National Vertical Farming Partnership for US Foods Brings Consistent Year-Round Availability of High-Quality Leafy Greens to CustomersROSEMONT, Ill. ,May 18, 2022 , -US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE: USFD) today announced a strategic agreement with Kalera®, one of the world's leading hydroponic indoor vertical farming companies. This isUS Foods' largest vertical farming relationship to date. The agreement underscoresUS Foods' commitment to bringing foodservice operators a broad assortment of high-quality produce, year-round. It will also expand the portfolio of local farms thatUS Foods is sourcing from in various markets in support of its growing Serve Local program. As part of the agreement, Kalera and its wholly owned seed technology business Vindara, will work closely withUS Foods to develop and launch new products toUS Foods customers in markets across the country. Kalera will bring consistently fresh, sustainable produce year-round toUS Foods through its network of controlled environment, indoor farms. The innovative indoor farms use clean room technology, advanced proprietary equipment, and plant and seed science to provide a wide range of high-quality greens such as whole head lettuce, salad mix blends, microgreens, burger leaf toppers, and arugula with less water as compared to traditional field farming. "Our agreement with Kalera will fundamentally change the manner in which vertical farmed products are made available to restaurants and other foodservice operators across our footprint," saidJosh Waters , senior vice president of produce category management forUS Foods . "We are energized by the high-quality, sustainably grown, year-round offerings that will be available toUS Foods customers in partnership with Kalera, and we look forward to continuing to grow our produce portfolio and partnering on new product offerings in the future." "US Foods and Kalera are helping to bring the future of farming to the foodservice industry today," saidCurtis McWilliams , Chairman-elect and former CEO of Kalera. "This relationship will help set a precedence for the foodservice industry by providing customers with accessible fresh produce all year-round thanks toUS Foods ." For Kalera, the partnership represents an opportunity to allocate up to 50% of itsUnited States production capacity to the restaurant and food service industry. Kalera currently operates farms inthe United States inAtlanta ,Denver ,Houston , andOrlando , as well as inMunich andKuwait . The company also has five farms under construction inSeattle ,Columbus, Ohio ,Honolulu ,St. Paul, Minn. ; andSingapore . AboutUS Foods With a promise to help its customers Make It,US Foods is one of America's great food companies and a leading foodservice distributor, partnering with approximately 250,000 restaurants and foodservice operators to help their businesses succeed. With 69 broadline locations and more than 80 cash and carry stores,US Foods and its 28,000 associates provides its customers with a broad and innovative food offering and a comprehensive suite of e-commerce, technology and business solutions.US Foods is headquartered inRosemont, Ill. Visit www.usfoods.com to learn more. AboutUS Foods Serve Local Program US Foods launched the Serve Local program in 2018, in select markets to better connectUS Foods customers with regional farmers, producers and/or manufacturers. Products offered through Serve Local are sourced within 400 miles from the location whereUS Foods ships the product or within the state from whereUS Foods ships the product. About Kalera: Kalera is a vertical farming company headquartered inOrlando, Florida . Kalera uses proprietary technology and plant and seed science to sustainably grow year-round, local, non-GMO leafy greens that are nutrient-rich. It has spent years optimizing plant nutrient formulas and developing an advanced automation and data acquisition system with Internet of Things, cloud, big data analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities. Kalera currently operates farms in theU.S. (Orlando ,Atlanta ,Houston , andDenver ) as well as inMunich andKuwait . Additional farms are in development. More information is available at www.kalera.com. US FOODS MEDIA CONTACT:Sara Matheu Director of Media Relations 773-580-3775 Sara.Matheu@usfoods.com KALERA MEDIA CONTACT:Kathleen Komarzec 616-916-4092 kkomarzec@lambert.com
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