Others have tried–and failed–at making a go of selling imperfect produce.
In 2016, Whole Foods Market, Walmart, HyVee, and Associated Food Stores, among others, started to sell some misshapen fruits and vegetables. Many of the retailers created displays in their produce sections explaining why the selections were less than photo-ready and the prices so good. A Harris poll that year found that 62 percent of people surveyed said they would be somewhat open to eating “ugly produces“that tasted the same as non-misshapen products.
But after that initial wave of enthusiasm, grocers started losing interest. That’s because, after spending years marketing perfect-looking produces, re-educating consumers failed to pay off, industry observers say.
Soon, nearly all of the markets threw in the towel or found other ways to utilize misshapen produce. Whole Foods Market, for example, uses odd-looking produce in their prepared foods and smoothie stations.
Yet many consumers—58 percent, in one 2021 survey—continued to say they would opt for imperfect produce if it was offered at a discount.
Enter the online vendors, which have taken up where the grocers left off. While each outlet makes misshapen fruits and vegetables the centerpiece of their offerings, they differ somewhat. Perfectly Imperfect, one of the smaller players, for example, lets customers select the size, frequency, and contents of their order, allowing them to choose boxes with names like Soup Lovers, Organic Mix, and Salad Bar. At Hungry Harvest, shoppers can select a curated harvest box of conventional or organic produce or customize one of their own.
Both Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods source their produce from growers who cultivate conventional and organic fruits and vegetables. Misfits works with about 100 produce growers throughout the year. Imperfect Foods doesn’t specifically break out food growers but has a roster of 1,200 farmers, producers, and food purveyors across the country.
How do they stack up? To find out, I compared the offerings from Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods, which both deliver to my Brooklyn, NY, neighborhood, with my local Stop & Shop supermarket.
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