About Kroger
Kroger is a popular supermarket name amongst Americans and is also the largest supermarket chain and the second-largest retailer only after Walmart. Established in 1883 by Bernand Kroger, the brand has always aimed at providing the freshest of produce that could be offered to its customers.
Bernard Kroger started the company by opening a grocery store in Cincinnati, Ohio. He invested all his life savings into opening this store. His motto was “never sell anything you would not want yourself”. Eventually in the growth of the company, Kroger also started selling homemade food prepared by his mother, which was loved by everyone. Over the years the company has grown rapidly and is now spread across 35 states in the country.
In 2018, Kroger launched their foundation named Zero Hunger | Zero Waste. The foundation was established to end hunger and eliminate food waste in the communities by the year 2025.
The Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation
Established in 2018, the foundation has received support from various companies and enterprises. The company has set the aim of eliminating food waste and ending hunger in communities by 2025 along with several short-term goals which have successfully been fulfilled by it.
Aims
The goal of the foundation is to provide 1 billion meals to the community between 2017-2019 and 3 billion meals between 2017-2020. With each coming year, the number of meals donated through this campaign has seen a drastic increase. In 2018, over 600 million meals were donated, which increased to 1.1 Billion in 2019 and eventually 1.8 Billion in 2020.
Apart from that, about 37% of various food products have been rescued from just being thrown away and be determined as waste in 2020.
Partners and Collaborations
The foundation has received praise and support from Kroger’s consumers as well as many companies. A prominent partner amongst many is Loop, an e-commerce site that provides Kroger with eco-friendly packaging for home delivery and online purchases. The packaging offered by them is eco-friendly and uses minimum to no amount of plastic in it.
They have worked with the following organizations nationwide as a way of providing nutritious food and being sustainable –
Feeding AmericaMeals on Wheels AmericaNo Kid HungryFoundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FEAR)The Recycling PartnershipWorld Wildlife Fund (WWF)
They have also mentioned Google and Unilever are the two notable companies that have supported the foundation during the process. The foundation has also collaborated with and provided funds to many organizations under their Innovation Fund. This fund aims to provide monetary support to people working towards reducing food waste or reusing them. The organizations that Zero Waste | Zero Hunger collaborated with within 2020 are –
Imperfect Foods – A San Francisco-based organization that provides groceries for low-income families at a lower price. Replate – An Oakland-based organization that works with various company partners to provide food directly to the community members, especially those who are vulnerable due to the pandemic and homebound. Food Forest-Based in Cincinnati, this organization funds Meals on Wheels for online grocery delivery and provides about 2 deliveries per week for the people in need. Ripe Revival – Located in Greenville, North Carolina, this organization has provided food directly bought from local farmers to people. Seal the Seasons – From Chapel Hill, North Carolina, they purchase, store and sell food from rural farmers so there is no loss of produce due to low sales.
In 2021, under this campaign, these innovators are asked to apply for a grant that would help support their innovations. So far, in total, Kroger has provided a grant of $2.5 million to around 10 such innovators, double the number from 2020, some of them are –
reBLEND – Situated in Denver, they make and sell smoothie pops made by extra produce. The Spare Food Co. – New York-based platform uses upcycled food technology to make food and drinks out of overcooked and unused ingredients. Husky Beverages – From West Palm Beach, FL produces sparkling tea from plants, specifically coffee husks (remains or waste).
The other sustainable innovators are –
Agua BonitaGrain4GrainJourney FoodsMatriark FoodsNETZRORenewal MillTake Two
Conclusion
This foundation has so far proven to be incredibly successful in maintaining its aims and goals. They also had a COVID-19 Relief Fund under which a total sum of $9 million was donated. $3 million were given to Feeding America and No Kid Hungry for food distribution and the rest were donated to local food and grocery distributors to provide healthy and hygienic food to the community during the pandemic. If successful in completing their goal by 2025, the company, as well as the foundation, would be greatly applauded for the contribution made by them.
Is Zero Hunger | Zero Waste started by Kroger?
Yes, the organization Zero Hunger | Zero Waste is started and run by Kroger.
How can I donate to Zero Hunger | Zero Waste?
Kroger stores have a direct option to donate to them in person, but apart from that, Kroger also has a donation website to make online transactions – https://donate.onecause.com/zhzwfgivingtuesday
Does Zero Hunger | Zero Waste have anything to do with the UN?
No, it is started by Kroger and there is no information stating that the foundation has anything to do with the UN.
Grammarly Report –
