Following the topic in last week , this week I want to introduce a campaign called "ugly food movement" as a steps to food waste solutions. Ugly food is fruit and vegetables that normally rejected by buyers in markets due to their odd-shape or imperfect in their appearances. In the past, the European Union had rules on standard of product be sold in supermarket called food standard, some are hilariously such as if an asparagus has lower than 80% of its length was green or the curve of cucumbers was regulated down the millimeter, they could not be sold.Therefore, they are usually dumped by farmers. It is estimated that a third of all the food produced in the world is never consumed, with the total cost as high as US$400 billion a year.
'Ugly food movement" is a campaign encouraging supermarket selling these food with lower price to prevent food waste.
'Ugly food movement" is a campaign encouraging supermarket selling these food with lower price to prevent food waste.
French supermarket Intermarche' has already launched a project called 'inglorious fruit and vegetables". the supermarket purchases the ugly product from purely cosmetic reasons and displayed it in special aisles with 30% discount. And it immediate success, selling 1.2 tonnes of misshaped fruit and vegetables in just two days. The Australia supermarket, Woolworths also released 'Odd Bunch" campaign as a following response in late last year. In addition to preventing food waste, the campaign also provide affordable fresh fruit and vegetables to low income group.
However, the largest obstacle of these campaign is consumer behaviour. They expect the very high levels of freshness, quality and aesthetics from the products they buy. Furthermore, due to the low price, people tend to buy more than they need and throw them anyway. Therefore, raising public support is a vital strategy in the success of ugly food campaign. People is still skeptical about the quality and nutrient of these food due to its low price. Finally, these campaign may have unintentional consequences on farmers. The farmers already invested in agriculture infrastructure to make very high standards food now have to compete with "ugly" - low standard food.
References
'Youth food movement Ugly matters'. Retrieved 30/4/2015.
<http://www.youthfoodmovement.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/YFM-Ugly-Matters.pdf>
Dan.M, 'Why people are falling in love with ugly food', March 2015. Retrieved 30/4/2015
<http://time.com/3761942/why-people-are-falling-in-love-with-ugly-food/>
Bethany.T, 'Cut price ugly supermarket food won't reduce waste - here's why', December 2014. Retrieved 30/4/2015.
<http://theconversation.com/cut-price-ugly-supermarket-food-wont-reduce-waste-heres-why-35375.>
Martha.C, 'Forget the ugli fruit, meet the ugly fruit bowl! French supermarket introduces lumpy and misshapen fruit and vegetables - sold at a 30% discount - to combat food waste', Dailymail Australia, July 2014. Retrieved 30/4/2015
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-2693000/Forget-ugli-fruit-meet-ugly-fruit-bowl-French-supermarket-introduces-lumpy-misshapen-fruit-vegetables-sold-30-discount-combat-food-waste.html>
Gary.M, 'Taste over waste: ugly food movement winning friends', March 2015. Retrieved 30/4/2015.
<http://theconversation.com/taste-over-waste-ugly-food-movement-winning-friends-38987>
'Youth food movement Ugly matters'. Retrieved 30/4/2015.
<http://www.youthfoodmovement.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/YFM-Ugly-Matters.pdf>
Dan.M, 'Why people are falling in love with ugly food', March 2015. Retrieved 30/4/2015
<http://time.com/3761942/why-people-are-falling-in-love-with-ugly-food/>
Bethany.T, 'Cut price ugly supermarket food won't reduce waste - here's why', December 2014. Retrieved 30/4/2015.
<http://theconversation.com/cut-price-ugly-supermarket-food-wont-reduce-waste-heres-why-35375.>
Martha.C, 'Forget the ugli fruit, meet the ugly fruit bowl! French supermarket introduces lumpy and misshapen fruit and vegetables - sold at a 30% discount - to combat food waste', Dailymail Australia, July 2014. Retrieved 30/4/2015
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-2693000/Forget-ugli-fruit-meet-ugly-fruit-bowl-French-supermarket-introduces-lumpy-misshapen-fruit-vegetables-sold-30-discount-combat-food-waste.html>
Gary.M, 'Taste over waste: ugly food movement winning friends', March 2015. Retrieved 30/4/2015.
<http://theconversation.com/taste-over-waste-ugly-food-movement-winning-friends-38987>