Don’t Judge a fruit, or a vegetable, by its peel

BY ADRIANNE LOVRIC

Asymmetrical apples. Crooked carrots. Poorly proportioned potatoes. These misfits would be rejected for failing to meet the standards of Canada’s grading system for fresh produce. If it’s ugly, it couldn’t possibly taste good, right?

“Isn't that the gist of the consumer mentality?,” says Elna Edgar, Edgar Farms’ self-proclaimed queen of asparagus, presiding over Alberta’s largest asparagus patch. “People shop with their eyes. To pick out a tomato they’ll turn it all over to make sure it's perfect.” But since the mid90s, Edgar has been challenging picky patrons of perfect produce with her bags of perfectly ugly asparagus sold seasonally at Farmers’ Markets throughout central Alberta and Edmonton. “Everybody wants that nice, perfectly straight spear. But if it's bent over, it tastes the same, it's exactly the same freshness because it was picked at exactly the same time.”

Over the years people who have taken the time to learn about Edgar’s bags of awkward asparagus will specifically seek them out on the shelves, choosing them over the bags of perfect asparagus. To combat wasting the fruits, or in this casethe vegetables of their labour, the Edgars also pickle asparagus and make soup, both of which are sold seasonally at their farm’s Country Store and select Farmers’ markets, and year-round in many central Alberta specialty shops.

Over half of Canada’s annual food supply is reportedly wasted or lost, with vegetables and fruits at the top of the garbage or compost heap. Online grocery delivery business SPUD.CA with its integrated operations through Blush Lane markets within Calgary and Edmonton is making a conscious effort to not add to the problem. “We are an important link in getting some of that product into the distribution chain that otherwise might be plowed under or composted,” says David Jannard, Head of Alberta Retail for Blush Lane. “Nobody hates wasting food more than the folks who grow it and us in the middle, who retail it. If we, as a retailer, are able to sell imperfect produce that otherwise would get wasted at its source or in our warehouses or in our retail stores, that helps to reduce food waste.”

According to Jannard, imperfect produce is defined as items that are not of the highest grade per Canadian grading standards. These standards establish a system, or common language, for describing the condition of fresh fruits and vegetables. This helps to ensure minimum standards of quality, and encourages safety and nutrition throughout the entire value chain. Grades and grade names are regulated under the Safe Food for Canadians Act, the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations, and various provincial acts. They may include parameters such as texture, colour, size and shape. “But when it comes to imperfect produce, if we’re comparing a similarly ripened or similarly harvested product and we’re just gauging it on looks and appeal, the taste factor should be the same,” says Jannard. “Basically they have aesthetic imperfections. For example, they might look smaller or larger than normal, they might have scarring or an irregular shape.”

During peak growing season, Blush Lane will work directly with growers to source specific imperfect but saleable produce, such as stone fruits and tomatoes, that can be sold at a reduced rate for canning or jam. They will also typically have between five and ten imperfect produce items available. The items would be graded differently by the grower because of either damage or appearance, as opposed to the inherent quality of the product. Blush Lane also inspects the product before it goes to customers at a discounted rate. “Our customers expect us to be good corporate citizens as it relates to reducing food waste, and not just food waste within our own four walls or warehouses, but also in actively supporting the agriculture industry to get this food to market,” says Jannard. “Looks aren’t everything. You know, a crooked carrot is just as great for soup.”

The misconception that imperfect produce is inferior is something Odd Bunch is working hard to combat. Recently launched in Alberta, the online retailer works with farms, greenhouses and distributors to take “odd” and surplus produce to create boxes that customers can order to be delivered directly to their door. They are using their online platform to educate consumers that imperfect doesn’t mean subpar. “This is not something that's on its last legs. Oftentimes, you may not even be able to tell the source of the imperfection,” says Divyansh Ojha, Founder and CEO of Odd Bunch.

By sourcing produce that would otherwise be destined for landfill, not because of freshness, but because of cosmetic or logistical reasons, or any other inefficiencies in our food system, Odd Bunch is disrupting traditional buying patterns. “Rather than consumers choosing and picking what they want to eat, we actually flip it over to the supply side to say, you tell us what you have that you want us to sell, and then we'll assemble them into boxes which consumers can choose to receive, on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, or whatever they desire,” says Ojha.

Due to their smaller scale and digital storefront, Odd Bunch is able to move quickly and present a different way of purchasing produce that is both lighter on the planet and the wallet, with savings of up to 50 percent less when compared with traditional big grocers. “The biggest impact we hope to make is to try and put high quality, nutritious produce and food in front of Canadians who have been struggling to afford it. And then secondary is to also reduce the amount of good food that goes to waste just because we have cosmetic standards for what