An Ontario, Canada newspaper reports on a major supermarket chain promoting “blemished” and irregular shaped potatoes at a 30% discount of the usual selling price.
Got me thinking again why Americans (and apparently our Canadian brethren) turn our noses at less than perfect-shape fruits and vegetables, or why we believe that an apple or pear with a dent or minimal discoloration will taste worse than an unblemished fruit. I’ve often wondered how much good food is thrown away and dumped by markets for such reasons.
I’ve never understood this phenomenon. It kills my mom to throw out anything and I inherited that from her. I just cut around “bad” spots and other imperfections don’t bother me one bit.
I’d love it if my local stores started selling discounted produce like this :).
The other problem is that I feel like it actually adds to more pesticide use and other issues - to keep the fruits/veggies looking pristine (no worm holes in apples, for example, which is quite common in nature). For example, the reason pistachios used to be painted red (that red paint that actually came off when you ate them) in the 70’s (?) was to cover up the blemishes.
We waste incredible amounts at every stage in the food process. From water (and land) to tossing stuff at every stop.
I am more interested in finding repeated blemishes - and by that I mean more than a minor bruise now and then - because that says their food handling methods need work.
As an aside, an Israeli agritech company, Eishet Eilon, has invented a spectral imagining, fast sorting technology mostly aimed at exporters now which evaluates each piece of fruit for basics like sugar content and fungus issues. A single infected piece may mean the entire box or whatever is tossed - or it may mean more and more is tossed down the distribution line - and under or over ripe fruit is often tossed or mishandled resulting in more loss. Another Israeli agritech development is improvements on drip irrigation - which was the subject of a discussion here about drought in CA. The two top firms in the world are Israeli, including the one that invented the technology. The top firm, Netafim, says it has over 150 billion drip irrigation devices cutting water use by up to 90% and feeding about 1 billion people. The 2nd firm has developed a drip method for rice growing and has found it increases yields, cut water use by 70% and reduces infections in the rice.
I mention the technology because that is a major solution to the issues of waste. We can’t expect markets to sell blemished and beaten up fruit and we can’t expect a giant groundswell of people demanding uglier produce, so they need to improve their handling methods and that actually begins in the ground or on the tree with how it’s grown (to keep down fungus, etc.) and then making sure it’s actually at the right point to ship (and allow for riper stuff to be handled differently to reduce that waste) and so on. To be blunt, Israel is the world leader in a number of these areas and is doing much more to feed the world than we are. I hope we get our game together because what I see now is Israeli technology moving toward India and China.
This is one of the reasons I try to buy as much farmer’s market food as possible. At least around here, you’re much more likely to find the “undesirable” fruit. Most sellers are willing to give you a discount on those if you ask because they’re less likely to be bought.
I don’t think most people care, but I’m one who picks through everything. If I’m paying $$$, I want it to look good and taste good. Plus, it will save me more time in preparation.
There is a store here that sells discounted produce. If I need a large quantity and I’m going to use it within 24 hours, I’ve gone there. When I went last winter, a lot of things were frozen (i.e. trucks that broke down and then have to dump the produce).
It spoils faster (mold loves the soft spots), and if you’re eating it away from home (like the fruit I bring to the office most days) and don’t have access to utensils, removing the bad parts can be difficult.
Personally, I find the soft/squishy fruits to be sweeter! Apricots, for example, Alfalfo mangos, etc. Also, not all blemishes actually have an effect on the produce. For example, some organic bell peppers have tiny black dots. That’s not a soft spot or anything like that - it’s just uneven pigmentation, and it won’t make it spoil faster. Same with discolorations or spots on other fruits and veggies, as well as pistachios. I think that’s the misperception.
A lot of it is esthetical - like stores misting fruits and veggies, or covering apples with wax to make them shinier (why can’t I just have a normal apple?). I think the consumer loses out with this expectation of ‘perfect’ produce. It makes the stores and growers use ‘tricks’ to meet these expectations, and in some cases, like the wax and the dyeing of the pistachios, and the special lighting in stores, and the engineering of apples that don’t brown, it actually hurts the consumer.
I try to buy as much of my produce locally as possible and then use it ASAP. However, if I’m buying something that I won’t use right away, like potatoes or apples, one bad apple (or potato) can spoil the whole container.
"Why can’t we expect markets to sell blemished fruit? Like the two posters above, I wouldn’t have a problem with it! It’s normal. "
Because customers insist on getting top-notch looking stuff if the price is high (and we all think the prices are high enough, don’t we?). Stores do not like to discount things unless they have to; it is cheaper to toss things that do not look good than to discount them - or customers will get used to waiting for sales and not buy the good looking stuff until it starts to rot.
But not all blemishes are signs of rot or even spots where it begins! For example, as collegestudent said, black specks on peppers are simply due to pigmentation.
Answer: because most people do not grow their own produce and could never appreciate the work it takes to farm. Thus, their expectations are unrealistic and Big Agriculture responded with beautiful tasteless produce.
