Cosmetic defects are a common reason why produce is thrown away.
How often do you think about the food you eat? How often do you think about the food that you don’t eat? The food that never makes it to the grocery store, to the table?
According to the Guardian, about 150,000 tons of food in American households are thrown out every day.
The National Resources Defense Council reported in 2017 that up to 40 percent of the United States food supply goes uneaten. Often, this is because of cosmetic blemishes.
Now, this isn’t anything new, unfortunately.
If you live off-campus, don’t eat at Founders or the Tea Shop, or like to supplement your meals with fruits and vegetables, here are some organizations that deliver to the Bay Area that can help you reduce the amount of food that goes to waste.
Imperfect Produce tries to source produce locally and you can customize what seasonal produce goes into your box. Sometimes they do source out-of-state or internationally, so they’ll let you know where the produce was grown. The boxes cost 30–50 percent less compared to grocery store prices, and you can leave specific instructions for your order about where your box can be delivered if you’re not home when it’s delivered.
Farm Box Direct offers Organic, Natural and Juice boxes. Their site says their seasonal produce is “fresh, local and delicious!” They also allow you to customize your boxes months in advance, and provide an app to make the process easier.
Next Door Organics utilizes a membership system that allows members to earn commissions for referring people to the organization, and 50 percent of every dollar goes to the farmer or maker. They offer produce, but also meat, seafood, and dairy. However, Next Door Organics does not explicitly have the focus on minimizing food waste that the other companies on this list do.
Other companies like GrubMarket make online grocery shopping and delivery easier, especially if you’re looking to buy locally and organically, but they don’t specifically work to reduce food waste, just fresh, raw and organic food access.
