Could a misshapen vegetable or a fruit that lacks shine have less taste than the “perfect” products that are displayed in the supermarkets? Not at all ! Quite the contrary … We tell you everything you need to know to reconcile yourself with so-called “ugly” fruits and vegetables.
What is an ugly fruit or vegetable?
An ugly fruit or vegetable is food that does not meet the sizing standard imposed by supermarkets. Misshapen, too big, too small, cracked, hunchbacked… Basically, their shape, color or size do not fit into the “mold” imposed on them to be sold in supermarkets.
From calibration … to waste!
For a product to be sold in supermarkets, it must meet very precise (or absurd) specifications. Take the example of an apple: it must weigh at least 90g, and skin defects must not exceed a total surface area of 2.5 cm2 …
So the problem is that all the apples that don’t meet these specifications stay on the side of the road because they are supposedly “unsaleable”. Le Figaro tells us that “10% of fruits and vegetables are left in the fields for each harvest, because they do not respect the beauty standards of supermarkets”
Which is totally appalling given that the weight of a fruit or even a small defect on its skin does not affect its nutritional value!
The result of this purely physical “selection”? Completely mind-boggling waste!
Of the 300 million tonnes of food wasted around the world each year, 40% is thought to be fruit and vegetables.
4 reasons to eat ugly fruits and vegetables
1 – Fight against food waste
When we know that 40% of the production of “non-calibrated” fruits and vegetables are excluded from distribution channels, there is something to think about!
2- Reconnect with nature and relearn what is “natural”
The standardized models of vegetables and fruits that supermarkets impose on us, tend to condition the consumer: “an apple is all round, a zucchini is very green and a bean at a precise size …” it is just perfectly normal for a potato or a carrot to be misshapen! It’s nature ! And nature is made of little imperfections. And above all, the taste remains the same!
3 – Eat healthier
These aesthetic dictates sometimes push producers to “do everything” so that their dear products end up on the shelves … A little help (phytosanitary products, pesticides, GMOs), far from being natural, will help them to produce prettier products, often altering the taste and especially the nutritional quality of the product.
As for mobile phones, it is common knowledge that many of them do not hesitate to wash products with bleach so that they are very clean or to pearl their apple with protective wax to make them shiny for example. Eating ugly vegetables or fruits is often the guarantee of eating a natural and healthy food.
4 – Spend less
To avoid waste, some supermarkets are selling these seemingly unfavorable products at a lower price (just like those reaching the expiration date). What to save money while consuming better, better, and responsible!
Initiatives put in place
Over the past few years, we have fortunately seen the emergence of certain initiatives on the part of traders. Here are some examples:
- The creation of “anti-waste” grocery stores, which exclusively offer products refused by traditional distribution channels.
- The implementation of action in supermarkets to highlight fruits and vegetables that are ugly, or reaching their expiration date.
- The manufacture of juice, soup or compotes from uncalibrated products.
- And even restaurants are doing it! Indeed, some of them have decided to cook exclusively with ugly or unsold products. For fans of the Top Chef show, an episode this year was devoted to making a menu made entirely from ugly products!
In life, you have to accept each other’s differences and not discriminate … Well, it’s just the same with fruits and vegetables! To the best of my mind…
