CINCINNATI, April 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co.
(NYSE: KR) is uplifting #StopFoodWasteDay by celebrating its social impact plan Zero Hunger | Zero Waste—the retailer's
commitment to end hunger in the communities it calls home and eliminate waste across the company by 2025.
"Since launching Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative last September, we've taken big steps to advance our plan to end hunger in our
communities and eliminate waste across the company by 2025," said Jessica Adelman, Kroger's group
vice president of corporate affairs. "Through our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Food Rescue program and charitable giving to end
hunger company-wide, we provided 325 million meals in 2017 for food-insecure families across America."
Kroger directed a total of $181 million in food and funds to end hunger in local communities and
rescued 91.2 million pounds of safe nutritious food that could no longer be sold from its retail stores, or shipped from its
distribution centers and manufacturing plants, for Feeding America® food banks last year alone. Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste
Food Rescue program started 10 years ago as its Perishable Donation Partnership.
"Zero Hunger | Zero Waste addresses a fundamental absurdity in our food system: 40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. is
thrown away, yet 1 in 8 Americans experiences hunger. As America's grocer, we believe we should – and more importantly – we
can do something to create positive change," added Ms. Adelman. "We are intently focused on reducing food waste throughout
our operations."
Kroger is working with long-standing partner World Wildlife Fund (WWF), conducting a comprehensive food waste analysis to
identify where the company stands today in its journey to zero food waste, and establish a framework for measuring and reporting
food waste reduction going forward.
"You can't improve what you don't measure," said Pete Pearson, Director of Food Loss and Waste
for WWF. "Many businesses don't understand how much waste they create and its tremendous environmental impact. Kroger's zero
waste goal comes at a critical time, and we hope more businesses follow their lead."
Starting today, customers can visit the Kroger Facebook page to engage with the #ZeroHunger video by sharing an idea or photo that expresses ways shoppers can reduce food
waste in their everyday lives. For each engagement, Kroger will donate $5 to WWF, up to
$100,000.
Kroger recently introduced a blog series featuring easy tips and suggestions from the company's chefs and sustainability
leaders, like 10 Ways to Cut Down
on Food Waste, to help customers become a part of the solution.
Kroger continues its work with valued partners Feeding America, WWF and ReFED to help the company achieve its vision.
To follow Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste journey, customers can sign up here for updates.
At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are dedicated to our Purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit™. We are nearly half a million
associates who serve nine million customers daily through a seamless digital shopping experience and 2,800 retail food stores
under a variety of banner names, serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities
by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.
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SOURCE The Kroger Co.