Ugly Produce

“Ugly Produce”…. when I first heard this phrase I laughed a little. I thought, what is ugly produce and who really cares? Is unattractive produce really an important issue?

Our world faces so many issues, why should ugly produce be important. From further investigation, I discovered that it’s a bigger issue than I originally anticipated. In the United States nearly 1 in 5 fruits and vegetables grown do not fit grocery store’s appearance standards. The curved carrot, the deformed cucumber, and the distorted eggplant are thrown out solely based on appearance.

The ugly produce movement is more than just wasting bad looking food. The waste of ugly produce is contributing to the damage of the climate and environment, as well as leaving people hungry. The “cult of perfection” is causing massive amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables grown in the United States to be left to rot, given to livestock as a source of food, or taken directly from the field to a landfill. High-value and nourishing food is wasted due to retailers’ high expectations for unattainable perfection. The fact is that governments cannot fight hunger or climate change without first reducing food waste throughout the world. Food waste and food loss matter a great deal because a substantial portion of the world’s population is still hungry, yet 40% of food is being wasted. Think about how many resources it takes to produce food in the first place. Large amounts of water and land are being used to produce food that is ultimately not being consumed. This, in turn, takes a toll on the climate and environment.

The Environmental Protection Agency states that food dumps are a rising source of methane, a far more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. This gas is contributing to the “greenhouse effect”, which occurs when greenhouse gases trap heat from escaping the atmosphere. So what is being done to help reduce this problem? Well different companies are working to change this issue through services that provide ugly produce at a cheaper price. Imperfect Produce, a company that provides a delivery service of ugly produce is changing the way we look at ugly produce. Other big companies like, Walmart and Whole Foods are following in their food steps.

This week, we challenge our readers to look past the appearance of the misshapen potato in the grocery store and to remember that your choice has a bigger and global effect.