Supermarket Wellness Watch: Kroger takes a stand against hunger, food waste

DECEMBER 14, 2017 | BY DAVID ORGEL

When you think of health and wellness in the retail setting, what often comes to mind are better-for-you products, in-store health services, and other high-profile topics.

However, there are other health-related subjects that don’t get as much exposure, but are still highly important. These include anti-hunger programs, and efforts to reduce food waste.

Supermarket giant Kroger is taking a big stand on both of these issues in a major new corporate commitment. It launched a “moonshot” initiative called Zero Hunger| Zero Waste back in September aimed at “ending hunger in the communities Kroger calls home and eliminating waste across the company by 2025.”

More recently, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based retailer unveiled television and radio ads in some 191 media markets nationwide to build awareness of the campaign during the holidays. This is being supplemented by store-level customer giving programs benefiting local food banks and hunger-relief organizations, and “Kroger's year-round, industry-leading, fresh food donations program,” the company said.

“We understand nutrition plays a critical role in wellness, and we want to make sure our program contributes to people having balanced meals,” Kristal Howard, Kroger spokesperson, said in an interview for this blog.

In the U.S., some 42 million people struggle with hunger, and roughly 72 billion pounds of food are placed into landfills each year, according to the company. The challenges of large amounts of food being unconsumed while people face hunger are linked. Discarded food can be donated for anti-hunger efforts.

“As America’s grocer and one of the largest retailers in the world, we are committing to do something about it,” said Rodney McMullen, Kroger chairman and CEO, in a recent statement.

Kroger’s program includes the following goals and activities:

• Create a $10 million innovation fund as part of The Kroger Co. Foundation to address hunger and food waste.
• Expand food donations to provide some three billion meals by 2025 in Kroger market areas.
• Donate “more balanced meals” through Kroger’s fresh food donation efforts.
• Partner with Feeding America and World Wildlife Fund on efforts.
• Advocate for public policy solutions to tackling hunger, which include pushing for continued funding of federal hunger relief programs.
• Eliminate food waste by 2025 and develop transparent reporting on this effort.
• Push for public policies that support waste prevention and diversion of waste from landfills, including with recycling , composting and other sustainability efforts. Kroger aims to achieve the “Zero Waste 2020” goals contained in its sustainability report.

Health and wellness drives a plethora of activities across Kroger’s wide-ranging portfolio. This includes organic, natural and better-for-you foods; sustainable packaging; pharmacy; specialty pharmacy, clinics, and other areas.

The food industry as a whole has addressed the waste challenge through the Food Waste Reduction Alliance, a joint initiative of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the Food Marketing Institute, and the National Restaurant Association. Its stated goals are to reduce the amount of food waste generated, increase the amount of food donated to those in need, and recycle unavoidable waste to divert it from landfills.

Having Kroger’s muscle behind efforts to combat hunger and food waste will boost industry-wide achievements. Already since its initiative was launched just a few months ago, Kroger donated nearly 3 million meals, Howard said. This indicates the momentum is growing for successful attacks on these challenges in the near future.