Kroger taking on obesity epidemic

Kroger is highlighting its efforts to fight the U.S. obesity epidemic at a nutrition forum in Italy this month.

Kroger Group Vice President for Corporate Affairs Lynn Marmer said: "For nine consecutive years, we have lowered our costs of doing business and reinvested those savings in lower food prices that save our customers more than $3 billion every year. More recently, we have invested considerably in lower retail prices on fresh fruits and vegetables in our produce department, especially, which is expanding access to healthy foods for our customers. We are equally committed to caring for our neighbors in need. Our Perishable Donations Partnership contributes millions of pounds of fresh, nutritious items annually to food banks across the country."

Kroger's fresh food rescue program is responsible for 25,000 tons of fresh meat, produce, dairy and bakery items donated to food banks last year, which equates to more than 35 million meals of healthy, perishable food to help feed hungry families. Marmer also discussed tools for Kroger employees to improve their health, including an incentive program with measurable outcomes to improve workplace wellness.

Since 2010, Kroger employees participate in annual health screenings that measure blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, body mass index and blood glucose levels, the company said. The percentage of associates meeting targets in each of the four areas has increased from 2010 to 2013, demonstrating improvement in the health of Kroger's workforce.

"We want our workforce to be the healthiest in America," Marmer said. "More of our associates meeting health targets each year shows real progress toward that goal. We know that becoming healthier, both individually and collectively, improves our personal and work lives, and that benefits our customers, too." Kroger employs more than 375,000 associates who serve customers in 2,631 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia.