Imperfect Foods: A Way To Combat Food Waste

Buy Sustainably With Imperfect Foods

Food waste was always one of the world’s biggest problems. Every year, 1/3 of all food produced globally goes to waste, which means we throw away 1.3 billion tonnes annually. In terms of money, this represents a loss of $1 trillion every year. To help raise awareness of this problem, in this week’s lifestyle article we’ll talk about a company called Imperfect Foods.

This company has only one mission – eliminate food waste and build a better food system for everyone. Their idea is to reduce waste on the farm, at the store, and in our homes. Although this may look too ambitious, the idea behind it is actually very simple. If food can be saved, they will save it!

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Ugly Fruit, Veg and Groceries

Have you ever asked yourself why foods look the same in supermarkets or grocery stores? Have you ever asked why all the apples look so perfect? Why they have the same size, color, and shape?

Unfortunately, the answers to these questions are the main reasons for the world’s food waste. Thins like Cosmetic, Excess Inventory or even Short-Coded are some of the issues behind this problem.

Here are some of the most common reasons that perfectly good food gets rejected by grocery stores and could end up going to waste:

Cosmetic: Grocery stores want food that looks beautiful and unblemished on the outside, which means that they don’t want ugly food, like scarred fruits and vegetables. They have to wait for a juicer or processor to show interest or else they might go to waste.

Off-Spec: Certain types of food can fall through the cracks of our food system if it doesn’t meet the strict specifications set by the buyer. These specifications are related to the way the food is harvested or packaged.

Surplus/Excess Inventory: Due to the unpredictable nature of agriculture, a farmer or producer might have more production than what the market is looking for. Another reason is when the market is flooded with a particular category of trendy food. Which normally could set aside perfectly good food that suddenly has no future.

Packaging Change: Every time a brand changes the packaging on one of their products, the old packaging often ends up in the trash.

Short-Coded: Traditional retail stores won’t stock items with expiration dates less than a few months away.

Luckily, through its activity, Imperfect Foods is not only aware of the food waste but also trying to fight it.

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How It Works

Shopping with Imperfect Foods couldn’t be more simple! First, you need to choose a plan that suits you best. You can choose between organic or conventional produce and then add grocery items you want.

Once your shopping window opens you are able to view which items we’ve selected for you that week. Everything in your order is customizable – keep what you want, remove what you don’t. Add in grocery staples, snacks and other favorite items you’ll love.

You can do all these without leaving the comfort of your home. Your order will be packed with care and will be delivered straight to your doorstep.

In the end, you have saved time, money, but most importantly, you save food from being wasted.

Imperfect But With Quality

We know it can be confusing to associate “imperfect” with good food. But, what makes food imperfect, anyway? Do we really need shiny apples or perfect round oranges? Do the look of food directly related to its quality? The answer is no, and Imperfect Foods is here to prove it.

They hand-select their fruits, vegetables, packaged goods, milk, dairy, protein and anything else they source. Each item is produced and procured with a high standard of ingredients and humane practices. All the products are sustainably sourced, taking into consideration the earth’s resources.

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Why Companies Like Imperfect Foods Are Important

In addition to everything we already said, we will share with you 10 factors, that makes us support companies like Imperfect Foods.

1. Over 1/3 of all food produced globally goes to waste;
2. The annual value of food wasted globally is $1 trillion, and it weighs 1.3 billion tonnes;
3. All the world’s nearly one billion hungry people could be fed on less than a quarter of the food that is wasted in the US, and Europe;
4. An area larger than China is used to grow food that is never eaten;
5. 25% of the world’s freshwater supply is used to grow food that is never eaten;
6. If food waste were a country it would be the 3rd largest emitter of greenhouse gases (after China & the USA);
7. In most developed countries, over half of all food waste takes place in the home;
8. Meanwhile, food waste at the retail store level is less than 2% of total food waste (though supermarket practices are directly responsible for much food waste elsewhere in the supply chain.);
9. In the home food waste is worth £800 per year to the average UK family ($2,275 in the USA), which collectively adds up to £15 billion per year;
10. 2.3 billion people are joining the planet by 2050 – this will require a 60-70% increase in global food production. Or we can just stop throwing away our food!

If you want to make some difference in the world and if you want to help combat the world’s food waste, go visit ImperfectFoods.com to know more about this project.