Approximately 72 billion pounds of food is wasted annually in the US—from every point in the food production cycle.
In an attempt to lower this number, a new crop of companies has emerged over the last couple of years. Companies that are on a mission to get people to eat misshapen, deformed, and strange-looking fruits and vegetables.
Venture capital-backed businesses like Imperfect Foods, Full Harvest, Hungry Harvest, and Misfits Market aim to create a new channel of distribution for farmers, offering customers ugly produce at a discount to what the groceries would cost at retail.
But Sarah Taber isn’t buying it. She thinks the ugly food movement is bending the industry narrative and has taken it upon herself to fill people in on the bigger picture.
In 2019, Taber, a crop scientist who worked on farms for a decade, doing everything from detasseling corn to beekeeping, and is now consulting with several greenhouse and indoor agricultural companies, published a Twitter thread to share her thoughts.
More info: Twitter
Image credits: Cajsa_Lilliehook (not the actual photo)
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Ugly food has always been around. Like all living beings, produce isn’t always perfect. Not to mention all the shipping and handling that goes into the modern food supply chain, where things get banged up. Some people act like ugly food is a horrible tragedy that’s preventable, but really, this is just the nature of fresh produce.
“The way the food system mainly used to deal with perishability … was by canning and freezing produce,” Taber told Vox. “[But] the sustainable food movement [changed that]. They came around and said everyone needs to eat more fresh produce and should know where their food comes from. This has turned into an expression of a cultural crisis: its created anxiety.
“People now panic if they don’t know where food comes from, and the constant messaging about how you “should” reinforce the anxiety. Any time people are having these anxieties, marketers take advantage of it. But the market-based solutions that marketing endorses don’t fix the root cause.”
In an interesting move, Imperfect Foods diversified into other grocery categories, like dairy, meat, and pantry items. Some of these are still “imperfect” products, like coffee beans that were too small or misshapen almonds, but others are not.
Image credits: sarahtaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Taber is skeptical of ugly food companies’ chances to contribute to the common good. “They say that a lot of the ugly produce goes to waste. But there’s a huge part of that produce that goes to food service, where it gets cut up and appearance doesn’t matter,” she pointed out.
“Honestly, I think these companies just found a good hustle that makes them look good and makes money. There’s nothing morally wrong with that, but to go out and say, “I’m saving the world and I’m fixing a food problem,” when there are actually better solutions is really disingenuous. It’s just a profit-oriented solution.”
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Taber stressed it’s important that shoppers stay true to themselves. “If you’re buying ugly produce and it’s working for you, that’s fine. Keep doing it. Don’t feel guilty. That’s how food systems are supposed to work — it’s supposed to get what you want.”
But you should not feel obligated to buy ugly fruit because someone told you it’s going to save the world. It’s not, according to her, it’s just supporting someone’s business model.
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Image credits: SarahTaber_bww
Here’s what people said after reading Taber’s thread
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Informative, but I couldn't make it all the way through - chip on author's shoulder is way too large. Glad they're passionate about something but talk about over reaction, jeebus! Ranting and raving about a well-meaning outlook that really isn't that harmful? Maybe get a hobby or something?
My sentiments exactly. I’ve never even heard of this “movement.” I’ve seen ugly or overripe food at farmer’s markets, where it’s cheaper, but that’s it. And there it makes perfect sense.
Load More Replies...While there were some good points, the level of rage and generalizations about consumers and meandering arguments made me tap out.
I never added this as a reply to Stille, no clue how it ended up here. My comment was not aimed at you Stille. But besides that I have never encountered a successful company focusing on ugly produce. Only silky geese trying to make it work.And my point is that if that is what someone is going on about at this point in time, they need to see that the world is a lot bigger.
Load More Replies...This was very interesting, but the author seems very angry with ordinary people who probably don't know about these issues because they haven't been on their radar. Don't get angry with me just because I don't know this information that you're an expert in.
That's your beef, people having good intentions and classifying them as asshats? There is nothing special about this. It's how consumerism and a free market works. If odd looking produce didn't have any use, it would have been cultivated to all look pretty. Nothing new there, but odd stuff still comes through and is tossed out in stores. If people feel like doing something with it, that's fine. It may not be the fastest way to save the world, but the intentions are good and it has some minor use. So I'm judging this judgement like crazy.
The problem is these "ugly fruit snack" companies aren't there at the super market grabbing up the ones they are "tossing" as you say -- they are just buying the same left over fruit that the other manufactures like salsa and fruit juice are buying, but they are charging a higher price and calling it "ugly fruit snacks" and trying to market it like they are saving the planet, but they are just placing the same orders as the other manufactures.
Load More Replies...I read half. The lady may have a point but she is insanely whiney and lengthy. A simple "You know the "ugly produce" movement? Actually, the ugly produce is used for items such as salsa. From what I see at my job as a crop scientist, the only produce tossed is inedible produce (ex: mold.)" Would suffice.
This us a USA centric post though. In the UK a small number of Supermarket chains dictate to the famers the exact grade and amount of produce they want and as farmers don't have the resources to find alternative markets at short notice often while fields of carrots etc get ploughed back into the ground. Cauliflower a normal shade of cream isn't white enough dor the supermarkets? No point spending money harvesting it with nowhere for it to go. There's plenty of documentaries about it here.
Interesting and informative although I wasn't aware ugly produce was a "thing". A lot of expired produce in my area goes to zoos and hobby livestock raisers.
Some spoiled food was sold to farmers then feed pigs. Suddenly this stopped. Food donated to homeless shelters must now meet higher standards, much less qualifies and it isn't worth taking the chance. Hmmmm, if the food is spoiled, couldn't the staff at the shelter decide to throw it out? I guess they are not trust worthy.
Load More Replies...A huge portion of products that are marketed as "organic", "environmentally friendly", "ethical" ... etc. are a scam. The companies know that some people will go out of their way to buy such things, so they lie and manipulate to give the impression that they are selling something ethical... when in fact they aren't, but they are more than happy to charge you extra for their lie.
Now this was really helpful, thanks for sharing. I'm usually the "don't believe everything they tell you" type, but this I actually fell for, I thought it was a lovely idea...
Maybe it's from my headache or maybe because there's so much noise due to my neighbor renovating his bathroom, but I really don't understand the issue here. Farmers have x amount of produce from their fields. They sell some of it at full price to the supermarkets and make a profit. Some of it they sell bulk to companies at a lower margin of profit. And now they decided to sell some of the produce they sell to companies to the supermarket with a margin of profit somewhere in between. So no produce goes to waste except for when it's really rotten. What did I miss? Why can't I make any sense?
I think the frustration comes from the fact you have these people capitalizing on the misconception that the "ugly" produce is going to waste when it's not, and the people who are buying into it are doing so because they think the are doing something profound and helping eliminate waste when, in fact, they are not.
Load More Replies...I appreciate the information, but she didn't need to sound condescending about a process not a lot of us know about. Just because she is an expert and has spent a lot of time in this industry doesn't mean the rest of us have. There's no need to cuss at people who are just trying to do a good thing.
I use "Imperfect", and the vast majority of the produce we get is based on size (too big to small) and overstock. The one time we got beets that had listed the imperfections as "minor scarring," we found them to be so fibrous as to be inedible. This article *does* help to educate... but we were already savvy consumers. We get Imperfect because it's nice to have fresh produce delivered, and it also improves our diet by having us cook more fruits/veggies.
True!!! We know the cheaper bulk bags of apples, for example, are smaller with more imperfections. How you plan on using the apples dictates the quality needed.
Load More Replies...I watched potatoes going down a conveyor belt as they were harvested.The first potatoes taken off were the absolute best. The quality declines as the potatoes go down the belt. Yes the lesser grade potatoes are from the same farm, but the quality is not equal. Each quality level is sold, some are used to make salsa, soup etc. Farmers, like the rest of us, want to maximize their profit, eliminating waste is part of this. Overly emotional people create issues where none exists. Food is not wasted, why pretend it is? Yet these do-gooders continue destroy successful programs with their ignorance. Educatation before action. The author has a valid point, but the delivery is so awful people won't read everything she wrote . Great demonstration of what not to do.
So once again capitalism has found a way to do what it does best cause people to spend extra unnecessary money and trick them into thinking they’re helping meanwhile the companies are getting richer.
It doesn't help anything. There are systems already in place to maximize profit. Every quality level of produce is used. Waste reduces profit. The bulk bags of produce often have smaller, imperfect items that cost less.
Load More Replies...I've seen ugly produce being sold. If it's cheaper I'll buy it. My mom has a giant garden on a farm with chickens. Even though she makes an attempt to cut it down every year, it's too much for her. The too-big zucchinis (giant seeds) and hard to cut (arthritis) potatoes and carrots go to the chickens. When I'm home I take several five gallon buckets of 'ugly' and spent the next few days processing and preserving it. Even though her attitude is a little intense...I kind of get her irritation....no one should look down on good food.
And a lot of it still ends up in the landfill, because fruit and veg with blemishes that aren't cosmetically perfect STILL end up in grocery stores and people don't buy it.
That's an awfully big rant against people that are doing nothing more than buying food that's not aesthetically pleasing. I buy a weekly CSA vegetable box and often the produce has blemishes that I don't see on store-bought produce. I'm not sure what the author is ranting about here -- am I a bad person because I don't care if my produce is "perfect"? Am I taking food away from poor people by accepting less than perfect produce?
You can choose to buy imperfect produce, look around -- check out how the produce is packaged and priced.
Load More Replies...Calm down, you’re going to give yourself an aneurysm. A small, relatively harmless misconception isn’t cause to throw a temper tantrum.
To me? Ugly food is a non-issue. If it is edible, it is food. And is used as such. I appreciate their intent to save food from being wasted, bu tthe issue is one that was created by this bizarre idea that produce is supposed to be picture-perfect in the first place. I'm a farm kid by nature and nurture. A weird-looking fruit or veg is edible, that's all that matters to me.
The supply chain manages to find a market for most things that are involved.
I buy ugly carrots, which I grate finely as a filler in my dogs meat each day, also cooked sweet potato, but that is the normal one as so far I haven't seen any ugly sweet potato. However just on the reverse side of things, the sweet potato I buy is around$4 - $5 per kilo, and the organic ones are around $7 - $8 per kilo. So the other end of the stick to me is way to expensive to buy.
I read all of this any the only "new" piece of information I've received is that there is something called 'Apple butter'. What is this and why have I never heard of it before?
I feel extremely stupid for not knowing this before, since op is making it seem like it should've been obvious. I feel like a f*****g idiot.
I can vouch. I used to work the produce department at Whole Foods. Ugly fruit and veg gets turned into cut fruit bowls, salsa and guacamole or it's taken by the deli counter and turned into soups, stews and hot dishes for the hot food bar.
I didn't even know the "ugly fruit movement" was a thing. I guess I'm too poor to shop where the pretty fruit goes.
Well, here in Mexico where I live I'm still yet to see those white collar fruits they talk about. Even the fanciest markets in the city, which are, believe it or not, Walmart, have those fugly fruits and vegetables. Probably only Costco sells those pretty packaged apples, but they're so tiny they almost look like cherries.
I think this author misses the point (or there is a movement I don’t know about). The “ugly” fruit at my supermarket are things like brown bananas that are going to be thrown out because they have been sitting around so long. I can buy them for a quarter of the price and make banana bread instead of having them thrown out. But I think they are right in that companies are experts at not leaving money on the table. They discount them enough that people like me will buy them for things like banana bread and so I think if people are being encouraged to “Buy ugly” it’s really just these supermarkets trying to sell them for full price.
Yeah the new generation thinking they are doing something and mostly to be like Look at Me
Think again, do-gooders have been around for centuries. Absolutely nothing new.
Load More Replies...Sarah is a very angry woman who could do with chilling out and working on her people skills. I stopped reading after a few segments due to her block caps and patronising tone. It's completely unnecessary and unwarranted. I think the question is, what is she really angry about?
Yeah. Me too. Also for some reason fugly apples cracked me up
Load More Replies...Anyone knows what she meant by "bad immigration policy"? How does it affect the farming? Are the people working on farms exploited and the farm owners doesent want the work done until they can pay a low salary, and most workers are immigrants?
Yes and no. The majority of pickers are immigrants or they travel to farms to work and then travel home. The restrictions at the border have also made it difficult for people who have work visas. A lot of people assume that farm workers live in the US. Many don’t because it is way too expensive to live here on the money they make during harvesting season. They are historically exploited and don’t say anything because they will have their visas revoked (the companies that hire them also sponsor their work visas), they do not have work visas and risk detainment, or the money they make being underpaid in America is much more than the money they would be making doing manual labor in another country. The immigration policies have resulted in farmers not having enough people willing to work for low pay, thus resulting in food waste. Immigration policies have also hurt the people working those low paying jobs because now they have no income at all.
Load More Replies...Yep... like why, if a tomato is ugly is it do much more expensive?? A nice ugly tomato is too expensive for my needs!!! Way to go, Dr. Tabor!!
I always though the eat ugly movement was meant for rich snobs to stop being so entitled over what looks ugly.
For better looking produce go to a fancy grocery store like Whole Foods and plan to spend more
Load More Replies...2 cents: 1. "Popular in Berkeley" comment on the first reply says a lot in and of itself. Clueless hipster trust fund academics come to mind. 2. Free market generally looks for profit, which is why very little of anything in a process gets wasted. If someone can make a buck from something previously regarded as waste they do it. This generally does not work in a system where there is no motive to hustle, work hard and make a profit. It's also why the free market results in innovation. I have a friend working on making a paving material for roads using paper waste. He would not be doing this unless there was money to be made.
"Popular in Berkeley" is actually a bullshit stereotype based your (and others) ignorant beliefs about it.
Load More Replies...We have to stop using all of the bits of fruits and vegs. It just smacks of the evils of capitalism. It would be better to make the ugly stuff free and give it away to poor people. Poor people shouldn't have to shop in lower-class markets. They should be able to go to nice markets and get imperfect stuff free. The rich can forego their applesauce and smoothies. Screw capitalism!
Informative, but I couldn't make it all the way through - chip on author's shoulder is way too large. Glad they're passionate about something but talk about over reaction, jeebus! Ranting and raving about a well-meaning outlook that really isn't that harmful? Maybe get a hobby or something?
My sentiments exactly. I’ve never even heard of this “movement.” I’ve seen ugly or overripe food at farmer’s markets, where it’s cheaper, but that’s it. And there it makes perfect sense.
Load More Replies...While there were some good points, the level of rage and generalizations about consumers and meandering arguments made me tap out.
I never added this as a reply to Stille, no clue how it ended up here. My comment was not aimed at you Stille. But besides that I have never encountered a successful company focusing on ugly produce. Only silky geese trying to make it work.And my point is that if that is what someone is going on about at this point in time, they need to see that the world is a lot bigger.
Load More Replies...This was very interesting, but the author seems very angry with ordinary people who probably don't know about these issues because they haven't been on their radar. Don't get angry with me just because I don't know this information that you're an expert in.
That's your beef, people having good intentions and classifying them as asshats? There is nothing special about this. It's how consumerism and a free market works. If odd looking produce didn't have any use, it would have been cultivated to all look pretty. Nothing new there, but odd stuff still comes through and is tossed out in stores. If people feel like doing something with it, that's fine. It may not be the fastest way to save the world, but the intentions are good and it has some minor use. So I'm judging this judgement like crazy.
The problem is these "ugly fruit snack" companies aren't there at the super market grabbing up the ones they are "tossing" as you say -- they are just buying the same left over fruit that the other manufactures like salsa and fruit juice are buying, but they are charging a higher price and calling it "ugly fruit snacks" and trying to market it like they are saving the planet, but they are just placing the same orders as the other manufactures.
Load More Replies...I read half. The lady may have a point but she is insanely whiney and lengthy. A simple "You know the "ugly produce" movement? Actually, the ugly produce is used for items such as salsa. From what I see at my job as a crop scientist, the only produce tossed is inedible produce (ex: mold.)" Would suffice.
This us a USA centric post though. In the UK a small number of Supermarket chains dictate to the famers the exact grade and amount of produce they want and as farmers don't have the resources to find alternative markets at short notice often while fields of carrots etc get ploughed back into the ground. Cauliflower a normal shade of cream isn't white enough dor the supermarkets? No point spending money harvesting it with nowhere for it to go. There's plenty of documentaries about it here.
Interesting and informative although I wasn't aware ugly produce was a "thing". A lot of expired produce in my area goes to zoos and hobby livestock raisers.
Some spoiled food was sold to farmers then feed pigs. Suddenly this stopped. Food donated to homeless shelters must now meet higher standards, much less qualifies and it isn't worth taking the chance. Hmmmm, if the food is spoiled, couldn't the staff at the shelter decide to throw it out? I guess they are not trust worthy.
Load More Replies...A huge portion of products that are marketed as "organic", "environmentally friendly", "ethical" ... etc. are a scam. The companies know that some people will go out of their way to buy such things, so they lie and manipulate to give the impression that they are selling something ethical... when in fact they aren't, but they are more than happy to charge you extra for their lie.
Now this was really helpful, thanks for sharing. I'm usually the "don't believe everything they tell you" type, but this I actually fell for, I thought it was a lovely idea...
Maybe it's from my headache or maybe because there's so much noise due to my neighbor renovating his bathroom, but I really don't understand the issue here. Farmers have x amount of produce from their fields. They sell some of it at full price to the supermarkets and make a profit. Some of it they sell bulk to companies at a lower margin of profit. And now they decided to sell some of the produce they sell to companies to the supermarket with a margin of profit somewhere in between. So no produce goes to waste except for when it's really rotten. What did I miss? Why can't I make any sense?
I think the frustration comes from the fact you have these people capitalizing on the misconception that the "ugly" produce is going to waste when it's not, and the people who are buying into it are doing so because they think the are doing something profound and helping eliminate waste when, in fact, they are not.
Load More Replies...I appreciate the information, but she didn't need to sound condescending about a process not a lot of us know about. Just because she is an expert and has spent a lot of time in this industry doesn't mean the rest of us have. There's no need to cuss at people who are just trying to do a good thing.
I use "Imperfect", and the vast majority of the produce we get is based on size (too big to small) and overstock. The one time we got beets that had listed the imperfections as "minor scarring," we found them to be so fibrous as to be inedible. This article *does* help to educate... but we were already savvy consumers. We get Imperfect because it's nice to have fresh produce delivered, and it also improves our diet by having us cook more fruits/veggies.
True!!! We know the cheaper bulk bags of apples, for example, are smaller with more imperfections. How you plan on using the apples dictates the quality needed.
Load More Replies...I watched potatoes going down a conveyor belt as they were harvested.The first potatoes taken off were the absolute best. The quality declines as the potatoes go down the belt. Yes the lesser grade potatoes are from the same farm, but the quality is not equal. Each quality level is sold, some are used to make salsa, soup etc. Farmers, like the rest of us, want to maximize their profit, eliminating waste is part of this. Overly emotional people create issues where none exists. Food is not wasted, why pretend it is? Yet these do-gooders continue destroy successful programs with their ignorance. Educatation before action. The author has a valid point, but the delivery is so awful people won't read everything she wrote . Great demonstration of what not to do.
So once again capitalism has found a way to do what it does best cause people to spend extra unnecessary money and trick them into thinking they’re helping meanwhile the companies are getting richer.
It doesn't help anything. There are systems already in place to maximize profit. Every quality level of produce is used. Waste reduces profit. The bulk bags of produce often have smaller, imperfect items that cost less.
Load More Replies...I've seen ugly produce being sold. If it's cheaper I'll buy it. My mom has a giant garden on a farm with chickens. Even though she makes an attempt to cut it down every year, it's too much for her. The too-big zucchinis (giant seeds) and hard to cut (arthritis) potatoes and carrots go to the chickens. When I'm home I take several five gallon buckets of 'ugly' and spent the next few days processing and preserving it. Even though her attitude is a little intense...I kind of get her irritation....no one should look down on good food.
And a lot of it still ends up in the landfill, because fruit and veg with blemishes that aren't cosmetically perfect STILL end up in grocery stores and people don't buy it.
That's an awfully big rant against people that are doing nothing more than buying food that's not aesthetically pleasing. I buy a weekly CSA vegetable box and often the produce has blemishes that I don't see on store-bought produce. I'm not sure what the author is ranting about here -- am I a bad person because I don't care if my produce is "perfect"? Am I taking food away from poor people by accepting less than perfect produce?
You can choose to buy imperfect produce, look around -- check out how the produce is packaged and priced.
Load More Replies...Calm down, you’re going to give yourself an aneurysm. A small, relatively harmless misconception isn’t cause to throw a temper tantrum.
To me? Ugly food is a non-issue. If it is edible, it is food. And is used as such. I appreciate their intent to save food from being wasted, bu tthe issue is one that was created by this bizarre idea that produce is supposed to be picture-perfect in the first place. I'm a farm kid by nature and nurture. A weird-looking fruit or veg is edible, that's all that matters to me.
The supply chain manages to find a market for most things that are involved.
I buy ugly carrots, which I grate finely as a filler in my dogs meat each day, also cooked sweet potato, but that is the normal one as so far I haven't seen any ugly sweet potato. However just on the reverse side of things, the sweet potato I buy is around$4 - $5 per kilo, and the organic ones are around $7 - $8 per kilo. So the other end of the stick to me is way to expensive to buy.
I read all of this any the only "new" piece of information I've received is that there is something called 'Apple butter'. What is this and why have I never heard of it before?
I feel extremely stupid for not knowing this before, since op is making it seem like it should've been obvious. I feel like a f*****g idiot.
I can vouch. I used to work the produce department at Whole Foods. Ugly fruit and veg gets turned into cut fruit bowls, salsa and guacamole or it's taken by the deli counter and turned into soups, stews and hot dishes for the hot food bar.
I didn't even know the "ugly fruit movement" was a thing. I guess I'm too poor to shop where the pretty fruit goes.
Well, here in Mexico where I live I'm still yet to see those white collar fruits they talk about. Even the fanciest markets in the city, which are, believe it or not, Walmart, have those fugly fruits and vegetables. Probably only Costco sells those pretty packaged apples, but they're so tiny they almost look like cherries.
I think this author misses the point (or there is a movement I don’t know about). The “ugly” fruit at my supermarket are things like brown bananas that are going to be thrown out because they have been sitting around so long. I can buy them for a quarter of the price and make banana bread instead of having them thrown out. But I think they are right in that companies are experts at not leaving money on the table. They discount them enough that people like me will buy them for things like banana bread and so I think if people are being encouraged to “Buy ugly” it’s really just these supermarkets trying to sell them for full price.
Yeah the new generation thinking they are doing something and mostly to be like Look at Me
Think again, do-gooders have been around for centuries. Absolutely nothing new.
Load More Replies...Sarah is a very angry woman who could do with chilling out and working on her people skills. I stopped reading after a few segments due to her block caps and patronising tone. It's completely unnecessary and unwarranted. I think the question is, what is she really angry about?
Yeah. Me too. Also for some reason fugly apples cracked me up
Load More Replies...Anyone knows what she meant by "bad immigration policy"? How does it affect the farming? Are the people working on farms exploited and the farm owners doesent want the work done until they can pay a low salary, and most workers are immigrants?
Yes and no. The majority of pickers are immigrants or they travel to farms to work and then travel home. The restrictions at the border have also made it difficult for people who have work visas. A lot of people assume that farm workers live in the US. Many don’t because it is way too expensive to live here on the money they make during harvesting season. They are historically exploited and don’t say anything because they will have their visas revoked (the companies that hire them also sponsor their work visas), they do not have work visas and risk detainment, or the money they make being underpaid in America is much more than the money they would be making doing manual labor in another country. The immigration policies have resulted in farmers not having enough people willing to work for low pay, thus resulting in food waste. Immigration policies have also hurt the people working those low paying jobs because now they have no income at all.
Load More Replies...Yep... like why, if a tomato is ugly is it do much more expensive?? A nice ugly tomato is too expensive for my needs!!! Way to go, Dr. Tabor!!
I always though the eat ugly movement was meant for rich snobs to stop being so entitled over what looks ugly.
For better looking produce go to a fancy grocery store like Whole Foods and plan to spend more
Load More Replies...2 cents: 1. "Popular in Berkeley" comment on the first reply says a lot in and of itself. Clueless hipster trust fund academics come to mind. 2. Free market generally looks for profit, which is why very little of anything in a process gets wasted. If someone can make a buck from something previously regarded as waste they do it. This generally does not work in a system where there is no motive to hustle, work hard and make a profit. It's also why the free market results in innovation. I have a friend working on making a paving material for roads using paper waste. He would not be doing this unless there was money to be made.
"Popular in Berkeley" is actually a bullshit stereotype based your (and others) ignorant beliefs about it.
Load More Replies...We have to stop using all of the bits of fruits and vegs. It just smacks of the evils of capitalism. It would be better to make the ugly stuff free and give it away to poor people. Poor people shouldn't have to shop in lower-class markets. They should be able to go to nice markets and get imperfect stuff free. The rich can forego their applesauce and smoothies. Screw capitalism!
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