The Kroger Co., America's largest grocery retailer, and Apeel Sciences, a company that developed a plant-derived "peel" that slows the rate of water loss and oxidation associated with spoilage, announced that Apeel's longer-lasting avocados will be available in more than 1,100 Kroger stores in the U.S.

Kroger said it will also introduce two new produce categories -- Apeel asparagus and Apeel limes -- through a pilot in its Cincinnati, Ohio, market this fall.

"Kroger is excited to offer more customers Apeel avocados and introduce longer-lasting limes and asparagus, marking another milestone on our journey to achieving our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste vision," Frank Romero, Kroger vice president of produce, said. "Apeel's innovative, food-based solution has proven to extend the life of perishable produce, reducing food waste in transport, in our retail stores and in our customers' homes."

James Rogers, chief executive officer of Apeel Sciences, said, "Kroger is leading the way to alleviate the food waste crisis at every level, from its supply chain to its retail stores to the homes of over 11 million customers who shop at Kroger every day. We're excited to expand our partnership with Kroger to further prevent food waste while simultaneously giving families more access and time to enjoy healthy fresh produce."

The latest expansion follows a pilot of Apeel avocados Kroger launched a year ago in 109 Midwest stores that significantly reduced category food waste. Apeel avocados, asparagus and limes maintain their just-harvested quality longer than produce without Apeel and are less reliant on refrigeration, thus reducing food waste and extending customers' access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

Kroger and Apeel's retail partnership focuses on tackling the country's increasingly urgent food waste paradox. Today, 40% of the food produced is thrown away, yet one in eight Americans struggle with hunger. Redirecting even one-third of this food would help feed everyone in need. Additionally, food waste contributes roughly 8% of annual greenhouse gas emissions and is considered a top cause of climate change.

Apeel's partnership with Kroger is expected to prevent millions of pieces of produce from ending up in a landfill every year, resulting in billions of avocados not going to waste, dozens of farmland acres preserved, reductions of thousands of metric tons in greenhouse gas emissions, more than a billion gallons of water use saved and 100,000-plus GJ of non-renewable energy reductions.