CINCINNATI, Oct. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co.
(NYSE: KR) announced today its plan to standardize date labels for
Our Brands food products, providing simpler,
easier-to-understand product quality and safety information as part
of its Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social impact commitment.
"Kroger recognizes food waste often takes place in our
customers' kitchens simply because product date labels can be
confusing, resulting in safe-to-eat food regularly being tossed
out," said Howard Popoola, Kroger's
vice president of corporate food technology and regulatory
compliance. "As Kroger works to reduce food waste throughout our
business and our communities, we are standardizing and simplifying
Our Brands products' date labels, providing clearer guidance
to our customers."
Paradoxically, one in nine Americans struggles with hunger every
day, while 40 percent of the food produced in the country goes
uneaten, which includes the food waste created in shoppers'
households. And according to ReFED research, 20 percent of
avoidable food waste is estimated to be discarded every year
because of consumer date labeling confusion.
"Standardized date labeling is one of the most cost-effective
solutions to reduce food waste and provide more resources to food
banks across the country," said Chris
Cochran, Executive Director, ReFED. "We applaud Kroger's
continued leadership on food waste reduction through its Zero
Hunger | Zero Waste plan, and ReFED is proud to partner with
America's largest grocer to help the retailer achieve its bold,
commendable goal by 2025."
Earlier this year, Kroger began to transition Our Brands
food products to feature one of the following date labels:
- "Use By" is used to represent food safety. If a
customer reads "use by" followed by a date, it indicates the
deadline for when it is no longer safe to eat.
- "Best if Used By" is used to represent food
quality. If a customer reads "best if used by" followed by a date,
it indicates the deadline for guaranteed freshness but does not
affect the product's safety.
The simplified labels will apply to multiple product categories,
including dairy, deli, bakery, and fresh and frozen grocery.
"Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste vision was designed to use
our scale for good to create positive change in every community
where we operate. By implementing a standard and simplified new
date labeling approach, Kroger and our customers can play an
instrumental role in preventing tons of food waste from arriving at
landfills, resulting in a healthier, stronger planet and
communities free of hunger and waste," said Jessica Adelman, Kroger's group vice president
of corporate affairs and chief social impact officer. "Kroger is
always searching for meaningful ways we can reduce food waste and
make it easier for our customers to be Zero Heroes, joining us on
our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste journey because we cannot do it
alone."
Kroger will complete the Our Brands date label transition
in 2020.
To learn more about Zero Hunger | Zero Waste, visit
thekrogerco.com and follow the journey at #ZeroHungerZeroWaste.
To view photography of the new Our Brands date labels,
please visit here.
About The Kroger Co.
At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we
are dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit®. We are,
across our family of companies, nearly half a million associates
who serve over 11 million customers daily through a seamless
digital shopping experience and 2,759 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.