Back to Specialty Food News

Kroger Participates in Food-Related Crisis Conference

Specialty Food Association

Kroger announced last week its participation in the National Convening to Inform the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington D.C. The event aimed to gather critical viewpoints to help identify and consider solutions to many crises around hunger, nutrition, and diet-related chronic diseases that plague the U.S.

"Kroger's position at the nexus of fresh food and healthcare gives us a unique perspective on the role nutrition plays in [the] prevention and mitigation of chronic illness," said Rodney McMullen, Kroger's chairman and CEO, in a statement. "We are proud to share what we have learned through our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste commitment to help create communities free of hunger and waste as well as our Food As Medicine platform that helps people lives healthier lives. We thank the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Task Force on Hunger, Nutrition and Health for inviting us to participate in this important conversation."

Kroger identified that the centerpiece of its environmental, social, and governance strategies is its “Zero Hunger | Zero Waste” impact plan, with which Keith Dailey, Kroger’s group vice president of corporate affairs and chief sustainability officer, notes that the company hopes to direct over three billion meals to feed hungry American families by 2025.

The event brought together scientists, nonprofits, community organizations, industry representatives, and congressional leaders to discuss strategies to end hunger, improve nutrition, and reduce diet-related chronic disease in the U.S. by 2030. All of these topics will inform the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health that will occur in September.

Related: USDA Seeks to Expand Retailers Who Accept SNAP Online; Meijer Invests in Wind Energy