Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Approximately 72 billion pounds of food is wasted annually in the US—from every point in the food production cycle.

In an attempt to lower this number, a new crop of companies has emerged over the last couple of years. Companies that are on a mission to get people to eat misshapen, deformed, and strange-looking fruits and vegetables.

Venture capital-backed businesses like Imperfect Foods, Full Harvest, Hungry Harvest, and Misfits Market aim to create a new channel of distribution for farmers, offering customers ugly produce at a discount to what the groceries would cost at retail.

But Sarah Taber isn’t buying it. She thinks the ugly food movement is bending the industry narrative and has taken it upon herself to fill people in on the bigger picture.

In 2019, Taber, a crop scientist who worked on farms for a decade, doing everything from detasseling corn to beekeeping, and is now consulting with several greenhouse and indoor agricultural companies, published a Twitter thread to share her thoughts.

More info: Twitter

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: Cajsa_Lilliehook (not the actual photo)

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Ugly food has always been around. Like all living beings, produce isn’t always perfect. Not to mention all the shipping and handling that goes into the modern food supply chain, where things get banged up. Some people act like ugly food is a horrible tragedy that’s preventable, but really, this is just the nature of fresh produce.

“The way the food system mainly used to deal with perishability … was by canning and freezing produce,” Taber told Vox. “[But] the sustainable food movement [changed that]. They came around and said everyone needs to eat more fresh produce and should know where their food comes from. This has turned into an expression of a cultural crisis: its created anxiety.

“People now panic if they don’t know where food comes from, and the constant messaging about how you “should” reinforce the anxiety. Any time people are having these anxieties, marketers take advantage of it. But the market-based solutions that marketing endorses don’t fix the root cause.”

In an interesting move, Imperfect Foods diversified into other grocery categories, like dairy, meat, and pantry items. Some of these are still “imperfect” products, like coffee beans that were too small or misshapen almonds, but others are not.

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: sarahtaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Taber is skeptical of ugly food companies’ chances to contribute to the common good. “They say that a lot of the ugly produce goes to waste. But there’s a huge part of that produce that goes to food service, where it gets cut up and appearance doesn’t matter,” she pointed out.

“Honestly, I think these companies just found a good hustle that makes them look good and makes money. 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.”

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Taber stressed it’s important that shoppers stay true to themselves. “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, according to her, it’s just supporting someone’s business model.

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SarahTaber_bww

Here’s what people said after reading Taber’s thread

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: TheWheelMe

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: AAKing27

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: 6bq9music

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: braveandcrazy51

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: jessicamdelarue

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: kershawsbutt

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: phnel

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: CaitlinVanasse

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: moreywrites

Produce Industry Expert Debunks The Misleading Marketing Behind The “Ugly Food” Movement

Image credits: SamuelGray3

I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

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Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

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What do you think ?

POST

John C 3 years ago

Informative, but I couldn't make it all the way through - chip on author's shoulder is way too large. Glad they're passionate about something but talk about over reaction, jeebus! Ranting and raving about a well-meaning outlook that really isn't that harmful? Maybe get a hobby or something?

35points

Roman Hans 3 years ago (edited)

My sentiments exactly. I’ve never even heard of this “movement.” I’ve seen ugly or overripe food at farmer’s markets, where it’s cheaper, but that’s it. And there it makes perfect sense.

14points

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Phil Vaive 3 years ago

It is harmful, though. If people think that buying a less then perfect tomato is going to solve food waste problems, then they aren't focusing on the real causes of the problem as outlined by the OP. Those problems are caused by, as the good Doc pointed out, politics and shitty corporate policies. The political side of things can be solved with our votes, and the corporate policies can be solved with our wallets and our voices.

12points

Grumble O'Pug 3 years ago

Nonsense. So much ignorance is ridiculous. I am sure you don't know that some growers are on the hook for things like plums or apples that don't get sold by the middleman.

1point

Toko Danganronpa 3 years ago

@John C, Nailed your reply 👏

1point

3 years ago

You're being too emotional. Read the article, research the facts.

0points

Uncommon Boston Premium 3 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

0points

Daphne Williams 3 years ago (edited)

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Stille20 3 years ago

While there were some good points, the level of rage and generalizations about consumers and meandering arguments made me tap out.

28points

Rissie 3 years ago

I never added this as a reply to Stille, no clue how it ended up here. My comment was not aimed at you Stille. But besides that I have never encountered a successful company focusing on ugly produce. Only silky geese trying to make it work.And my point is that if that is what someone is going on about at this point in time, they need to see that the world is a lot bigger.

0points

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Hiker Chick 3 years ago

This was very interesting, but the author seems very angry with ordinary people who probably don't know about these issues because they haven't been on their radar. Don't get angry with me just because I don't know this information that you're an expert in.

24points

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John C 3 years ago

35points

Roman Hans 3 years ago (edited)

14points

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Phil Vaive 3 years ago

12points

Grumble O'Pug 3 years ago

Nonsense. So much ignorance is ridiculous. I am sure you don't know that some growers are on the hook for things like plums or apples that don't get sold by the middleman.

1point