Avoiding waste of imperfect produce

This petition has reaped quite a bit of coverage but could use more signatures.

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I feel they may not have a strong incentive to sell the imperfect produce though. The tricky part is the moment they start selling imperfect produce cheaper, they may end up getting less revenue because some people who would have paid full price are now paying imperfect produce price.

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added to the mix are the people buying imperfect produce because there’s simply not enough money for the perfect stuff.

If I’m making an apple pie, I don’t really care what the fruit looks like – it will taste just fine. But for something like baked apples, having a pretty,perfectly-shaped apple might prompt me to buy the more expensive ones.

NYTimes:

To combat food waste, Imperfect Produce, a San Francisco Bay Area start-up, sells fresh fruits and vegetables that never make it to grocery store shelves.

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I find it unlikely that the big retailers will sell “imperfects” at lower cost as they would take shelf space and cut into higher prifit goods. This is no reason to throw away however the uglies are fine for making prepared foods or discount markets. The prodicers need to find the market but the sad fact that its more cost effective to chuck edible produce is sad

That’s one way to make use of overripe or produce that ‘doesn’t make the cut’.

Thanks for the link. Those numbers are startlingly large for a region where a comparatively small proportion of land is farmed. Possibly the logistics of doing this in warmer areas, where there’s a longer growing season and more food produced, would be daunting. There could well be more gleanable food than can be collected/distributed locally. Hopefully, ways around that could be devised.

Blemished, misshapen and “underweight” produce is often the tastiest stuff at the farmer’s market, but another reason to get behind the “eat ugly” movement is the beneficial impact it could have on climate change:

What a great idea.

More reminders to look for and eat ugly produced – and some great pix of same

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0908-figuereido-ugly-fruit-20150908-story.html

Good analysis of why ugly food is here to stay (we hope!)

Does anyone else “contribute” to Bountiful Baskets? When I picked up my produce today I realize that they do this to at least some extent. Carrots are usually very round and short, romaine lettuce tall and skinny, cabbage with the outer leaves still attached, ect. Plus you don’t know what you are getting so I’m sure they are taking advantage of produce that is marked down for what ever reason.

A guy based in Maryland was on Shark Tank last night hawking just this idea:

http://www.hungryharvest.net/#how-it-works

I’d be more enthusiastic if his “imperfect produce” service didn’t cost more than the CSA (open to anyone, no income restrictions) run through the New York City Greenmarket:

http://www.grownyc.org/greenmarketco/foodbox

Greenmarket: $12 a box. Hungry Harvest: $15 - $35 a box. At least one Shark dug it, though. Investment opportunity!

Whole Foods has decided to comply with the wishes of the petitioners.

Our grocery store sells imperfect mushrooms. 2lbs for the price of one. I get them every week, along with bags of imperfect apples.

I suspect it has more to do with trying to provide a lower, cheaper line of produce as an alternative and attract more price conscious customers into the store, similar to their 365 store brand strategy. And this will give them a progressive way to do it.

people should garden more. it’s a kick to pull up a five-legged carrot…
our Red Pontiac potatoes went el goofy maximal last year. the vines kept going for near forever; some spuds were humongous - 2 and 3 softball “objects” grown together…

actually we just finished up the last of our homegrown crop. we dug them, stored on a rack in the unheated garage - we had essentially no sprouting thru end of Feb - the “perfect” store potatoes start sprouting about 4-5 days out of the bag. no, we didn’t spray ours, no they’re not stored with the onions . . .

it’s one thing for a company to deliver “ugly produce” - how did the Ugli tomatoes make it? it’s another issue when bumps / bruises / cuts / etc start to show spoilage spots on the fruit/veg.

our market regularly culls thru the bins to toss out stuff with “damage” - not cosmetic appearance stuff - deep brown spots on a pear… no, not gonna go to well… food banks won’t take the culls; I suggested to the store manager he simply put them in a bag, off to the side, labelled ‘free to a good home’ - they could easily track the sales via an in-store UPC code. he gave me a look…I actually never thought I was that strange…

so this is an issue of selling “pretty” produce in one aisle, and “ugly” produce in another aisle. think about that - I can see miles and miles of ‘issues’ to that scenario.

given Giant’s mouth music on ‘ecology’ I suggested to his predecessor and to him: “Yo’ Adrian - how about a bucket for battery recycling?” no action. there is no place within my regular circles to dispose of my wireless keyboard AA batteries… no, I’m not driving to Gettysburg to their ‘approved’ recycle’ center. our local BestBuy (and all of PA) shut down their electronic recycling - they want $25 to scrap a CRT or an old computer…

and my 5 kilos of 00 flour arrived today…I should plot some pizza…

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