KTLA

2 out of 3 Kroger workers struggle to afford food and housing, L.A. survey finds

In this June 15, 2017, file photo, bagged purchases from a Kroger grocery store sit in a shopping cart in Flowood, Miss. Kroger Co. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

More than two-thirds of Kroger workers struggle to afford food, housing or other basic needs due to low wages and part-time work schedules, a report published Tuesday by a Los Angeles-based research group found.

Fourteen percent of Kroger workers are homeless now or have been during the last year, according to the report.


Three-quarters are food insecure, meaning they lack access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life, according to the definition set forth by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s seven times the rate of food insecurity in the general population. Fourteen percent of workers report getting food stamps or food from a food bank or community donation program.

The Economic Roundtable group based its findings on a survey of more than 10,000 workers at Kroger-owned stores in Southern California, Colorado and Washington. The report was commissioned by several locals of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.