Half of All U.S. Produce Is Thrown Away

Did you know that close to half the produce cultivated in the USA is actually thrown away?

I definitely know food is tossed from several check points.

The farmer tosses what he or she doesn’t think will sell or ‘windfalls’ that hit the ground that have a blemish here or there

The distributor sorts the produce according to grades.  1st’s are more expensive because they are the ‘nicest’ to look like and they are th produce that best represent what we buyer’s or us consumers expect.

From there the produce is graded all down the line … all the way down to the ugly fruit and vegetables…

Bins are tossed at the distributor level and never even make it into the ugly fruit and vegetable packaging…

Then the fruit and veggies make its way to the grocery stores. That’s where the stores stock the bins and line the shelves.  During that process they pick through all the produce, showing off the nicest produce in their bunkers and display cases.

The not so pretty pieces of fruit and vegetables then either make their way to the discount bins and grab tables or they get tossed.

Oh but it doesn’t stop there! … the longer the veggies and fruit sit on display the more they will ripen and turn into uglier versions of their younger selves…. and again they will make their way to the discount portions of the store .. or worse to the big ol’ garbage bin.

It’s a growing problem .. as one study shows. Read the original study here.

What do you think? Do you shop the pretty produce? Or will you go for the uglier produce? …  Check out the original article written by the Guardian by clicking here

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