Ugly fruits and vegetables will soon be sold in Southern California.
By ugly, we mean produce that has an off color, strange shape or unusual size, but is completely safe to eat. The produce is not decayed or damaged — that’s an issue of condition. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), over 20 percent of food that’s grown on farms is never consumed by people.
So, in an effort to mitigate food waste, Imperfect, a start-up based in Northern California, sources fruit and vegetables from farms that have been rejected by grocery stores. The produce is carefully inspected and then packaged, then either home delivered or dropped off at a convenient location.
A Northern California grocery chain, Raley’s, is carrying Imperfect’s produce at a discounted price. In about three years Imperfect hopes to sell their fruit in Southern California.
Will you buy it? What is it about a two pronged-carrot or a pear collapsing on itself that makes you grimace, favoring its more idealized sibling? How strong of an influence does the mind have over flavor?
Guest:
Charles Spence, Professor of Experimental Psychology at Oxford University, who has a focus on how brains process information through the five senses