<SEC-DOCUMENT>0001214659-23-008184.txt : 20230602
<SEC-HEADER>0001214659-23-008184.hdr.sgml : 20230602
<ACCEPTANCE-DATETIME>20230601173702
ACCESSION NUMBER:		0001214659-23-008184
CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE:	PX14A6G
PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT:		2
FILED AS OF DATE:		20230602
DATE AS OF CHANGE:		20230601
EFFECTIVENESS DATE:		20230602

SUBJECT COMPANY:	

	COMPANY DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			KROGER CO
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0000056873
		STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:	RETAIL-GROCERY STORES [5411]
		IRS NUMBER:				310345740
		STATE OF INCORPORATION:			OH
		FISCAL YEAR END:			0128

	FILING VALUES:
		FORM TYPE:		PX14A6G
		SEC ACT:		1934 Act
		SEC FILE NUMBER:	001-00303
		FILM NUMBER:		23985822

	BUSINESS ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		1014 VINE ST
		CITY:			CINCINNATI
		STATE:			OH
		ZIP:			45201
		BUSINESS PHONE:		5137624000

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		1014 VINE ST
		CITY:			CINCINNATI
		STATE:			OH
		ZIP:			45201

FILED BY:		

	COMPANY DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			AS YOU SOW
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0001086462
		IRS NUMBER:				000000000
		STATE OF INCORPORATION:			CA

	FILING VALUES:
		FORM TYPE:		PX14A6G

	BUSINESS ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		2150 KITTREDGE ST.
		STREET 2:		SUITE 450
		CITY:			BERKELEY
		STATE:			CA
		ZIP:			94704
		BUSINESS PHONE:		510-735-8155

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		2150 KITTREDGE ST.
		STREET 2:		SUITE 450
		CITY:			BERKELEY
		STATE:			CA
		ZIP:			94704
</SEC-HEADER>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>PX14A6G
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<FILENAME>g61231px14a6g.htm
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    <TD ROWSPAN="2" STYLE="white-space: nowrap; vertical-align: top; width: 10%"><IMG SRC="asyousowlogo.jpg" ALT=""><FONT STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </FONT></TD>
    <TD STYLE="white-space: nowrap; vertical-align: bottom; width: 10%"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 8pt; color: #00813D">Main Post Office, P.O. Box 751&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </FONT></TD>
    <TD STYLE="text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 80%; white-space: nowrap"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 8pt; color: #73C167"><B>www.asyousow.org</B></FONT></TD></TR>
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    <TD STYLE="white-space: nowrap"><P STYLE="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 8pt; color: #00813D">Berkeley, CA 94704</FONT></P>
                                    <P STYLE="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 8pt; color: #00813D"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</FONT></P></TD>
    <TD STYLE="white-space: nowrap"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 7.5pt; color: #73C167">BUILDING A SAFE, JUST, AND SUSTAINABLE WORLD SINCE 1992</FONT></TD></TR>
</TABLE>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">Notice of Exempt Solicitation Pursuant to Rule 14a-103</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">Name of the Registrant: The Kroger Co. (KR)<BR>
Name of persons relying on exemption:&nbsp;As You Sow<BR>
Address of persons relying on exemption: Main Post Office, P.O. Box 751, Berkeley, CA 94704</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">Written materials are submitted pursuant to Rule 14a-6(g)(1) promulgated under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934.&nbsp;Submission is not required of this filer under the terms of the Rule but is made voluntarily in
the interest of public disclosure and consideration of these important issues.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: bold 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0; text-indent: 9pt; background-color: #B8CCE4">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: bold 16pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: center">The Kroger Co. (KR)<BR>
Vote Yes: Item #7&ndash; Report on Reducing Use of Plastic Packaging</P>

<P STYLE="font: 12pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: center"><FONT STYLE="font-weight: normal">Annual Meeting: June 22, 2023</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: bold 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: center">CONTACT: Kelly McBee | kmcbee@asyousow.org</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: bold 13pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0; text-indent: 9pt; background-color: #B8CCE4">THE RESOLUTION</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">Shareholders request that the Kroger Board issue a report, at reasonable expense
and excluding proprietary information, describing how the Company could reduce its plastics use in alignment with the one-third reduction
findings of the Pew Report, or other authoritative sources, to reduce its contribution to ocean plastics pollution.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">The report should, at Board discretion:</P>

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<TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"></TD><TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"><FONT STYLE="font-family: Symbol">&middot;</FONT></TD><TD>Assess the reputational, financial, and operational risks associated with continuing to use substantial amounts of single-use plastic
packaging while plastic pollution grows;</TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt"><TR STYLE="vertical-align: top">
<TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"></TD><TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"><FONT STYLE="font-family: Symbol">&middot;</FONT></TD><TD>Evaluate dramatically reducing the amount of plastic used in our packaging through transitioning to reusables; and</TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt"><TR STYLE="vertical-align: top">
<TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"></TD><TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"><FONT STYLE="font-family: Symbol">&middot;</FONT></TD><TD>Describe how the Company can further reduce single-use packaging, including any planned reduction strategies or goals, materials redesign,
substitution, or reductions in use of virgin plastic</TD></TR></TABLE>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: bold 13pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0; text-indent: 9pt; background-color: #B8CCE4">SUMMARY</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">The growing plastic pollution crisis poses increasing risks to Kroger. Corporations
could face an annual financial risk of approximately $100 billion should governments require them to cover the waste management costs
of the packaging they produce.<SUP>1</SUP> New laws to this effect were recently passed in Maine, Oregon, Colorado, and California,<SUP>2</SUP>
while the European Union has enacted a $1 per kilogram tax on all non-recycled plastic packaging waste.<SUP>3</SUP></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">_____________________________</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>1</SUP> https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/assets/2020/07/breakingtheplasticwave_report.pdf</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>2</SUP> https://www.packworld.com/news/sustainability/article/22419036/four-states-enact-packaging-epr-laws</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>3</SUP> https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/eu-budget/long-term-eu-budget/2021-2027/revenue/own-resources/plastics-own-resource_en</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

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    <TD STYLE="white-space: nowrap; width: 10%"><IMG SRC="asyousowlogo.jpg" ALT=""><FONT STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </FONT></TD>
    <TD STYLE="white-space: nowrap; width: 90%"><P STYLE="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 9pt; color: #00813B"><B>2023
Proxy Memo</B></FONT></P>
                                                <P STYLE="font: bold 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: 0pt; color: #00813B"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 10pt; color: #00813D"><B></B></FONT><FONT STYLE="font-style: normal; font-size: 9pt; font-weight: normal">The Kroger Co. | Report on Reducing Use of Plastic Packaging</FONT></P>
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<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">Pew Charitable Trusts released a groundbreaking study, Breaking the Plastic Wave
(&ldquo;Pew Report&rdquo;), concluding that improved recycling alone is insufficient to stem the global plastic pollution crisis and at
least one-third of overall plastic use must be eliminated. The Pew Report concludes that reducing plastic use is the most viable solution
from environmental, economic, and social perspectives. Without immediate and sustained new commitments to reduce and re-use plastic packaging,
annual flows of plastics into oceans could nearly triple by 2040.<SUP>4</SUP></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">Kroger has fallen behind its peers in plastic packaging reductions. Kroger is notably
absent from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation&rsquo;s Global Commitment to reduce plastic pollution, in which brand signatories have committed
to reduce virgin plastic use by an average of 20% by 2025.<SUP>5</SUP> The majority of signatories have already reduced their use of plastic
packaging over a 2018 baseline.<SUP>6</SUP></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">Unilever has taken the most significant action to date, agreeing to cut virgin plastic
use by 50% by 2025, including an absolute elimination of 100,000 tons of plastic packaging. At least sixty other consumer goods and retail
companies currently have goals to reduce use of virgin plastic packaging, including competitors Walmart and Target.<SUP>7</SUP> Kroger
has no plastic reduction goal. Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi are also leading the industry in reducing disposable packaging, each having
set new goals to expand use of zero-waste reusable packaging.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">As a retail partner of the global reuse platform Loop,<SUP>8</SUP> Kroger is poised
to increase use of reusable packaging. Yet, it has made no commitment to make reusable packaging permanent.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">Our Company could avoid regulatory, environmental, and competitive risks, and keep
up with its peers by, for example, setting new commitments to reduce use of disposable virgin plastic and invest in reusable packaging.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: bold 13pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0; text-indent: 9pt; background-color: #B8CCE4">RATIONALE FOR A YES VOTE</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

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<TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"></TD><TD STYLE="width: 0.25in">1.</TD><TD><B>Plastic pollution is a growing risk to companies.</B></TD></TR></TABLE>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">_____________________________</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>4</SUP> https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/assets/2020/07/breakingtheplasticwave_report.pdf</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>5</SUP> https://emf.thirdlight.com/link/f6oxost9xeso-nsjoqe/@/#id=2</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>6</SUP> https://emf.thirdlight.com/link/f6oxost9xeso-nsjoqe/@/#id=2,
p. 11</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>7</SUP> https://gc-22.emf.org/ppu/?_gl=1*1p3bi1c*_ga*NzEwMDEwNTU0LjE2NjI1NjQ4MTY.*_ga_V32N675KJX*MTY3MTIyMTM1OS4xMS4xLjE2NzEyMjE0OTMuNjAuMC4w</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>8</SUP> https://www.thekrogerco.com/loop/</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

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    <TD STYLE="white-space: nowrap; width: 10%"><IMG SRC="asyousowlogo.jpg" ALT=""><FONT STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </FONT></TD>
    <TD STYLE="white-space: nowrap; width: 90%"><P STYLE="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 9pt; color: #00813B"><B>2023
Proxy Memo</B></FONT></P>
                                                <P STYLE="font: bold 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: 0pt; color: #00813B"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 10pt; color: #00813D"><B></B></FONT><FONT STYLE="font-style: normal; font-size: 9pt; font-weight: normal">The Kroger Co. | Report on Reducing Use of Plastic Packaging</FONT></P>
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<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

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<TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"></TD><TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"><B>2.</B></TD><TD><B>For the last two years, Kroger has failed to address the concerns of nearly 50% of its investors by not providing shareholders
with sufficient information as to whether and how it will reduce <I>Our Brands </I>plastic use, exposing the Company to financial, regulatory,
and reputational risk. </B></TD></TR></TABLE>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

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<TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"></TD><TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"><B>3.</B></TD><TD><B>Kroger has failed to align its packaging targets with key initiatives, such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation New Plastics Economy
Global Commitment and the Pew Report.</B></TD></TR></TABLE>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

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<TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"></TD><TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"><B>4.</B></TD><TD><B>Kroger lags peers in transitioning away from plastic packaging.</B></TD></TR></TABLE>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: bold 13pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0; text-indent: 9pt; background-color: #B8CCE4">DISCUSSION</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

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<TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"></TD><TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"><B>1.</B></TD><TD><B>Plastic pollution is a growing risk to companies. </B></TD></TR></TABLE>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">Plastic pollution has grown to an international crisis, with increasing attention
to the problem being paid by governments, media, and citizens. Leaders from 193 United Nation Member States are in the process of negotiating
a global treaty to end plastic pollution; the nations are considering a mandate for legally binding plastic use reductions and recyclability
to transition the global market away from disposable packaging and towards reusables.<SUP>9</SUP> Adoption of the agreement to negotiate
a treaty was supported by a vast array of businesses and investors united in recognizing plastic pollution as a severe threat to business&rsquo;
social license to operate.<SUP>10</SUP> Twelve national and regional global Plastics Pacts have formed in the last few years to uphold
and accelerate corporate responsibility and a circular economy for plastics.<SUP>11</SUP></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">Plastics in oceans fatally impact more than 800 marine species and cause up to $2.5
trillion in damage annually to marine ecosystems.<SUP>12</SUP> Toxins adhere to plastics consumed by marine species, and researchers are
investigating whether they transfer toxins to human diets in ways that are harmful. One study estimates that between 400,000 and 1 million
people die annually in developing countries from illnesses like diarrhea, malaria, and cancers caused by living near mismanaged waste
and plastic pollution which creates unsafe environments.<SUP>13</SUP></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">Regulatory and policy actions on plastic pollution are increasing rapidly. One hundred
and seventy nations have pledged to significantly reduce the use of plastics by 2030, and 27 countries have banned some form of single-use
plastic.<SUP>14,15</SUP> Corporations could face an annual collective financial risk of approximately $100 billion should governments
continue as expected to require them to cover the waste management costs of the packaging they produce.<SUP>16</SUP> New laws to this
effect were recently passed in Maine, Oregon, Colorado, and California.<SUP>17</SUP> Similarly, the European Union has enacted a $1 per
kilogram tax on all non-recycled plastic packaging waste.<SUP>18</SUP></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">_____________________________</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>9</SUP> https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/plastic-treaty-progress-puts-spotlight-circular-economy</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>10</SUP> https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/plastic-treaty-progress-puts-spotlight-circular-economy</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>11</SUP> https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/plastic-treaty-progress-puts-spotlight-circular-economy</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>12</SUP> https://www.waste360.com/plastics/study-puts-economic-social-cost-ocean-plastic-pollution</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>13</SUP> https://learn.tearfund.org/-/media/learn/resources/reports/2019-tearfund-consortium-no-time-to-waste-en.pdf</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>14</SUP> https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/canada-bans-single-use-plastics/</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>15</SUP> https://www.businessinsider.com/plastic-bans-around-the-world-2019-4</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>16</SUP> https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/assets/2020/07/breakingtheplasticwave_report.pdf</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>17</SUP> https://www.packworld.com/news/sustainability/article/22419036/four-states-enact-packaging-epr-laws</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>18</SUP> https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/eu-budget/long-term-eu-budget/2021-2027/revenue/own-resources/plastics-own-resource_en</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

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    <TD STYLE="white-space: nowrap; width: 10%"><IMG SRC="asyousowlogo.jpg" ALT=""><FONT STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </FONT></TD>
    <TD STYLE="white-space: nowrap; width: 90%"><P STYLE="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 9pt; color: #00813B"><B>2023
Proxy Memo</B></FONT></P>
                                                <P STYLE="font: bold 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: 0pt; color: #00813B"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 10pt; color: #00813D"><B></B></FONT><FONT STYLE="font-style: normal; font-size: 9pt; font-weight: normal">The Kroger Co. | Report on Reducing Use of Plastic Packaging</FONT></P>
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<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">In light of these risks, the most viable solution to the plastic crisis requires
absolute reductions in global plastic use. Even if all current major industry and government commitments to date are met, annual plastic
flows to the ocean would only fall by 7%.<SUP>19</SUP> Corporate goals to address plastic pollution have historically focused on improved
recyclability and use of recycled content, yet as indicated in the Pew Report, reduction of plastic production and use results in, &ldquo;...the
biggest reduction in plastic pollution, often represents a net savings, and provides the highest mitigation opportunity in [greenhouse
gas] emissions.&rdquo;<SUP>20</SUP> The Pew Report concludes, &rdquo;Upstream solutions that aim to reduce or substitute plastic use are
critical and should be prioritized&rdquo;<SUP>21</SUP> amid an integrated plastic pollution solutions approach throughout the plastics
lifecycle to limit adverse social or environmental effects.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt"><TR STYLE="vertical-align: top">
<TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"></TD><TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"><B>2.</B></TD><TD><B>For the last two years, Kroger has failed to address the concerns of nearly 50% of its investors by not providing shareholders
with sufficient information as to whether and how it will reduce <I>Our Brands</I> plastic use, exposing the Company to financial, regulatory,
and reputational risk. </B></TD></TR></TABLE>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0; text-indent: 0in">In 2021, 50% of investors representing shares worth $10.2 billion
supported a proposal filed by <I>As You Sow </I>asking Kroger to assess and disclose how much of its packaging escapes into the environment;
disclose the Company&rsquo;s strategies or goals to reduce use of plastic packaging; and evaluate opportunities for dramatically reducing
the&nbsp;amount&nbsp;of plastic used in <I>Our Brands</I> packaging.<SUP>22</SUP> Kroger did not respond with an intent nor a description
of how it would take these requested actions on plastic packaging, leading <I>As You Sow </I>to re-file the resolution in 2022. The re-filed
proposal received significant support for a second year in a row with nearly 40% of investors requesting that the Company take new action
to reduce its overall use of plastic packaging.<SUP>23</SUP></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0; text-indent: 0in">Despite the risks created by plastic pollution and despite these
shareholder votes, Kroger has failed to articulate a quantifiable goal to reduce its overall use of plastic packaging &ndash; the most
viable solution from environmental, economic, and social perspectives.<SUP>24</SUP> Instead, the Company has only a non-plastic-specific
statement of intent to reduce unnecessary packaging and a commitment to make its packaging recyclable, compostable, or reusable by 2030.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">_____________________________</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>19</SUP> <FONT>https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/assets/2020/07/breakingtheplasticwave_report.pdf</FONT><FONT STYLE="color: #2E74B5"><U>,</U></FONT>
p. 30</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>20</SUP> <FONT>https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/assets/2020/07/breakingtheplasticwave_report.pdf</FONT><FONT STYLE="color: #2E74B5"><U>,</U></FONT>
p. 45</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>21</SUP> <FONT>https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/assets/2020/07/breakingtheplasticwave_report.pdf</FONT><FONT STYLE="color: #2E74B5"><U>,</U></FONT>
p. 9</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>22</SUP> https://www.asyousow.org/press-releases/2021/6/29/kroger-shareholders-support-proposal-cuts-single-use-plastic
</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>23</SUP> https://www.asyousow.org/resolutions/2022/01/12-kroger-sustainable-packaging-policies-for-plastic</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 9pt"><SUP>24</SUP> <FONT>https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/assets/2020/07/breakingtheplasticwave_report.pdf</FONT></FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

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    <TD STYLE="white-space: nowrap; width: 10%"><IMG SRC="asyousowlogo.jpg" ALT=""><FONT STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </FONT></TD>
    <TD STYLE="white-space: nowrap; width: 90%"><P STYLE="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 9pt; color: #00813B"><B>2023
Proxy Memo</B></FONT></P>
                                                <P STYLE="font: bold 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: 0pt; color: #00813B"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 10pt; color: #00813D"><B></B></FONT><FONT STYLE="font-style: normal; font-size: 9pt; font-weight: normal">The Kroger Co. | Report on Reducing Use of Plastic Packaging</FONT></P>
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<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0; text-indent: 0in">However, a commitment relying heavily on recycling plastic fails
to address investors&rsquo; concerns about plastic pollution and the absolute reduction of plastic use. Only 9% of plastic is recycled,<SUP>25</SUP>
meaning that recyclable plastic packaging is about as likely to become plastic pollution as is non-recyclable plastic packaging. As described
above, companies must prioritize using <I>less plastic</I> overall to reduce risks posed by plastic packaging pollution.</P>
<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">In late 2022, Kroger also published new packaging data.<SUP>26</SUP> Yet this too
is inadequate to address investors&rsquo; concerns and respond meaningfully to the plastic pollution crisis. For instance, unlike many
of its peers who have collected robust data on their plastic packaging usage, Kroger&rsquo;s report relies heavily on estimates, with
a stated intent to collect actual data by 2030. Absent a real effort to collect data on a timeframe that matches the urgency of the plastic
pollution crisis, Kroger&rsquo;s packaging data report fails to adequately inform investors of the packaging risks faced by the Company.
Likewise, the lack of real data prevents Kroger from taking meaningful, informed action to address those risks, unlike its peers.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt"><TR STYLE="vertical-align: top">
<TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"></TD><TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"><B>3.</B></TD><TD><B>Kroger has failed to align its packaging targets with key initiatives, such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation New Plastics Economy
Global Commitment and the Pew Report.</B></TD></TR></TABLE>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><FONT STYLE="background-color: white">The Pew Report finds that corporate commitments
to date are insufficient to tackle ocean plastic pollution and that all corporations must reduce their virgin plastic use by one-third.
Kroger previously set and achieved a weight-based plastic reduction goal. However, because the goal was not calculated as a percentage
of overall plastic use (as the Company is only now conducting an actual data gathering process), the achievement of that goal does not
necessarily mean that the Company is using less plastic today than it was prior to the goal. Kroger must embrace &ldquo;peak plastic&rdquo;
as other companies have done &ndash; wherein a company&rsquo;s growth and its use of plastic are decoupled </FONT>&ndash; and commit to
permanently reducing the amount of plastic packaging it uses.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">However, Kroger is notably absent from participation in the largest pre-competitive
corporate movement to address plastic packaging pollution &ndash; the Ellen MacArthur Foundation New Plastics Economy Global Commitment
(&ldquo;Global Commitment&rdquo;). More than 200 participating companies have adopted goals in a variety of specially targeted categories
to drastically stem plastic flows into the ocean by 2025, including significant efforts to fulfill the Pew Report recommendations, such
as transitioning to package-free and refillable formats and reducing single-use plastic packaging.<SUP>27</SUP></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">_____________________________</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>25</SUP> https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastic-pollution-is-growing-relentlessly-as-waste-management-and-recycling-fall-short.htm</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>26</SUP> https://www.thekrogerco.com/esgreport/</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>27</SUP> https://emf.thirdlight.com/link/f6oxost9xeso-nsjoqe/@/#id=2</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

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    <TD STYLE="white-space: nowrap; width: 90%"><P STYLE="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 9pt; color: #00813B"><B>2023
Proxy Memo</B></FONT></P>
                                                <P STYLE="font: bold 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: 0pt; color: #00813B"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 10pt; color: #00813D"><B></B></FONT><FONT STYLE="font-style: normal; font-size: 9pt; font-weight: normal">The Kroger Co. | Report on Reducing Use of Plastic Packaging</FONT></P>
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<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">Kroger has adopted a goal for <I>Our Brands</I> packaging of all materials to be
recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2030, a timeline that &ndash; even if recycling was adequate to address the plastic crisis &ndash;
lags its Global Commitment peers by five years. The Company has a goal to incorporate 10% recycled content into packaging overall but
lacks a plastic-packaging-specific recycled content goal. This type of &ldquo;blended&rdquo; goal obscures actual recycled content use
across priority materials like plastic, as companies can solely incorporate recycled content into more readily incorporable materials
like paper and claim success in their goal despite zero recycled content use in plastic packaging. All Global Commitment corporate signatories
have adopted plastic-specific recycled content goals to promote transparency and accountability.</P>
<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt"><TR STYLE="vertical-align: top">
<TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"></TD><TD STYLE="width: 0.25in"><B>4.</B></TD><TD><B>Kroger lags peers in transitioning away from plastic packaging.</B></TD></TR></TABLE>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">Kroger was one of the lowest scoring companies in <I>As You Sow&rsquo;s </I>2021
Corporate Plastic Pollution Scorecard (&ldquo;Plastic Scorecard&rdquo;), receiving a &ldquo;D&rdquo; grade.<SUP>28</SUP> The Plastic Scorecard
rated 50 of the largest fast-moving consumer goods companies across 44 metrics evaluating action to prevent plastic packaging pollution.
Kroger's low grade in the Plastic Scorecard was determined, in part, by the Company&rsquo;s lack of a recycled plastic content goal and
a reusable packaging goal, and Kroger&rsquo;s 2030 timelines for existing goals, as most peer companies aim to achieve similar packaging
goals by 2025.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">Competitor Walmart recently announced that in the next three years the company will
reduce its total virgin plastic use by 15%. Partly due to this commitment, Walmart was ranked as the top scoring retailer &ndash; and
one of the top five companies &ndash; in <I>As You Sow&rsquo;s</I> Plastic Scorecard. Kroger is severely behind its peers in taking necessary
plastic pollution prevention measures such as assessing overall plastic use, setting a commitment to comprehensively reduce its overall
plastic packaging use, and pledging to explore permanent reusable packaging alternatives.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">In contrast, Starbucks is actively embracing reusable packaging with new global reusable
container initiatives for takeaway and in-store,<SUP>29</SUP> while Coca-Cola and Pepsi have made commitments to increase sales in reusable
and refillable containers. Coca-Cola has committed to the largest reusable packaging goal to date, pledging to sell 25% of product by
volume in reusables by 2030,<SUP>30</SUP> and Pepsi has committed to sell 20% of beverage servings in reusables by 2030.<SUP>31</SUP>
As a retail partner of the global reuse platform Loop, Kroger has made a positive first step towards exploring reusable packaging, yet
the Company has made no public commitment to make reusable packaging a permanent offering.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">_____________________________</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>28</SUP> https://www.asyousow.org/report-page/plastic-pollution-scorecard-2021/</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>29</SUP> https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2022/starbucks-global-environmental-and-social-impact-report-2021/</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>30</SUP> https://www.coca-colacompany.com/news/coca-cola-announces-industry-leading-target-for-reusable-packaging</P>

<P STYLE="font: 9pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><SUP>31</SUP> https://www.pepsico.com/our-stories/press-release/pepsico-introduces-new-packaging-goal-doubling-down-on-scaling-reusable-packagin12052022</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

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    <TD STYLE="white-space: nowrap; width: 10%"><IMG SRC="asyousowlogo.jpg" ALT=""><FONT STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </FONT></TD>
    <TD STYLE="white-space: nowrap; width: 90%"><P STYLE="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 9pt; color: #00813B"><B>2023
Proxy Memo</B></FONT></P>
                                                <P STYLE="font: bold 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: 0pt; color: #00813B"><FONT STYLE="font-size: 10pt; color: #00813D"><B></B></FONT><FONT STYLE="font-style: normal; font-size: 9pt; font-weight: normal">The Kroger Co. | Report on Reducing Use of Plastic Packaging</FONT></P>
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<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: bold 13pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0; text-indent: 9pt; background-color: #B8CCE4">RESPONSE TO KROGER BOARD OF DIRECTORS&rsquo;
STATEMENT IN OPPOSITION</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">In the Company&rsquo;s opposition statement, Kroger cites one-time packaging material
reductions or improvements and its existing goals on packaging. For the reasons described above, the Company&rsquo;s existing actions
are simply not enough to reduce the financial, regulatory, and reputational risks associated with the Company&rsquo;s use of plastic.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">Kroger must commit to a holistic evaluation of opportunities to reduce its plastic
packaging use, including an expedited assessment of the Company&rsquo;s packaging footprint &ndash; a data point that most peer companies
have had for years. The Company&rsquo;s existing sustainable packaging goals for 2030 are already five years behind competitors and fail
to focus on plastic packaging.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">As seen in commitments by peers and as shown by the Plastic Scorecard, Kroger's actions
to prevent plastic pollution are severely underperforming. Most critically, the Company has no goal for overall plastic reduction, nor
a goal to rapidly accelerate package-free and reusable packaging alternatives as outlined in the Global Commitment and the Pew Report.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: bold 13pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0; text-indent: 9pt; background-color: #B8CCE4">CONCLUSION</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><B>Vote &ldquo;Yes&rdquo; on this Shareholder Proposal to publish a report on opportunities
to reduce plastic packaging and mitigate plastic packaging pollution.</B> For two years, Kroger has failed to address the concerns of
nearly 50% of its shareholders who voted for greater reporting and action from our Company. By failing to meaningfully evaluate the range
of opportunities available to feasibly mitigate its contributions to plastic pollution, Kroger has fallen behind peers like Walmart and
is increasingly being identified by consumers and shareholders as a significant contributor to the plastic pollution crisis. Accordingly,
our Company is vulnerable to reputational damage and the increasing costs of regulation designed to protect oceans and people harmed by
plastic pollution. We urge a &ldquo;<B>Yes</B>&rdquo; vote on this resolution.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><B><I>--</I></B></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><I>For questions, please contact:</I></P>
<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0"><I>Kelly McBee, As You Sow, </I><I>kmcbee@asyousow.org</I></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 11pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">THE FOREGOING INFORMATION MAY BE DISSEMINATED TO SHAREHOLDERS VIA TELEPHONE, U.S.
MAIL, E-MAIL, CERTAIN WEBSITES AND CERTAIN SOCIAL MEDIA VENUES, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS INVESTMENT ADVICE OR AS A SOLICITATION
OF AUTHORITY TO VOTE YOUR PROXY. THE COST OF DISSEMINATING THE FOREGOING INFORMATION TO SHAREHOLDERS IS BEING BORNE ENTIRELY BY ONE OR
MORE OF THE CO-FILERS. PROXY CARDS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED BY ANY CO-FILER. PLEASE DO NOT SEND YOUR PROXY TO ANY CO-FILER. TO VOTE YOUR PROXY,
PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON YOUR PROXY CARD<I>.</I></P>

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<P STYLE="text-align: right; font: 10pt Times New Roman; margin: 0pt 0">7</P>

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end
</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
</SEC-DOCUMENT>
