Better Health for All

Kroger received an FDA warning letter on December 12, 2025, for continuing to sell ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula in stores across 10 states from November 12-19, 2025, after being notified of a recall due to a multistate infant botulism outbreak affecting 51 infants in 19 states.

This constitutes a severe food safety violation and a failure in crisis response and risk transparency. In 2023, Kroger managed 72 recall events. , including 40 Class I product recalls, 36 of which were food-related. Kroger agreed to a $110 million settlement with Kentucky to resolve allegations that its pharmacies contributed to the opioid crisis, indicating a significant negative health externality and past issues with addiction controls. Kroger Health offers a prescription drug safety education program, reaching over 170,000 students in more than 470 schools, with 80-83% of students reporting improved understanding and confidence. , The company also hosts drug take-back events, collecting 171,000 pounds of medications over six years from over 77,000 visitors across 34 states.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Kroger's primary business is not financial services, which means many KPIs related to lending, deposit services, and financial products are not applicable. Consequently, the company scores 0 for pricing fairness, exploitative fee exposure, inclusion initiatives, data accessibility, fair lending compliance, wealth building outcomes, debt burden ratio, geographic inclusion, and product simplicity, as it does not offer consumer credit products, manage customer finance data, or operate financial service access points. For financial literacy initiatives, Kroger partnered with Bank On Louisville, engaging 638 customers in financial education and connections to affordable bank accounts through its Mobile Market program between July and October 2023.

This reach is less than 5% of its 63 million annual households. Regarding underserved client share, Kroger serves 63 million households annually and offers Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) payment options for SNAP and WIC online . However, the percentage of total customers from underserved or minority segments is not provided, leading to omission of this KPI. For profit reinvestment, Kroger made a $1.1 million investment through its Racial Equity Fund in 2022 and $346 million in total charitable giving in 2024 . However, the percentage of annual pre-tax profit reinvested in community finance or profit-sharing with underserved communities is not available, leading to omission of this KPI.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

A Kroger supermarket in Mississippi was fined $13,673 by the U.S. Department of Labor in May 2022 for permitting minors to engage in hazardous work and exceed hour standards

. The company offers over 80 Fair Trade Certified products through its Simple Truth brand as of October 2023 , and by mid-2022, achieved 100% Fair Trade Certified coffee sourcing for its Private Selection brand . Kroger also operates a supplier diversity and inclusion program supporting minority, LGBTQ, disabled, veteran, and women-owned enterprises .

Honest & Fair Business

Kroger settled a lawsuit with the state of Kentucky in January 2025, agreeing to pay $110 million to resolve claims that its pharmacies failed to monitor suspicious opioid prescriptions.

In March 2025, the CEO and Chairman resigned following an internal investigation that determined his personal conduct was inconsistent with Kroger's Policy on Business Ethics.

Kind to Animals

Kroger sourced 43.3% of shell eggs by volume from cage-free housing systems in 2024

and aims to transition about 70% of eggs sold to cage-free or higher standards by 2030. For fresh pork, 90% was sourced from sows in group housing systems in 2024, with a goal to reach 100% by 2025. For its Simple Truth Organic® and Simple Truth Natural® fresh chicken in 2024, 100% of the supply prohibits broiler cages, 71.4% has enriched environments, and 36.6% meets maximum stocking density standards. Kroger requires 100% of domestic milk and dairy product suppliers to be enrolled in the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program. The company states it does not conduct animal testing on its manufactured Our Brands products and ingredients, nor does it require or request that contract suppliers conduct animal testing, implying no live animals are used in testing. Kroger is a member of the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare (GCAW).

No War, No Weapons

Kroger does not sell firearms as of September 2025

, indicating zero revenue from arms or defense contracts and a clear corporate ban on military sales. This represents 100% divestment from firearms sales, following earlier actions in March 2018 to stop selling assault-style rifles and restrict gun sales to individuals under 21 . The company has codified ethical red lines against selling firearms, which are a category of small arms. In its supply chain, Kroger follows enhanced humanitarian procurement standards, as evidenced by its Responsible Supply Chain Assessment Guide and Human Rights Policy from 2025 , which include zero tolerance for bribery, forced labor, and child labor . Its Conflict Minerals Policy, revised December 2018 , supports the elimination of conflict minerals as a source of funding for violence and human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo .

Planet-Friendly Business

No specific, concrete evidence was found in the provided articles to score any of the Key Performance Indicators for the 'Planet-Friendly Business' ethical value. Information regarding general GHG emissions or food waste reduction does not explicitly align with the specific scope or metric requirements of the KPIs in the rubric. Kroger achieved a 15.2% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a 2018 baseline, totaling 4,894,705 metric tons of CO₂e

. Initiatives include installing glass doors on open refrigerated cases, upgrading refrigeration units, and implementing energy management systems. The company reduced total food waste generated in retail stores by over 26% since 2017, amounting to 245,289 tons in 2022 . Kroger sourced 20.4 million pounds of Fair Trade Certified™ ingredients for its Our Brands products, marking a 20.8% year-over-year increase . Kroger received the SEAL Business Sustainability Award in the Environmental Initiatives category for its Zero Hunger | Zero Waste impact plan . The Zero Hunger | Zero Waste impact plan led to $1.65 billion in contributions to hunger relief and the donation of 582 million pounds of surplus food .

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Kroger has established 7 formal partnerships with diverse community groups. These include collaborations with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund

, sponsorship of the King Legacy Celebration , and cooperation with organizations like the Urban League and the Freedom Center . The Kroger Co. Foundation also donated $1 million to Hispanic organizations, including the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Hispanic Federation, and US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Educational Fund .

Safe & Smart Tech

Kroger experienced a data breach in January 2021, affecting approximately 3.82 million individuals due to vulnerabilities in Accellion's File Transfer Appliance

. In response, the company discontinued Accellion's services and offered credit monitoring . Additionally, in March 2023, Kroger's Postal Prescription Services reported an incident of improper sharing of patient names and email addresses, affecting over 82,000 customers due to an internal error . Following this, PPS updated its website and reviewed procedures to prevent future incidents .

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Kroger achieved an 85% company-wide operational waste diversion rate in 2024.

For its "Our Brands" products, 52% of packaging is recyclable, reusable, or compostable, and the portfolio collectively contains 10% post-consumer recycled content. The company has implemented numerous waste reduction initiatives, including its "Zero Hunger | Zero Waste" program, which has resulted in 815 million pounds of surplus fresh food donated since 2017 and a 58.2% diversion of retail food waste from landfills in 2024. Total food waste generated in retail stores has seen a 3.8% cumulative reduction from a 2017 baseline by 2024. Kroger has set ambitious, quantitative, company-wide waste reduction targets, such as achieving 90%+ waste diversion by 2025 , a 50% cumulative food waste reduction by 2025 , and 100% recyclable, reusable, or compostable "Our Brands" packaging by 2030. Kroger also offers information about recycling programs to customers and aims to increase awareness about end-of-life packaging management.