Have you heard of “ugly food”? It’s the fruits and vegetables that are deemed not pretty enough for supermarket shelves. Dented vegetables, double-headed carrots, misshapen lemons, blemished melons, etc. A study by Tuck School of Business indicates as much as 30 percent of produce never reach retail. Even more are tossed by the retailers. That amounts of about 15.4 billion dollars of edible produce being discarded by businesses every year, accounting for 1/3rd of all food waste in the US… and 10% of US food supply, according to USDA. 

Given that one in eight Americans doesn’t have enough to eat according to USDA, that is a huge problem. And food insecurity affects people all over America according to National Geographic. 

There are campaigns by retailers to start selling ugly food with slogans like “Produce with Personality,” “Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables,” “Wonky Produce” or “Produce Misfits.” And indeed, some new businesses are targeting this area. Imperfect Produce, Hungry Harvest, and Full Harvest all are working with farms and wholesalers to buy up excess inventory and ugly produce and deliver them to consumers either directly or through retailers.  Local farmers markets and food co-ops have done this for a long time. Critics to these new companies trying to capitalize on ugly food believe they are taking food that would have gone to local food banks. 

So what can you as a consumer, do about ugly food? Buy them and consume them, of course!

Look for local events near you about ugly food. An upcoming farmers market in Chattanooga Tennessee will feature “Ugly Dinner” prepared with ugly food along with food preservation tips. A recent “food rescue” fair held in Eugene, Oregon has food, contest, benefits of ugly food, and other ways to keep food from going to waste. 

And if you do have to discard food and leftovers, please compost them or bag them appropriately in the compost bin, instead of sending them to landfills or incinerators. We all need to do our part in combating food waste.