INGLES MARKETS vs Kroger
On overall TruNorth grade, INGLES MARKETS scores higher (INGLES MARKETS: C, Kroger: D). Both graded from public records across nine values categories.
Political donations
FEC: $310K in executive political donations; partisan lean split across 11 executive donors.
FEC: $18K PAC donations; 83% to Republican, 17% to Democratic committees.
Environment
environmental violation: $32K in federal penalties (Violation Tracker).
air pollution violation: $102.8M in federal penalties (Violation Tracker).
Labor
14 federal penalties totaling $870K since 2000 (Violation Tracker).
320 federal penalties totaling $3.3B since 2000 (Violation Tracker).
DEI
No public record found.
Kroger was recognized in 2024 as a 'Best Workplace for Diverse Professionals' by Mogul and as an 'All-Time Top Corporation for Women Business Enterprises' by WBENC, and its FY2025 proxy affirms board-level 'demonstrated support of our longstanding values of diversity and inclusion.' However, in its April 2025 10-K filing Kroger deleted its standalone DEI section, folding ESG commentary under broader 'sustainability risks,' a move documented on a tracker of companies rolling back explicit DEI disclosures.
Charity
No public record found.
$240M reported corporate giving in 2024 (~0.16% of revenue) via Kroger Co. Foundation. Operates the Kroger Co Foundation: $6.9M in charitable contributions, gifts & grants paid (FY2024, IRS Form 990-PF).
Animal testing
No public record found.
Open Wing Alliance: At risk — Simple Truth cage-free milestone partially reported. [Cage-free at risk]
Firearms
No federal firearms license on record for this company in the ATF FFL registry — no licensed firearms dealing or manufacturing.
No federal firearms license on record for this company in the ATF FFL registry — no licensed firearms dealing or manufacturing.
Privacy
No public record found.
Kroger faces multiple active privacy controversies: (1) a federal class-action lawsuit alleging it used Meta's Pixel tracking code to share confidential pharmacy/health customer data without consent in violation of HIPAA; (2) an Illinois BIPA class action (Arnold v. Roundy's, Case No. 2020-CH-005622) alleging facial recognition scanning of shoppers and employees at Mariano's/Kroger stores without consent; (3) documented sale of customer data via its 84.51° subsidiary to 50+ companies including data brokers, generating an estimated $527M in 2024 'alternative profit'; and (4) Kroger's own published privacy policy confirms it collects biometric/facial recognition data in select Texas stores and discloses personal data to AdTech vendors, social networks, and data enrichment providers for targeted advertising.
Executive pay
No public record found.
CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio 417:1 (median employee pay $106) — SEC proxy statement (DEF 14A, 2026).
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