restaurants, healthcare and hospitality entities, government and educational institutions. The company is headquartered in Rosemont, Ill., and jointly owned by funds managed by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Inc. and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. Discover more at www.usfoods.com.