At Kroger, we’ve committed to eliminating food waste across our company by 2025 as part of our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social impact plan. With this goal in mind, we’re constantly working to extend the life of the food we carry – so it’s fresher on our shelves and stays fresh longer for customers at home.

Lisa Zwack, Kroger’s head of sustainability, has lots of ideas about how we can all reduce food waste at home too. Here are 10 easy tips:
 

1. Plan ahead. Make a meal plan for the week and use it to create your shopping list. “That way, you’ll buy what you need and help head off waste before it happens,” Lisa says.

 

2. Take stock. Shop in your refrigerator and pantry first. Know what you already have before purchasing more – a strategy that will save you money AND reduce waste.

 

3. Be realistic. For staples like condiments, juices and snacks, include realistic quantities on your list, so you don’t overstock and run the risk of them going bad before being eaten.

 

4. Mind the dates. Be sure to eat foods with the earliest expiration date first.

 

5. Get creative. “Vegetables and fruits that are beginning to wilt may still work perfectly for soups, stocks, smoothies and casserole dishes,” Lisa says.

Cut up fruit and vegetables into individual portions to make them more convenient to eat and less likely to go to waste.

6. Store properly. This means keeping bananas, apples and tomatoes separate, washing berries and grapes just before you eat them to prevent mold, and keeping fruit and vegetables in different refrigerator drawers.

7. Freeze freely. Make your freezer your ally. Consider bagging and freezing extra fruits and veggies, especially during their peak seasons. Bread and baked goods freeze well and can be portioned directly out of the freezer to minimize waste. (Preserving and canning is another way to stretch your food dollars and reduce waste.)

 

8. Cook, then freeze. Prepare and cook your fresh items before freezing, then thaw them as needed for quick meal prep throughout the month.

 

9. Think serving-sized. Cut up fruit and vegetables into individual portions to make them more convenient to eat and less likely to go to waste.

 

10. Compost! You can compost everything from uncooked vegetable scraps to fruit peelings, teabags, coffee grounds, eggshells and even small amounts of paper and soft cardboard, and use it to feed your garden. Learn more about how to start composting: https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home

To stay in the know on all things Zero Hunger | Zero Waste, join our mailing list.