Kroger’s Dairy Rescue Program Is Sending 200,000 Gallons Of Excess Milk To Food Banks

By Mayukh Saha / Truth Theory

The Kroger Co., aiming for #ZeroHungerZeroWaste, has launched a Dairy Rescue Program. The program will collect excess milk from dairy farmers and supply that to food banks. This is an effort to keep Americans in need fed during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.

Lockdown Hits Dairy Supply, Kroger Steps Up, Donates 200,000 Gallons To Feeding America

Owing to the prolonged nationwide lockdown, farmers are finding it difficult to find a home for their food. The food service supply chain has been overturned. With restaurants, hotels, and schools closed, dairy farmers too are suffering from this crisis with additional gallons of milk in storage, but no demand for supply. 

They are finding it difficult by the day to store the raw milk or sell it retail during this lockdown. The grocery store chain Kroger stepped in to help solve this crisis. Kroger bought nearly 200,000 gallons of milk from dairy farmers with excess supply. This milk was going to waste because of the nil-demand situation, but now due to the Kroger initiative, these 200,000 gallons of milk are set to be redirected to food banks under Feeding America.

Read: To Avoid Produce Dumps Some Farmers Started Selling Directly

Kroger is collaborating with their dairy cooperative farmers across the Midwest and South for the processing and packaging of the milk. The milk is to be processed in their facilities in Michigan, Texas, Ohio, and Kentucky and donated thereafter to Feeding America. The organization will distribute this nutritious food item to various food banks across America and keep America fed. 

Kroger’s Vice President of manufacturing Erin Sharp mentions the two-fold mission of the Dairy Rescue Program. It is set to make dairy farmers productive during these trying times. It will also strengthen their mission to eliminate hunger and wastage of food. 

Read: More Americans Are Turning To Grow Their Own Food And Seed Companies Can’t Keep Up

Kroger Expands Its Dairy Rescue Program

The expanded Kroger Dairy Rescue Program expects to supply an additional donation of 50,000 gallons of milk every month to local food banks and hunger-relief organizations. Feeding America has taken up the responsibility of transportation of these gallons of milk. The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the nation hard with rising levels of unemployment and increasing queues outside food banks. In such times, Blake Thompson, Feeding America’s chief supply chain officer said, “Kroger’s Dairy Rescue Program is keeping America’s farmers productive, avoiding unnecessary food waste, and helping families in need.”

There is a decreasing demand for milk and increasing demand for dairy alternatives like coconut, cashew, soy milk, etc. Kroger’s Dairy Rescue Program, thus, has become an invaluable program to steady the balance in the supply-demand of dairy products. 

Image Credit: stefbennett