Kroger is expanding its partnership with Apeel Sciences to bring Apeel's longer-lasting avocados to more than 1,100 Kroger stores across the country this month. Last year, Kroger introduced Apeel avocados to 109 stores in the Midwest and found the products significantly reduced food waste. Kroger will also be adding Appel limes and asparagus in select stores as part of a pilot program. Apeel’s plant-based technology allows avocados to stay ripe twice as long as regular ones without refrigeration or preservatives. This comes as consumers are increasingly looking for products that align with their environmental concerns and grocers that carry those products. Kroger introduced its Zero Hunger Zero Waste initiative in 2017, with the intent to reduce hunger and eliminate food waste by 2025.