While the creations on this list are unappetizing and downright atrocious, ugly food is not always bad. Misshapen produce such as wonky-looking tomatoes and twisty carrots are a type of odd-looking food that is proudly wearing its ugliness badge. That is because ugly or imperfect produce is becoming trendy these days.
It is all related to the amazing trend of opting for the more sustainable option. You see, grocery stores only accept produce that has a certain kind of look. Those are the guidelines set by the government. They have to be a certain size, a certain color, and a certain shape. Melons have to be perfectly round, tomatoes—perfectly red, and apples—all uniform in size.
But what do you do with those that are too big, too small, too splotchy, or too wonky? Well, those are usually discarded. That is, in some cases, they might not even be collected and get left behind in the field. If they do get picked and still end up not being on par with the store's standards, they usually get thrown into a landfill. In any case, they become food waste.
So, this is where new start-ups swoop in. They take these basically worthless vegetables and fruit that are still completely perfect for eating, repackage them, and sell them directly to consumers. And then those consumers (that instead of a car, choose public transportation and thrift instead of buying something off the fast fashion rack) take home a curved cucumber instead of a perfectly straight one. Everyone wins, right? Well, not everyone thinks so.
You see, the companies that set up these services that get the ugly produce straight to the consumer’s door always emphasize how great what they’re doing is. It’s so sustainable, so good for the planet. They’re proudly saying they’re saving all this perfectly good foodstuff that would otherwise go to waste. Some of them even offer to check how much water and carbon you save by opting for their services. Yet, according to crop scientist Sara Taber, it all has a little bit of that greenwashing tinge to it.
According to Taber, food waste was always a thing. It’s a natural consequence of selling fresh produce—items get damaged and discarded. However, unlike what some companies have you believe, they aren’t always just thrown out somewhere to rot. They are used in canned goods as well as processed and frozen foods. In other words, they are used in places where appearances don’t matter.
“I think these companies just found a good hustle that makes them look good and makes money,” claims Taber. “There’s nothing morally wrong with that, but to go out and say, ‘I’m saving the world and I’m fixing a food problem,’ when there are actually better solutions is really disingenuous. It’s just a profit-oriented solution.”
She also assures everyone that leaving some crops in the field is not that bad as it might sound at first. That is because it all eventually turns into organic matter that enriches the soil. Another popular use for ugly produce is feeding them to animals. After all, even cattle and pigs love to get some melons or peaches for lunch.
So, should you buy ugly produce or not? Taber says it’s your choice. “If you’re buying ugly produce and it’s working for you, that’s fine. Keep doing it. Don’t feel guilty. That’s how food systems are supposed to work — it’s supposed to get what you want. But you should not feel obligated to buy ugly fruit because someone told you it’s going to save the world. It’s not. It’s just supporting someone’s business model.”
