But successive reports on food waste in the supply chain show that much more could be done to make use of edible, if misshapen, foods. Retailers have gradually been relaxing these, and food banks and organisations such as Food Cycle have been grateful recipients of rejected produce. The supermarkets blamed consumers for being obsessed with perfection, while farmers blamed supermarkets for sticking to rigid, high technical specifications. But an expected deluge of wonky veg onto supermarket shelves failed to materialise. Up to that point, an estimated 20% to 40% of UK fruit and vegetables was routinely rejected before it reached the shops. In July 2009, a controversial EU ban on fresh produce (26 types of fruit and vegetables) that failed to match standard shapes and sizes – such as bent carrots, curled cucumbers and knobbly potatoes – was lifted. The campaign and dedicated range will launch in selected stores from 26 January, with a view to being rolled out nationally. When half a million people in the UK are relying on food banks, this waste isn’t just bonkers – it’s bordering on criminal.”įruit and vegetables in Asda’s new Beautiful on the Inside range will be bagged separately and sold for 30% less than their “perfect” peers, as the supermarket hopes to educate shoppers on the benefits of “buying ugly” while also supporting farmers. This is perfectly good food that could and should be eaten by humans. “There’s no difference whatsoever in taste or nutritional value. “If most Brits had half an idea of the amount going to waste, they’d be snapping up ugly veg by the trolley load,” Oliver said. They approached Asda to suggest a small trial in store – filmed for the programme – to gauge customer perceptions of wonky produce and whether they would be willing to buy it at a discount. In the first programme, the pair meet farmers who tell them that they were unable to sell thousands of tonnes of their fresh vegetables to supermarkets because they were deemed imperfect. It features in the TV programme Friday Night Feast, which starts on Friday night on Channel 4. The initiative was triggered by an investigation into the scale of the UK’s food waste carried out by the celebrity chef and farmer Jimmy Doherty. The retailer – the UK’s second largest supermarket – said long-standing consumer resistance was about price and quality, but its research showed that 65% of its customers were now open to the idea of buying oddly shaped fresh produce, while 75% would definitely buy “wonky” if it was cheaper.
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