Ugly Produce Moves to Center Stage

More grocery stores are accepting misshapen fruits and vegetables.

September 28, 2016

WENATCHEE, Wash. – Move over, flawlessly formed apples, gloriously straight carrots and other perfect fruit and vegetables—the time for ugly produce has arrived. These days, grocers such as Walmart have begun asking for—and selling—misshapen potatoes, apples and other non-pretty fruit and veggies, creating a market for previously throwaway produce, the Wall Street Journal reports.

“We are not trying to produce ugly produce,” said Steve Lutz, vice president of marketing at CMI Orchards, which now sells unattractive apples to 300 Florida Walmart stores. “If you do have fruit that doesn’t make the grade cosmetically, you try to find another channel for it.”

Walmart recently started a pilot program to offer ugly produce, such as misshapen apples in Florida stores and ugly potatoes nicknamed Spuglies at 400 Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas locations. Whole Foods Market is also running a pilot program with blemished produce. And Walmart’s U.K. supermarket chain, Asda, now hawks “Wonky Fruit and Veg” produce at a 30% discount.

Despite the uptick in interest, many consumers are leery of buying ugly produce. “The customer is typically looking for a well-shaped product,” said Rick Stein, vice president of fresh food for the Food Marketing Institute. “But in many cases, an ugly pepper will often taste as good or better than a conventional one because of the ripeness.”

Grocers and suppliers are working on making ugly pretty with branding. For example, CMI Orchards calling its misshapen fruit “I’m Perfect,” and other cutesy names.

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