Reclaiming this waste
America is facing a huge food waste crisis which involves all levels of the food chain - from the farmer who grows it to the person who puts it in their refrigerator at home. This waste isn't just a waste of a resource (although that's bad enough, in a country where millions of people are living in "food insecure" households). It's also a waste of water, gasoline, supply lines, manpower, and more.
Several companies are taking steps to address one level of food waste: ugly produce which farmers abandon in the field. If a potato or an apple has an unsightly blemish, it may be perfectly fine to eat, but it won't sell at the grocery store. If a farmer can't sell it, there's no point wasting the time and effort it takes to pick, transport, and sell it. So they leave it in the field.
Bon Appetit Management Company is an $800 million food service company which has started the Imperfectly Delicious Produce (IDP) initiative. This initiative allows them to buy up imperfect produce at a steep discount and find a use for it. Crooked carrots? Serve them sliced. Potatoes with dents in the sides? Serve them mashed.
Some restaurants and grocery stores are hopping on the "ugly produce" bandwagon. Talk about a win-win! The farmers get to sell something that otherwise would have been a complete waste, the companies get to save a bit of money on their produce, and consumers get cut-rate produce that tastes just as good as the "pretty produce." I love it!