Kroger Launches Food Reclamation Center

The Kroger Co. is partnering with the North Texas Food Bank on a new program that has the potential to generate an additional 2 million pounds of food annually for food bank clients.

Launched this week, the new food reclamation center will incorporate the Cincinnati-based grocer’s sophisticated scanning system, which will enable NTFB to efficiently scan, sort and box the products that will then be distributed to its 300 member agencies across a 13-county service area in North Texas.

Products delivered to the center include critical items that NTFB needs to provide nutritious meals to hungry North Texans, including canned meats and peanut butter. Other products include non-food items such as cleaning supplies and makeup.

On April 9, NTFB received its first shipment of reclaimed items, when two truckloads delivered nearly 28,000 pounds of product from Kroger stores across Texas. For a food bank that currently provides up to 92,000 meals every day, the Kroger Reclamation Center brings significant value, with the potential for up to an additional 2 million pounds of non-perishable and non-food items each year that NTFB would not have access to otherwise.

The Kroger Reclamation Center is a new concept that is being tested in select food banks across the country, with other locations planned for Houston and Memphis, Tenn.