In October 2018, the Kroger Company announced a Zero Hunger-Zero Waste partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the leading global conservation organization. The purpose of the partnership is to introduce a food waste prevention and recovery curriculum for K-12 students in U.S. cities. WWF’s signature education program, termed Wild Classroom, is aimed at providing environmental curriculum for teachers and parents to use with students. As part of the partnership, Kroger is providing a $400,000 grant to support WWF in expanding its “Wild Classroom” program that focuses on promoting food conservation education and best practices. The partnership turns school cafeterias into classrooms to inspire students to become Zero Heroes by making a lifelong commitment to reduce food waste. “There is a fundamental absurdity surrounding the amount of food we waste and the number of people who go to bed hungry in America,” said Jessica Adelman, Kroger’s group vice president of corporate affairs. “It is essential that we teach children to recognize this disparity early on, and more importantly, what they and their families can do to be a part of the solution. An estimated 63 million tons of food goes to waste every year in the U.S., with 90 percent or more ending up in landfills. “WWF and Kroger are uniquely equipped to address the complex issue of food waste and this program represents a call to action to get our kids thinking differently about food,” said Pete Pearson, Sr. Director of Food Waste at WWF.