Divert, Inc., a leading circular economy company focused on preventing food waste, has announced a new partnership with The Raley’s Companies, a purpose-driven food retailer, aimed at addressing food insecurity while advancing a sustainable, circular food system across California and Nevada. The collaboration seeks to reduce wasted food at Raley’s stores, maximize donations to those in need, and create a model for operational sustainability and regulatory compliance in the retail grocery sector.
As part of this initiative, Raley’s has implemented Divert’s innovative platform across all 118 of its retail locations in California and Nevada. The rollout achieved an impressive milestone of 100% store participation within just one month. This swift adoption has allowed Raley’s to enhance its foundational landfill diversion program, while simultaneously strengthening efforts to recover fresh food for donation to local communities.
The full-scale implementation was made possible through Divert’s advanced Internet of Things (IoT) tracking and data analytics platform, which provides actionable insights to store personnel. Combined with hands-on co-training and store walkthroughs coordinated with local food banks in the Feeding America® network, this approach ensures that employees are fully equipped to optimize both waste diversion and food recovery.
“This partnership demonstrates the tremendous opportunities retailers have to go beyond traditional landfill diversion,” said Ben Kuethe Oaks, Vice President and General Manager, Retail, at Divert. “By leveraging technology, actionable insights, and on-the-ground training, Raley’s is not only reducing waste but also expanding donation opportunities, delivering tangible benefits to the local community, and creating a model for a circular economy in food retail.”
Advancing Compliance and Operational Reliability
Beyond increasing food donations, the partnership also strengthens Raley’s operational reliability and provides a comprehensive framework for compliance with California’s SB 1383 regulations, which mandate significant reductions in organic waste. The regulations aim to mitigate the environmental impacts of food waste while promoting the recovery of edible food for people in need.
By integrating Divert’s platform, Raley’s can now focus more intensively on strategic waste reduction and food donation efforts. The technology enables the company to track, analyze, and act on data across all stores, identifying patterns in unsold food and optimizing distribution to food banks. The result is a seamless alignment between sustainability goals and regulatory requirements.
Expanding Food Donations and Community Impact
One of the most significant outcomes of the collaboration has been an expansion of Raley’s food donation guidelines. With Divert’s insights, Raley’s has been able to include a broader range of fresh food items for donation, leading to an increase in nutritious food being delivered to people in need. This ensures that surplus food reaches families, seniors, and individuals facing food insecurity, rather than going to landfills.
Meanwhile, food that cannot be donated is redirected to Divert’s Integrated Diversion & Energy Facility in Turlock, California. Here, unsold items are transformed into carbon-negative renewable energy, which helps power the local community, while also producing soil amendments that return vital nutrients to the earth. This closed-loop approach embodies the principles of a circular food system—maximizing the utility of food resources while minimizing environmental impact.
“Raley’s has long been committed to responsibly using resources and supporting our neighbors when they need it most,” said Natalie Slatter, Vice President of Operations at Raley’s. “Partnering with Divert enables us to nourish our communities and protect our planet, all while helping our customers live happier, healthier lives. Announcing this partnership during Hunger Action Month® is particularly meaningful, as it aligns our sustainability and community goals with a national effort to raise awareness about hunger.”
Hunger Action Month: Highlighting the Need
Hunger Action Month® provides a platform to bring attention to the ongoing hunger crisis in the United States. According to Feeding America, approximately 47 million Americans face hunger, including more than 12 million children. Grocery retailers play a critical role in mitigating this crisis, rescuing over 2 billion pounds of donatable unsold food annually, with an additional nearly 1 billion pounds identified as having recovery potential.
Raley’s and Divert’s partnership directly contributes to these efforts, rescuing fresh, nutritious food that would otherwise go to waste and redirecting it to food banks and local organizations. By combining technology, best practices, and operational training, the initiative not only addresses hunger but also sets a precedent for other retailers aiming to reduce waste and support their communities.
Scaling Impact Across California
Divert currently collaborates with more than 2,000 retail locations in California, and the company has ambitious expansion plans to extend its reach even further. The recently opened Integrated Diversion & Energy Facility in Turlock is central to meeting growing demand, providing infrastructure for converting surplus food into renewable energy and nutrient-rich soil amendments.
“This is about creating a system that benefits everyone,” Kuethe Oaks added. “Retailers gain operational efficiency and regulatory compliance, communities gain access to more nutritious food, and the environment benefits from reduced landfill waste and the production of renewable energy. It’s a win-win-win scenario that demonstrates the power of circular economy solutions in the food industry.”
A Model for the Future
The collaboration between Divert and Raley’s exemplifies how retailers can address multiple challenges simultaneously: reducing food waste, supporting local communities, complying with environmental regulations, and advancing a circular economy. By embracing innovative technology and strategic partnerships, Raley’s is demonstrating leadership in corporate responsibility, showing how grocery stores can serve as both environmental stewards and social advocates.
As the U.S. faces ongoing challenges related to hunger and food waste, partnerships like this provide a blueprint for meaningful action. They highlight how thoughtful implementation of technology, combined with community-focused initiatives, can create measurable impact, both in terms of lives improved and resources preserved.
With sustainability and social responsibility increasingly becoming key metrics of business success, Raley’s and Divert’s work sets a compelling example. By turning unsold food into both nourishment for people and renewable energy for the community, this partnership is transforming challenges into opportunities—fueling a future where food is valued, waste is minimized, and communities thrive.
