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Labor & working conditionsConfirmedAgainst
Kroger's human rights partner certified Mexican berry farms with forced labor reports
Ethical Food Initiative, Kroger's human rights partner, certified Mexican berry farms despite worker reports of abusive practices that constitute forced labor, and the voluntary scheme was found to mask violations, hinder worker voice, and enable retaliation.
However, where abusive conditions are systemic, as is the case in agriculture, voluntary CSR regimes and social audits often fail to address persistent rights abuses.3 Kroger’s human rights partner, Ethical Food Initiative, certified berry farms in Mexico despite workers describing abusive practices that constitute forced labor, and the voluntary scheme was found to mask violations, hinder worker voice, and enable retaliation against workers.4
Corporate conductRecallAgainst
Kroger recalls meat products for lead levels
Kroger recalled meat products due to concerns about lead levels.
In 2023, Kroger donated a total of $329 million to our communities in food and funds combined, including $256 million to hunger relief.
$329M in total charitable giving for our communities 455M meals donated for local hunger relief 50K+ associates have been with Kroger 10 years or more Our ApproachIntroduction Planet 2024 Kroger ESG Report 19AppendixGovernancePeople
Corporate conductRecallAgainst
Kroger recalls 19 million eggs over health risk
Kroger recalled 19 million eggs due to a serious health risk.
In 2021, an investigation from the LA Times revealed Kroger to be buying tomatoes from a Mexican farm subject to a Withhold Release Order (WRO) from the U.S. Government due to findings related to forced labor, and in early 2023, the Department of Labor publicly outed Kroger as a buyer of watermelons harvested by modern-day slaves...
As if one instance of modern-day slavery uncovered in its supply chain weren’t enough to motivate a meaningful conversation about the need to get serious about monitoring and enforcing human rights standards in its suppliers’ operations, this marks the third time in the past four years alone that Kroger has been linked to a forced labor operation when there is a ready-made, proven and highly-regarded solution standing right in front of Kroger: the Fair Food Program.
LGBTQ+ policiesConfirmedYou decide
Kroger will begin offering transgender health coverage
Kroger will begin offering transgender employees full health insurance coverage for gender transition services starting next year.
CINCINNATI — Kroger will begin offering transgender employees full health insurance coverage for services related to gender transition starting next year, the Journal-News reported Wednesday.
Labor & working conditionsAllegationAgainst
Kroger is accused of cheating workers out of overtime pay
Kroger is accused of using bogus management jobs to cheat workers out of overtime pay since 2020.
Court documents in multiple jurisdictions show that Kroger and its many banner subsidiaries are currently or have recently been accused of using bogus management jobs to cheat workers out of overtime pay since 2020:
Kroger sued for cheating on overtime, ‘retail’s dirty little secret’
Corporate conductRecallAgainst
Kroger recalls 1.6M dozen eggs over salmonella risk
Kroger recalled nearly 1.6 million dozen eggs sold at its and other stores due to potential salmonella contamination.
Kroger Deli Pasta Salads (Basil Pesto Bowtie, Smoked Mozzarella Penne) recalled October 2, 2025: Sold nationwide (Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Texas, Louisiana), possible Listeria contamination.
Corporate conductRecallAgainst
Kroger recalls Food Lion meals for metal contamination
Kroger recalled Food Lion meals due to possible metal contamination.
Kroger is joining the list of companies in the United States offering assistance for travel to get an abortion following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v.
Workplace equityRulingAgainst
Judge finds Kroger unlawfully discriminated
An administrative law judge ruled Kroger unlawfully discriminated against workers wearing 'Black Lives Matter' pins and masks.
Kroger has settled an EEOC disability discrimination lawsuit involving an Atlanta employee.
The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which alleged that Kroger discriminated against the employee based on her disability and retaliated against her after she sought an accommodation.
Kroger will pay $75,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit brought by a breast cancer survivor who worked at the grocery giant’s store in Edgewood, Georgia.
Breast Cancer Survivor Wins Disability Lawsuit Kroger To Pay $75K
EEOC Sues The Kroger Company for Disability Discrimination and Retaliation
ATLANTA – The Kroger Co., a food and drug retailer, violated federal law when an Atlanta Kroger store discriminated against an employee because of her disability and then retaliated against her for complaining about the discrimination, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it recently filed.
EEOC Sues The Kroger Company for Disability Discrimination and Retaliation | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
HOUSTON – Kroger Texas L.P. – Houston Division, operator of Kroger grocery store #300 in Houston’s Clear Lake/NASA area, violated federal employment law when it failed to accommodate and then fired an employee because of her disability, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed last week.
In addition to the $40,000 in monetary relief, the consent decree settling the suit requires Kroger to make significant changes to its new-hire process, including but not limited to providing employees with vision disabilities access to tools and resources such as magnification for its computer-based and written onboarding and training programs.
According to the EEOC's lawsuit, Kroger offered Michael Haugabrook a courtesy clerk position at its Jonesboro, Ga., store on or about March 15, 2016.
For the decree's duration, Kroger will post a notice to its employees about the lawsuit and report to the EEOC all employee requests for an accommodation under the ADA.
ATLANTA - Cincinnati-based national grocery store chain Kroger will pay $40,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
To prevent similar discrimination against future vision-impaired employees, Kroger will educate its workforce on disability discrimination via training at its Jonesboro location.
Workplace equityAllegationAgainst
Kroger is accused of telling employee lighter work is available
EEOC alleged a store manager told an employee Kroger does not do accommodations like lighter work and would instead find lighter work for her to perform.
EEOC alleged that a store manager told the employee that Kroger did not "do accommodations like that" and would instead find her lighter work to perform.
Climate & energyConfirmedIn favor
Kroger donates fresh safe food to hunger relief
Kroger donates eligible fresh safe food to hunger relief organizations in our local communities.
The agency said Kroger Limited Partnership I engaged in religious discrimination when it disciplined and fired the employees for refusing to wear an apron with the company’s "Our Promise" symbol because they believed it represented support for the LGBTQ+ community.
The EEOC settles with Kroger Limited Partnership I in religious discrimination lawsuit
Kroger marketed Carbmaster Bread Products to consumers on specialty diets while significantly misrepresenting the nutritional information of those products."
The lawsuit specifically accused Kroger of violating California's False Advertising and Unfair Competition laws, claiming the company labeled five varieties of Carbmaster bread with inaccurate calorie information, both on the product packaging and in online listings.
Kroger to pay $1.25 million to settle California lawsuit alleging inaccurate calorie listings - ABC News
Labor & working conditionsConfirmedIn favor
Kroger raises hourly worker pay to $18
Kroger increased associates' average hourly wage to $18 in 2023.
Goals & Metrics 2023 Status Social Impact Food Access & Affordability Invest in lower prices for our customers to make groceries more affordable $550M Introduce new quality affordable Our Brands products 700+ Annual meals donated to our communities—food and charitable donations 455M Donate 3 billion meals to communities by 2025 (2017 baseline)—food and donations 3.4B meals Food Rescue Donations Donate surplus fresh food from stores and facilities to our communities through Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Food Rescue program 114M pounds 100% of retail stores actively donating surplus fresh food by 2025 100% Aim for donations of fresh produce, deli and dairy items to be 45% of total food rescue 45% Charitable Giving Total annual charitable giving to our communities $329M Share of total charitable giving donated to national and local organizations helping end hunger $256M 2023 Progress Highlights Goals & Metrics 2023 Status Environmental Impact Climate Impact Achieve a 30% cumulative reduction in Scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions from 2018 baseline 12% Waste & Circularity Achieve 90%+ waste diversion from landfill company-wide 82% Reduce total food waste generated in retail stores by 50% cumulatively (2017 baseline) 20% Achieve 95% diversion of remaining retail food waste from landfill 52% 95%+ of retail stores participating in food waste recycling programs 95% Seek to achieve 100% recyclable, compostable and/or reusable Our Brands packaging 52% Increase recycled content in packaging so Our Brands portfolio collectively contains 10%+ 10% Biodiversity & Resource Conservation Set new Goal to Protect Pollinators & Biodiversity to reduce pesticide use in fresh produce supply chains – NEW Percentage of Seafood Department products aligned with Kroger’s Seafood Sustainability Policy 96%+ We recognize the unique role Kroger plays in the future of food.
We focus on: • Making it easy for more people to shop for fresh, affordable food • Donating surplus fresh food to feed our neighbors • Achieving zero waste and food waste in our operations to keep waste out of landfills • Reducing GHG emissions for a healthier planet • Offering more sustainable Our Brands packaging • Giving our customers easy ways to support our mission and live healthier, more sustainable lifestyles Key Highlights Every day, Kroger associates live Our Purpose by rescuing surplus food in our stores that can no longer be sold and donating it to local hunger relief organizations.
●Reducing food waste is another way Kroger reduces climate impacts. In 2022, we continued to reduce retail food waste generated, achieving a cumulative reduction of 26.2% vs. 2017. In 2023, we introduced a new retail food waste recycling solution to accelerate progress toward our goal of achieving 95%+ food waste diversion from landfill.
●Reducing food waste is another way Kroger reduces climate impacts.