Kroger Bakery Leftovers Don't Get Thrown Out: Here's Where They Toss 'Em Instead
Kroger's bakery department regularly churns out a variety of baked goods, from muffins and cookies to custom cakes and artisan breads, but have you ever wondered what happens to all the unsold bread and pastries at the end of the day? It's easy to assume they all get thrown out and end up contributing to America's ballooning food waste problem, but fortunately this is not the case. The oldest grocery store chain in the country has a food rescue program that redirects excess and unsold food to communities that need it. Launched in 2017, the initiative is called Zero Hunger Zero Waste and it's been on a mission to help end hunger and minimize food waste wherever Kroger is present.
Between 2017 and 2025, the retail chain donated 815 million pounds of surplus food, including surplus from its bakery. According to the company's latest reports, 100% of its stores are donating their food surplus to hunger relief agencies. (This of course only applies to food that is still safe for human consumption.) Kroger's Zero Hunger Zero Waste initiative works with hundreds of nonprofits both local and national to provide food relief for those in need. The logistics of how excess bread, cakes, and pastries are delivered or picked up by partners may vary with each store, but the goal of improving food security in less-fortunate communities is the same.
What happens to expired bread and pastries?
As one of the many grocery stores that donate unsold food, Kroger has done well with its initiative to divert this food to people who need it most. However, not all leftovers from its bakery are fit for consumption. While bread generally does not spoil within a day, its shelf life can vary significantly depending on the ingredients used and how it is stored. As such, there's always a percentage of baked goods at Kroger that get removed from the food donation stream due to spoilage. But even when these food items are no longer safe to eat, the retail giant tries to keep them from ending up in a landfill.
As part of its Zero Hunger Zero Waste plan, Kroger forwards expired bread and similar food scraps to recycling programs where they get converted into animal feed or compost. Some scraps may also be used to produce electricity, biogas, or fertilizer through anaerobic digestion. Despite these efforts to make good use of unsold items from its bakery, some of the company's food waste still ends up getting discarded. Currently, the brand says it is diverting 58% of its food waste away from landfills, a commendable amount that leaves room for improvement.