Kroger is celebrating Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Week to further the grocer’s goal to create communities free of hunger and waste. Throughout the week, Kroger is working internally to celebrate and to educate associates about how each role within the company can make a difference – from courtesy clerks to store leadership.

“Simple, everyday actions can have a big impact,” said Tammie Young-Ennaemba, corporate affairs manager for Kroger’s Atlanta Division. “For example, every day, our associates set aside surplus fresh food for local organizations to pick up and redistribute in our communities as a part of our food rescue program. Since launching Zero Hunger | Zero Waste in 2017, Kroger associates have rescued 90 million pounds of food from stores, food processing plants and distribution centers.”

Kroger is inviting customers to join the journey to help end hunger and eliminate waste by providing helpful tips such as:

· Bringing reusable bags each time you shop. This will help eliminate single-use plastic shopping bags.

· Throwing away less food and scraps at home. Food and other organic items in landfills take a long time to break down and produce a lot of methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases.

· Checking your pantry and making a list before shopping to make sure you don’t buy more than you need. Eating safely stored leftovers can also help eliminate food waste.

· Donating directly to local food banks or ringing up your purchase to the next dollar at the register – small donations make a big difference to those facing food insecurity.

Zero Hunger | Zero Waste is Kroger’s bold social and environmental impact plan designed to address a fundamental absurdity in the nation’s food system. 35% of food produced in the U.S. is thrown away. This means 229 million tons of surplus available food goes unsold or uneaten every year, in addition to food left unharvested on farms. At the same time, nearly 42 million Americans – one in eight – struggle with hunger.

“This just doesn’t make sense and we aim to change those numbers,” Young-Ennaemba said.