Customers swarm Kroger stores in nationwide action to eliminate toxic pesticides from food

Public health advocates, environmentalists and concerned customers will visit Kroger-owned (NYSE:KR) stores as part of a national action February 23-29 to demand that Kroger stop selling food grown with toxic pesticides and increase offerings of domestic organic food. In Austin, Eugene, Detroit and Raleigh, advocates are visiting the same Kroger stores where they gathered food samples.

A new report released this month found that Kroger is selling brand-name cereal, apples, applesauce, spinach and pinto beans with residues of toxic pesticides linked to serious health and environmental problems. Pesticides detected include glyphosate, organophosphates and neonicotinoids. In response to the findings, people across the country are swarming the retailer to demand that the company commit to eliminating these toxic pesticides from the food it sells to protect our kids, farmworkers and essential pollinators.

• WHAT: National action demanding that Kroger get toxic pesticides out of the food it sells, including organophosphates, glyphosate and neonicotinoids and increase offerings of domestically-produced organic food
• WHERE: 10 locations across the U.S. including Austin, TX, Baltimore, MD, Denver, CO, Detroit, MI, Eugene, OR, Houston, TX, Oakland, CA, Portland, OR, Raleigh, NC and Washington, D.C.
• WHEN: Feb. 23-29
• WHO: Public health and environmental advocates
• VISUALS: Banners, posters and advocates handing out flyers to customers

To date, nearly 500,000 people have signed petitions to Kroger demanding it stop selling food grown with toxic pesticides and increase offerings of domestic organic food. Kroger has adopted a policy to phase out neonicotinoids on the garden plants it sells, but has yet to address its food supply chain.

Contacts: Kara Cook, 303-573-5995 ext. 329, [email protected]
Kevynn Gomez, 202-222-0709, [email protected]