An imperfect solution: how supermarkets are pushing ‘wonky’ fruit and veg

Wonky fruit and veg – that is, bumpy apples, spiky cucumbers and amusingly-shaped carrots – is having a bit of a moment of late. While it may have once been passed over for the more aesthetically-pleasing lines, increasing numbers of consumers are actively choosing the imperfect options.

This year has been the perfect storm for so-called ‘wonky’ fruit – the out of shape, imperfect or irregular-looking fruit that is still put on sale for a discounted price or used to make other products.

As retailers and consumers look to reduce food waste and keep costs down, it makes sense to maximise the use of all available produce, rather than rejecting it for purely cosmetic reasons.

Where the fruit or vegetable may once have been passed over because it is slightly too small, far too big, has tiny cracks in the skin, or is slightly the wrong colour, in 2022 suppliers and retailers are shouting about the fact that they are using as much of the produce as they possibly can.

With grocery price inflation recently hitting a peak of 11.6% and farmers urging retailers to sell more ‘out of shape’ fruit after the recent heatwave and resulting drought, the responsibility of reducing the amount of food going to waste has filtered right through the food chain. So what is being done?

READ MORE: Farmers urge supermarkets to take wonky fruit and veg

How supermarkets are using wonky fruit and veg

With food waste remaining a high priority, major multiples have taken a different stance on how wonky fruit should be handled. In the face of recent supply chain struggles, many of them are putting more imperfect lines to use than ever before, using the produce they have in the best ways they can.

Tesco launched a food waste initiative, ‘Imperfectly Perfect’, which has already saved 50 million packs of fruit and vegetables since its launch. Customers buying the lines have saved 44,000 tonnes of fruit and veg which would otherwise have gone to waste.

Sainsbury’s offers an ‘Imperfectly Tasty’ range, as it has a “long-established process to ensure fruit and vegetables are put to good use,” according to a spokesperson for the supermarket.

Morrisons launched its ‘Wonky’ range in 2015, which saw customers “responding well”. It is also ramping up its focus on imperfect lines for this year in response to a direct plea from the farming community.

“We know that current weather conditions have been tough for many of our farmers and we’ll do everything we can to take their crop this harvest,” a spokesperson for Morrisons said.

“We currently have 22 varieties of fruit and vegetables in our Wonky range – where we take the whole crop from our farmers and offer larger, smaller and misshapen produce to our customers at a lower price.”

Discounter Lidl has announced it will sell “stunted” fruit and vegetables affected by the drought to support farmers and ensure food does not go to waste. Where possible, it will now accommodate products hit by the drought, including those which are a different size than shoppers are used to.

There are a number of other, more creative ways that retailers are able to use the fruit as well – with Aldi recently unveiling its ‘Wonky fruit and English Vodka‘ range. Each bottle contains over 100g of ‘wonky’ fruits and contributes towards saving one tonne of fruit which would otherwise have gone to waste.

READ MORE: UK to face healthy ageing crisis as supermarkets cut back on basic ranges

Why using wonky veg can help struggling farmers

After the recent heatwave stunted crops and reduced harvest numbers, farmers across the UK have been urging supermarkets to sell more out of shape fruit and vegetables.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) wants supermarkets to accept more wonky produce and be flexible with growers.

“Vegetables are no more wonky this year but with a smaller total crop we should make the best of every bit that is available and maybe many people will be happy to buy that,” said NFU vice-president, David Exwood.

He added: “Everyone wants to see less food waste, so give the customers the choice this year… let’s look at a slightly different specification. Some supermarkets are already offering this but we are saying why not make it more widely available.”

“We sell them slightly cheaper and people love having a choice, giving people a choice is never a bad thing.”

Farmers are also warning of a triple digit spike in prices, unless more help is offered by the government to cope with a mountain of extra costs. The pressure on farmers has been made worse by the recent heatwave which caused a drought and scorched fields, resulting in widespread crop failures across the UK.

“It has been a difficult growing season, and UK growers have worked incredibly hard to ensure the public continue to get the high-quality British produce they are used to,” said NFU horticulture and potatoes board chair, Martin Emmett.

He added: “Inevitably, there will be some impacts from the ongoing dry weather and some fresh produce may have a different size, skin finish or colour to usual, but we would encourage shoppers to continue buying their favourite veg and potatoes, as they will still be fresh, healthy, and tasty.

“Many supermarkets already have wonky veg ranges, but we would urge them to continue engaging with their farmer suppliers and continue to show flexibility during this challenging time.”

READ MORE: Farmers warn of triple digit spike in costs without government intervention

An imperfect solution

Recently, a survey conducted by Dash Water – which flavours its soft drinks with wonky fruit and veg – found that UK consumers between 18 and 24 are 23% less likely to eat wonky fruit and vegetables than older generations.

Whether that has been seen across the UK’s shopping baskets is unclear, but supermarkets have certainly been stepping up their own ranges of misshapen fruit and veg and as a result, the number of customers saving imperfect produce from going to waste has increased significantly.

While NFU farmers continue to struggle during the dry weather, supermarkets and suppliers are both willing and able to take more ‘imperfect; produce than normal to offset the amount of fresh fruit and veg going to waste.

Ultimately though, consumers also need to be on board with the concept – something that is likely to increase as people look for more ways to cut costs on their shopping bill.

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1 Comment. Leave new

  • Isn’t it supermarkets that conditioned consumers into believing that all fruit & veg is always perfectly shaped and ‘spotless’ in the first place? Why not just sell fruit & veg as it grows, by weight, at a more affordable price?

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