Safeway Makes Great Grilling Easier Than Ever; Families Can Grill up Complete Meals Tonight.

PLEASANTON, Calif. -- With Independence Day, the most popular grilling holiday(1), just around the corner, Safeway Inc. (NYSE:SWY) today kicked off "Great Grilling," featuring specially developed recipes and a "How-to" Guide, along with tools and quality ingredients for shoppers who want to create delicious meals on the grill.

"Great Grilling" features recipes for complete meals -- from the appetizers and entrees, to the side dishes and even desserts -- that are all cooked on the grill. Safeway partnered with Sunset magazine to develop the 28 easy, sure-fire recipes in the magazine's test kitchens. With recipes for tender grilled steak and Salt and Sugar Shrimp and desserts like Grilled-Peach Sundaes with Blackberry Sauce, "Great Grilling" makes it easy for customers to cook up delicious dinners.

Safeway customers will find that the Great Grilling Center, located in the meat department, provides all the information they need to grill a complete meal tonight, while signs throughout the store point to grilling essentials. The "How-to" Guide, with such hints as how to cook with propane or charcoal, when to use direct or indirect heat, and how to clean the grill at the start and leave it clean when finished, can help novice and seasoned grillers alike.

"We know from listening to our customers that they love to grill, but they also want to learn how to barbecue fish, vegetables and other foods, and they need recipes that they can grill up tonight," said Brian C. Cornell, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Safeway. "Our 'Great Grilling' program provides solutions for consumers with recipes, tips, grilling tools, and quality ingredients like our Rancher's Reserve Beef, all of which help to save valuable time spent on meal planning, shopping and preparation."

"The 'Great Grilling' offering makes it easier for families to cook together and gather around the table to enjoy a home-cooked meal, whether on the patio or indoors," said Barbara Walker, Group Vice President, Marketing, Safeway. "There are recipes that cater to everyone's tastes and skill levels, including some 'surprising secrets' that have novel techniques and ingredient combos that will appeal to the seasoned backyard chef."

The "Great Grilling" recipes and "How-to" Guides will be available throughout the summer at the nearly 1,700 Safeway Inc. stores across the country, including Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Dominick's, Genuardi's, Randalls, Tom Thumb, and Carrs. Additional grilling recipes, tips and techniques can be found online at www.safeway.com.

About Safeway

Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 50 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, based on sales. The company operates 1,772 stores in the United States and Canada and had annual sales of $38.4 billion in 2005. The company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY.

(1) Source -- The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association 2005 HPBA State of the Barbecue Industry Report: The most popular grilling holidays are Fourth of July 74%; Memorial Day 62%; and Labor Day 55%.