Two years ago, the Union of Concerned Scientists released a report that ranked 13 major food companies on their deforestation-free beef commitments and practices, highlighting that fact that, “beef is the largest driver of tropical deforestation – and companies that buy beef from tropical countries could be doing a lot more to stop it.” Kroger, the United States’ largest grocery chain and the country’s largest second-largest general retailer behind Walmart, received zero points out of 100 in the rating of deforestation-free beef policies and practices.
Now the grocery giant is responding by assessing their exposure to deforestation and using that information to create a no-deforestation policy. In addition, they will also share progress on their deforestation commitments in their annual Sustainability Report, as well as joining the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and completing the CDP Forests questionnaire. Of course, we still have yet to see how Kroger will implement such a no-deforestation policy, but at the very least, it’s a good start.
