Divert Inc. and Fred Meyer Stores, a subsidiary of The Kroger Co., have expanded their organics recycling program to support all 105 of the grocer’s locations in Oregon and Washington.
“Fred Meyer and Kroger have been valued customers of Divert for many years, and we are proud to expand our collaboration to further advance the impact of our food diversion and recovery efforts,” said Ben Kuethe Oaks, VP and general manager of retail for Divert.
“With Divert now supporting Fred Meyer across its entire store network, we are bringing increased visibility to each and every store – unlocking new opportunities for waste prevention, food donations, as well as operational efficiencies that drive meaningful cost and time savings.”
Since 2018, Divert and Fred Meyer have worked together to address the wasted food crisis. The program utilizes Divert’s proprietary process to more efficiently prevent unsold food from going to landfills, while keeping microplastics out of the soil.
The process improves the employee experience while also creating efficiencies and time savings. In addition, Divert collects store-level data from its bins, helping Fred Meyer identify patterns in unsold inventory, optimize ordering and also improve donation opportunities.
In 2024, the program prevented more than 5.4 million pounds of unsold food products from reaching landfills.
“At Fred Meyer, we are committed to sustainability and ending food waste. Our new partnership with Divert is a significant step forward in our journey towards a more sustainable future,” said Todd Kammeyer, president.
“By integrating Divert’s cutting-edge food recycling technology into our stores, we are making it easier to reduce waste in our stores.”
[RELATED: Mariano’s Diverts 1M Pounds Of Food Waste Into Renewable Energy, Compost]