The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation Joins The Future of Food @ SXSW

CINCINNATI, March 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation (the Foundation) is bringing people together for conversations about food system innovation, inclusion and sustainability as presenting sponsor for The Future of Food @ SXSW between March 11 and March 18, 2022, in Austin, Texas.

The Foundation is working with partners Little Herds, Food Tank, The Cook's Nook, IFANCA (Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America), and We Don't Have Time US to curate a compelling The Future of Food Event Series at SXSW 2022. The series includes two specially curated field days – The Future of Food @ SXSW Day 1 on Saturday, March 12 and Day 2 on Friday, March 18 – as well as experiences sprinkled throughout that week. A full schedule is available here.

Scheduled events for The Future of Food @ SXSW 2022 include food-focused documentary watch parties, roundtable discussions, food tastings, memorable activations and more. The Foundation and other event partners aim to blend discussions about food innovation and food system change with practical opportunities for individuals to help advance positive changes for people and our planet.

The organizers, partners and sponsors of The Future of Food recognize an increasing need for shared conversations between innovators, thinkers, funders and consumers to accelerate positive changes toward a more just, sustainable and resilient future food system. For Day 1 and Day 2 live events, The Future of Food @ SXSW will take over the SXSW Center building in downtown Austin while also providing free and open public access to programming through online streaming and broadcast partnerships.

Key two-day event details include:

• When: March 12 and March 18 | Time: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. CT, both days
• Where: SXSW Center, 1400 Lavaca St, Austin TX 78701
• Cost: Free to public, in-person and live-streamed; RSVP to attend here; SXSW badge holders given priority access at in-person events

In between Day 1 and Day 2 of The Future of Food @ SXSW, leaders of The Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation will join other speakers for official SXSW panels focused on food system innovations: 

March 15 from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. CT: Supporting Innovation for a World with Zero Hunger

Sunny Reelhorn Parr, the Foundation's executive director, will join Kelly Bryan, U.S. regional director at Village Capital; Kayla Castaneda, CEO and cofounder of Agua Bonita; and Shayna Harris, co-founder and managing partner at Supply Change Capital Fund to discuss the need for catalytic capital to help drive food systems innovation.

March 16 from 11:30 – 12:30 p.m. CT: Future Intersections of Food, Technology and Culture

Denise Osterhues, president of The Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation and Kroger's senior director of sustainability and social impact, will join Emily Ma, head of Food for Good at Google; Stephen Satterfield, founder at Whetstone Media; and Chef Andrew Zimmern at the Austin Convention Center Ballroom to discuss what it will take to create more equitable, sustainable and scalable food system changes to feed 10 billion people by 2050.

"Our mission is to help create communities free of hunger and waste and a brighter future for people and our planet," said Denise Osterhues, president of The Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation. "Collaboration is critical to our progress, and we're excited to bring people and ideas together for The Future of Food Event Series at SXSW to reimagine and build a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable future food system."

The Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, a nonprofit public charity, was established in 2018 to direct philanthropic and catalytic funding to partners working to solve food system challenges. Since then, the Foundation has directed nearly $50 million in grants to national and local partners and innovators. The Innovation Fund, the Foundation's signature program, welcomed 10 new portfolio partners in 2021 with ideas to advance upcycled foods, or items that use the byproducts of food processing to create new consumer-facing products. These 10 Innovation Fund grantees participated in a six-month workshop with the Foundation and partner Village Capital to help build leadership skills and attract additional investors to scale their business. For more details about the Innovation Fund portfolio companies, please visit ZeroHungerZeroWasteFoundation.org.

The Future of Food @ SXSW will feature Headliners Adrian Grenier, Goodwill Ambassador for UNEP North America; Arlan Hamilton, founder of Backstage Capital and Runner; and Andrew Zimmern, Chef and founder of Intuitive Content, as well as many other important voices, perspectives and leaders from across the food system, including: Robert Nathan Allen (RNA), Little Herds; Vishaal Bhuyan, Aanika Biosciences; Carissa Campeotto, Trendi; Dr. Sweta Chakraborty, We Don't Have Time US; Joi Chevalier, The Cook's Nook; Jasmine Crowe, Goodr Co; Jenét DeCosta, Driscoll's; Tiffany Derry, Chef and Restaurateur; Jennifer English, Food & Beverage Magazine; Vanessa Fuentes, Austin City Council; Lejjy Gafour, Future Fields; Seth Grae, Lightbridge; Natasha Harper Madison, Austin City Council; Shayna Harris, Supply Change Capital; Jim Hightower, Author and Journalist; Sam Kass, Chef and Investor; JJ Kass, Next Gen Foods; Carrie Kuball, Enviroflight; Danielle Nierenberg, Food Tank; Lory Nunez, JP Morgan Chase; Amanda Rohlich, Austin Office of Sustainability; Dr. Natalie Rubio, Tufts; Elisa Sepulveda, MATH Venture Partners; Chloe Sorvino, Forbes; Karen Washington, Rise and Root Farm, Shondra Washington, TBC-Capital; Rick Whited, US Hunger; Brigette Wolf, Snackfutures (Mondelez); Joseph Yoon, Brooklyn Bugs;

Event partners include Aanika Biosciences, Agile Interiors, The Austin Office of Sustainability, AYO Foods, Big Wheelbarrow, Central Texas Allied Health Institute, Common Thread, CULT Food Science, DoGoodFoods, EnviroFlight, FoodBytes by RaboBank, Good Work Austin, Introvoke, Lightbridge, MassChallenge, Next Gen Foods, Oatly, ReFED, Supply Change Capital, Trendi, U.S. Hunger, Vital Farms, and more.

For more information about The Future of Food @ SXSW 2022, visit: www.TheFutureofFood.at

About The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation
The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2018. The Foundation was formed to support initiatives that create communities free of hunger and waste.

About Kroger:
At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are Fresh for Everyone™ and dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit®. We are, across our family of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve over 11 million customers daily through a seamless shopping experience under a variety of banner names. We are committed to creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.

About Village Capital:
Village Capital helps entrepreneurs bring big ideas from vision to scale. Our mission is to reinvent the system to back the entrepreneurs of the future. Our vision is a future where business creates equity and long-term prosperity. Since 2009, we have supported more than 1,000 early-stage entrepreneurs through our investment readiness programs. Our affiliated fund, VilCap Investments, has invested in more than 110 program graduates.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.