Ugly Produce: A Simple Way to Reduce Food Waste

If you’ve ever felt personally offended by the price of a perfectly round apple, or stared at a three-legged carrot and thought, “Honestly, same,” then welcome to the era of ugly produce. Also known as imperfect produce, these fruits and vegetables are helping reduce food waste in a surprisingly big way. Once quietly discarded for being too small, too bent, or too freckled, cosmetically imperfect produce has gone from reject pile to sustainability superstar — showing up in grocery stores, subscription boxes, and kitchens everywhere. And honestly? We love to see it.

What Is Ugly Produce?

Ugly produce refers to fruits and vegetables that don’t meet traditional cosmetic standards but are still perfectly fresh, safe, and delicious. Think crooked carrots, misshapen peppers, oversized zucchini, or apples with a little extra personality. These items were historically rejected by grocery stores simply because they didn’t look “right,” not because they were spoiled or damaged.

For years, these arbitrary standards meant that nearly 40% of produce never made it to store shelves. Not because it couldn’t be eaten — but because it wasn’t Instagram-ready. As conversations around sustainability and food waste have grown louder, consumers started asking the obvious question: Why are we throwing away perfectly good food?

That question sparked a movement.

Why Grocery Stores and Consumers Are Embracing Ugly Produce

The rise of imperfect produce didn’t happen by accident. Environmentally conscious consumers — especially millennials and Gen Z — are far less tolerant of unnecessary waste. If a potato is edible, it deserves to fulfill its potato destiny.

On the business side, companies like Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods helped reframe ugly produce as a smart, sustainable choice rather than a second-rate option. Grocery stores followed suit, piloting imperfect produce sections, offering discounts on cosmetically challenged items, and partnering directly with farmers to reduce what gets left behind in fields.

This shift benefits everyone involved:

• Consumers get affordable, fresh produce

• Farmers earn more by selling a greater portion of their harvest

• Retailers reduce waste and shrink losses

• And the planet gets a break

How Imperfect Produce Reduces Food Waste

Food waste isn’t just about tossing food — it’s about wasting the water, soil, fuel, labor, and money used to grow and transport it. When imperfect fruits and vegetables are discarded for cosmetic reasons, all of those resources are wasted too.

By incorporating ugly produce into the mainstream, we stop food waste before it starts. Farmers can harvest and sell more of what they grow. Retailers can buy more cost-effective products. Consumers gain access to lower-priced fruits and vegetables. At scale, this reduces overplanting, conserves water and land, and lowers emissions tied to food production.

Imperfect produce may look small and funny, but its impact on reducing food waste is anything but.

How Buying Ugly Produce Helps the Environment

Choosing ugly produce is one of the simplest ways consumers can reduce food waste without changing how they cook or eat. Once produce is chopped, roasted, blended, or sautéed, no one can tell whether it started life with an extra curve or an unconventional lump.

Simple actions that make a real difference include:

• Buying discounted ugly produce at grocery stores

• Choosing imperfect produce subscription boxes

• Supporting farmers’ markets that sell cosmetically imperfect items

• Learning the difference between cosmetic flaws and actual spoilage

These choices signal to retailers that sustainability matters more than appearances — and that demand encourages long-term change in how food is grown and sold.

A Future Where Ugly Produce Is the Norm

As demand for imperfect produce grows, more schools, restaurants, meal kit providers, and food banks are incorporating ugly fruits and vegetables into their operations. This means less food waste, more affordable produce, and stronger support for local farmers.

The bottom line: ugly produce isn’t a trend — it’s a smarter way to value food. By embracing imperfect fruits and vegetables, consumers can help reduce food waste, protect resources, and build a more sustainable food system. Sometimes sustainability looks like a lopsided peach or a carrot shaped like modern art — and that’s perfectly fine.

Embrace the ugly. It tastes the same, costs less, and helps reduce food waste. Pretty beautiful, if you ask me.