farming

*This is the first part of a three part series explaining where food is wasted along the value chain, why it is wasted, and what solutions and actions can be taken to help reduce the problem.*

Retailers and consumers have set beauty standards on our own food that if they do not meet certain criteria, such as being a certain size or having no blemishes or scratches, they are not acceptable and will go uneaten. Ben Chesler, the COO of Imperfect Produce explains, “Ugly fruits and vegetables are the 20% of fruits and vegetables that are grown on farms that don’t make it to supermarkets each year and that’s usually for small cosmetic reasons like too big too small or its the wrong shape, size of color.” Ugly fruits are perceived as hideous creatures; if they don’t look a certain way they must not be safe to eat nor good quality, even though they are perfectly fine on the inside.

Where did These Standards of Produce Beauty Begin?

The United States Department of Agriculture within Agricultural Marketing Service created standards to help describe the quality and condition of commodities within a marketplace. These standards are placed for all different types of food to help create a consistent language to describe the quality and condition of the items. Some of these food types such as meat, dairy, and grains, have these standards as requirements for food safety, but for fruits and vegetables, these standards are voluntary in that they can be graded on their size and shape but it does not mean they are unsafe to eat. Retail stores have now taken these to extremes that by not perfectly fitting the standards, they are unwanted in their markets. Here are some examples of these standards:

Cauliflower needs to be the perfect shade of white and if they look yellow, then they won’t be accepted.
To be considered a “good pepper” it must be able to stand on its own “feet”, basically saying it can sit up straight. If it cannot stand up straight, then it does not cosmetically fit the standards due to a small bump, even when the peppers are still perfectly healthy to eat.
Carrots that you find in the store are straight. But due to rough spots in the dirt, carrots may twist and turn while forming in the ground. As farmer Juan Gonzalez explains, “Nothing wrong with them, they just look funky.”

Nature Isn’t Perfect

There is a common misperception that if produce does not look a certain way or is deformed, it is genetically modified. However, many of these imperfections are created when organically grown too. These imperfections may be caused by weather conditions or soil conditions, such as the ground being hard and resulting in the produce bending in different ways. It could also be due to harvesting the produce too soon or too late to meet the perfect size or color. Either way, we reject a lot of food for not meeting these beauty standards.

How does Food Waste Impact Farms and the Environment?

Loss in Revenue:

Farmers put in a lot of time, effort, and money to make food that markets end up not taking, leading to revenue rotting on the fields. For farmer Manuel Cherry he says, “Sometimes you get 20% waste, sometimes 40%, sometimes half, up to 50%. Costs us 50 cents. The growers put their heart and soul into it. Worth nothing.” And for farmer Juan, 10 million pounds of food his farm grows is rejected each year for not being cosmetically pleasing. If we keep to these strict standards, it may lead to minimal revenue for farms to barely stay in business, or prices will have to increase in order to keep farmers afloat.

Loss of Precious Environmental Resources:

Producing food has huge environmental impacts that get worse when resources are wasted. Approximately 70% of water available is used for agriculture for the world; 80% for the United States. The UN estimates 30% of agricultural land available, about 1.4 billion hectares, produces food that just gets wasted. That is equivalent to up to 170 trillion liters of water wasted that could be used to fill Lake Geneva three times.

In the United States alone, 15.7% of US energy usage and 50% of all land is used for agricultural purposes. Wasted energy means omitting unnecessary emissions to escalate climate change further. Wasteful land usage creates the loss of precious nutrients and good quality soil which degrades the land so it can not be used in the future. As precious resources like these are used and wasted in the production of imperfect foods, resources become scarcer and make it more expensive to produce food in the future, meaning there is more economic reason to utilize all of the food that is produced.

Filling Up Landfills to Release Methane:

Since there is a lack of composting programs available, most of the unwanted produce ends up in landfills. In California, the Salinas dump is referred to as “the salad bowl of the world” because a majority of its heads of lettuce, along with other fruits and vegetables that go to waste. As Assistant General Manager Salinas Valley Solid Waste, Cesar Zuniga, explains, “A lot of this bag stuff goes East. By the time it gets to the stores, hits the shelf, most markets don’t want it.” When food sits in the landfills and does not have enough oxygen to break down, it slowly releases methane traps 100 times more heat than carbon dioxide in a five year period to worsen the acceleration of climate change.

Solutions for the Problem

Although food waste is inevitable to occur on farms due to weather, pests, and disease, changing the view of imperfect produce is a good solution to reduce large amounts of wasted food, help reduce world hunger, and reduce environmental impacts from wasted resources.

Ugly Produce Programs:

Ugly produce companies are working with farmers to make sure that their perfectly good ugly produce still goes to good use. Popular brands like Misfit Markets, Imperfect Foods, and Hungry Harvest buy the produce from farmers at discounted prices so that the companies can sell the produce at lower prices than what you get at the store, so those who are on tight budgets can still have access to fresh produce. Some users have commented that the food is, “Just as good as grocery store quality…and is at a great price.” The founders of Imperfect Food find that their service is the solution to minimizing food waste. Ben Chesler, COO of Imperfect Food says that food waste is, “one of the leading solids by weight in our nation’s landfill” and by their company seeing the treasure in imperfect produce is helping to reduce environmental impacts and world hunger.

These companies have been able to make a huge impact: Hungry Harvest from 2014 to 2017 helped to recover 1 million pounds of food, and from 2015 to present day, Imperfect Food has been able to recover over 116 million pounds of food. And not only are they helping divert food, but they are helping farms recover profits that would have gone wasted and have them prosper more than ever. Juan Gonzalez has said that because of Imperfect Foods’ efforts, “Profitability has gone up, our employees production numbers have gone up, field harvest numbers have gone up,” and with solutions like these, “California could end world hunger.”

Discounted Produce in Supermarkets:

Some imperfect produce gets ships to retailers and if it is too expensive to ship it back to the farm, they end up tossing it in the garbage bin. Some restaurants are taking a stance on this by selling the imperfect produce at a discounted price in which they may not make a high amount of revenue, but is better than the food getting thrown out altogether. Some stores like Whole Foods and Giant Eagle are places that have these discounted programs. Ask your grocery store directly if they have discounted food programs you can check out and maybe get a good bargain due to a couple of bruises.

Some stores divert imperfect produce from being wasted in their stores by having donation programs to provide food to those in need within their community. Sprouts Farmers Market is a superstar in reducing food waste through their Food Rescue Program. Their program diverts unmarketable produce and food waste by creating meals for those in need or sending it to composting programs rather than the landfill. In one of their locations within Alhambra, California, in 2018 alone, they donated 59 tons of excess food to support local families and composted 57 tons of food scraps. If more efforts were made like these, less people in communities would go hungry and more nutritious compost could be made rather than methane emissions.

Connecting Food Donation Programs and Farmers:

As we have seen in times like COVID-19, many families are going hungry and farmers are forced to have perfectly good food go unharvested. Having better connections with food donation programs and farmers can ensure that the food can still go to good use. Organizations such as Food Donation Connection helps to connect food service companies and harvest programs to have alternatives to discarding edible food. States can help with the disconnect in the value chain as well to provide funds to food donation banks so the food banks can directly buy from the farmers their excess food. This way, donation banks can get the supplies they need and still support the farmers to receive some sort of revenue for imperfect food/excess food.

Recovery Food to Feed Livestock:

If it doesn’t look great to us, there’s many animals that would be happy to chow down on the produce that may not meet our standards. The Environmental Protection Agency helps give guidelines on how to work on donating food. There are guidelines for this to ensure the safety for animals for animals, but it is a way farmers can support one another and reduce costs for providing feed to the animals.

Changing Our Mindsets on the Beauty Standards for Our Food

In order for the issue around imperfect produce to stop, it requires us to change our mindset. It requires educating each other and our children to know what is safe to eat no matter what size, shape, or if there are a couple bruises. When going to the store, instead of getting produce that fits that perfect mold, grab the one that looks a little less perfect. Communicate and write to your local grocery stores to see if imperfect produce stands could be established. As consumers take action to say every piece of produce is beautiful, it is another step in reducing food waste across the value chain.

Sources:

Enjoying my favorite Saturday activity at the Durham Farmers Market in NC.

One of my favorite Saturday activities is going to the farmers market. Wherever I live, I love to go meet farmers in person who have put their heart and soul into growing the food that goes onto my plate.

To be considered locally grown food, it is often considered as food that is grown or processed within 100 miles from the farmer and the consumer. This includes fruits, vegetables, dairy products, eggs, and meat. Buying local food is not only a great way to help out with the environment, but also comes with many additional benefits for your health, the local economy, as well as your community.

Environmental Benefits:

Some big, organic avocados found at a local farmers market in Kauai, HI.

Reducing Carbon Footprint to Transport Food: According to researcher Rich Pirog at Iowa State University, the average piece of produce travels 1,500 miles. The more food that has to be imported from other states or countries, the more fossil fuels are consumed. Buying local food reduces the distance food travels from farm to consumer, creating a reduction on air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions to reduce your carbon footprint.
Eating Seasonal Food rather than Out of Season: Having foods when there in season means less demand from having them sent overseas during out of season periods. Adjust your diet according to what is in season for your area to help reduce the demand of importing food from overseas when they can be grown locally.
Preserves Genetic Diversity and Green Space: When producing crops on a large scale, it usually requires only using certain genetic strands in order for them to last longer or look a certain way by the time it gets to the consumer. Many small scale farms aren’t limited and try to use a range of genetic strands to preserve not only genetic diversity, but biodiversity as well.
Often Pesticide Free: Getting organic certifications can have high costs small farms aren’t able to afford, but many local farms do use minimal or no pesticide. Meanwhile, many large scale farms require using pesticides in order to control pest maintenance or preserve their food. Eating locally means less exposure to unnecessary chemicals, and if you aren’t sure if the farmer uses pesticides, just ask them directly!

Health Benefits:

Grabbing some healthy beets for a healthy heart 🙂

Preservative Free: When grown at a large scale, food may be sprayed with chemicals in order for food to last to travel long distances. Or when imported, they are often picked early and then artificially “ripened” with ethylene gas once it reaches its destination. Since food is generally picked 24 hours before selling at local farms, no chemicals are needed to preserve freshness for less exposure to unnecessary chemicals.
More Nutritious and Flavorful: The less time between harvest and reaching the consumer, the more likely the food’s nutrient value is still in tact as it is picked at the peak of ripeness. One example is a study from Montclair State University which found that broccoli that was imported out of season only retained half of its Vitamin C value compared to broccoli grown in season. Also with less chemical exposure means foods tasting better due to their freshness.
More Well-Balanced Diet: Having locally grown food with less chemicals could help reduce any digestion issues and help you to incorporate a more healthy, balance diet versus a processed, packaged diet.
Improve Food Safety: Food safety, especially in a time like COVID-19, has become increasingly important. Imported food can pass through different hands, trucks, crates, and borders before it reaches you to increase risk of contamination. Buying local has less processing steps in between to help reduce food’s contamination risk.

Economic Benefits

Supporting other local businesses at the farmers market like bakeries.

Keep Money Within the Community: Choosing local food means supporting and keeping money within the community, and to help local businesses prosper.
Local Farmers Keep More Profit: Keeping food local means reducing costs to transport and distribute food, helping them keep profits to have their business thrive.
Create Jobs: Supporting local farms helps to stimulate jobs within your community and help the local economy.
Support Other Local Businesses: When you go out to eat, support local businesses and restaurants that get their supplies from local farmers to keep business and farming more local to boost the economy.

Community Benefit:

Preserving Small Farms: As small farms are able to maintain profits, they are less likely to sell land to developers. Preserving small farms means keeping farming practices that support sustainable agricultural practices, as well as help foster biodiversity for animals and bugs to live and thrive. Many of these small farms are also family run, and supporting locals can help keep family traditions going and support family development.
Bringing the Community Together: Buying from those locally gives the opportunity to get to know the growers, and to build relationships with community members to bring the community together.
Knowing where your food comes from: Getting food locally can give a better understanding of where and how your food is produced. This can help to encourage more sustainable practices within local farms rather than resource intensive methods from commercial agriculture. You may be able to visit the farms yourself and pick your own produce, too!
Putting Power to Your Money: As people are getting more concerned about how food is being produced, buying local can support those whom’s farming practices you believe in.
Improve Well-Being: It’s a great feeling of satisfaction knowing that your actions to choose local are helping your community, economy, and the environment, giving the great feeling of knowing your purchase is making a difference.

Where to Buy Locally Grown Food:

Farmers Markets: Many towns and counties have farmers market that may occur once or twice a week. You can search via the web if there is once in the area, use the locator from Local Harvest, or the farmers market directory from USDA.
Community Supported Agricultural Programs (CSAs): Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) are programs community members can join by paying a share to help local farmers grow their food while having access to seasonal produce. Local Harvest provides more information on CSAs as well as where to find local CSAs and tips for for choosing CSAs.
Events, Gleaning, and Stands: Some farms give the experience to pick your own produce by paying a fee to pick in the fields. Another form of this is gleaning where people can come pick remaining crops when the farm has completed harvesting. Some farmers set up stands on the side of the road so if you see someone selling on the side of the road, pull over and see what they have to offer!
See if your Grocery Store Sells Local Food: Many grocery stores, including Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Co-ops work hard to buy produce that is local to their store location. You can check out the Co-op Directory to see if there is a co-op near you, or ask your grocery store what local food they sell in their store.
Grow it Yourself: Nothing is more local than walking into your backyard and picking your own produce! If you have the space, you can make raised beds to grow produce in or even raise your own chickens. It’s a great way to past the time as well as feel accomplished growing your own food.