CINCINNATI, Oct. 12, 2017
/PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) today is hosting its
first natural foods innovation summit, in partnership with 84.51°,
in Cincinnati, Ohio with keynote
speaker Joy Bauer, MS, RD, CDN.
"Kroger is proud of the role we've played in making natural and
organic products more affordable and accessible to America," said
Jill McIntosh, Kroger's VP of
natural foods. "This category was a $16
billion business for us in 2016, and today's
company-produced expo is an innovation platform that allows us to
continue to expand our natural foods product portfolio by
partnering with emerging brands on micro and macro levels."
Top trends in natural foods are holistic health, convenience and
sustainability. Consumer insights show that customers are adopting
a 360-degree approach to health and wellness, including greater
consumption of natural foods to prevent illnesses. A growing number
of customers are seeking healthier on-the-go snacks and meals, and
nutritional drinks are increasingly becoming meal replacements.
Kroger's team of buyers continuously look for opportunities to
purchase regionally that allow the company to expand its product
portfolio for customers, stimulate the local economy and enhance
product freshness. Sourcing locally also supports the company's
sustainability commitments, including Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero
Waste initiative launched last month. Recently, Kroger joined the
Sustainable Packaging Coalition®, a membership-based collaborative
of like-minded companies striving to advance sustainable
packaging.
"Kroger is leading the way to redefine the food and grocery
customer experience as one part of our Restock Plan
announced yesterday in New York at
our annual investor conference. Customer lifestyles are evolving,
and as America's grocer, we understand the importance of carrying
relevant products at affordable prices that are meaningful to the
nearly nine million customers we serve daily in our family of
stores," Ms. McIntosh added.
Kroger will begin to host Natural Foods Innovation Summit events
a few times per year. Local and natural foods brands can visit
Kroger.Com/WeAreLocal to learn how to join Kroger's family of
suppliers.
At The Kroger Co., we are dedicated to our purpose: to Feed
the Human Spirit™. We are 450,000
associates who serve nearly nine million customers daily in 2,793
retail food stores under a variety of local banner names in 35
states and the District of
Columbia. Our Family of Companies operates an expanding
ClickList offering – a personalized order online service – in
addition to 2,258 pharmacies, 783 convenience stores, 307 fine
jewelry stores, 222 retail health clinics, 1,472 supermarket fuel
centers and 38 food production plants in the United States. Our Company has been
recognized as one of America's most generous companies for our
support of more than 100 Feeding America food bank partners, breast
cancer research and awareness, the military and their families, and
more than 145,000 community organizations including schools. As a
leader in supplier diversity, we are a proud member of the
Billion Dollar Roundtable.
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SOURCE The Kroger Co.