Making the case for ugly produce

(Getty images)

Explaining the value of misshapen vegetables—that they are as healthful as their picture-perfect counterparts and buying them helps reduce food waste—could help improve sales of “ugly” produce, new research suggests.

The study measured consumers’ responses to hypothetical shopping scenarios for carrots. Participants were most open to buying bunches containing imperfect carrots after being presented with both of those marketing messages promoting ugly carrots’ personal and societal benefits. Either message alone was not effective at convincing consumers to buy misfit carrots.

Findings also showed that respondents were willing to pay, with a small discount, for some level of mixed bunches containing both ugly and standard carrots, maxing out at 40% of misshapen carrots—a sign to regulators who set the tolerance level for cosmetic standards that such a practice could be profitable.

One 2018 study in North Carolina suggested that about 41% of unharvested food is edible but unmarketable because of its appearance. The researchers are assessing ways to “win” with ugly foods in the marketplace by testing consumer acceptance of imperfect foods that don’t come with a built-in discount—a tactic used by some brick-and-mortar and online retailers that hasn’t had much staying power.

“Any time you codify that cosmetically imperfect produce is somehow lesser, you’re stuck selling it for less and therefore you undermine the entire value chain,” said senior study author Brian Roe, professor in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics (AEDE) at The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).

“We see that once you promote it as being more natural and as reducing wasted food, the discount is less than it otherwise would be—but there is also a cluster of folks who are actually willing to pay as much or more because they value reducing food waste and they value the fact that it’s got just as much nutrition as standard produce.”

Roe is the Van Buren Professor in AEDE and leader of the Ohio State Food Waste Collaborative, a collection of researchers, practitioners, and students who collaborate to promote the reduction and redirection of food waste as an integral part of a healthy and sustainable food system.
Roe conducted the study with Danyi Qi and Jerrod Penn of Louisiana State University and Ran Li, an Ohio State PhD student. The research is published online ahead of print in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.

The researchers surveyed 1,300 U.S. residents who shopped and cooked for their households. Participants in the online survey were randomly assigned to receive one or a combination of two marketing messages: Ugly carrots’ nutritional quality equals that of blemish-free produce, and there are social costs linked to throwing away food with cosmetic flaws.

Participants also selected from images of their preferred 2-pound carrot bunches and price points, with six bunches—either with or without their greenery attached—containing 0% to 100% ugly carrots and prices ranging from $2.18 to $1.39 per pound. In another choice test, consumers could select from just two options—a bunch of all standard carrots or all imperfect carrots with or without green leaves attached—in a hypothetical purchase from either a farmers market or a conventional grocery store.

Participants consistently disliked bunches that included any ugly carrots at all, and the amount they were willing to pay for any number of imperfect carrots was always lower than what they’d pay for 100% standard carrots.

But a top contender in terms of profitability for farmers did emerge from the analysis of participant responses: Bunches containing 40% ugly carrots and 60% standard carrots with green leaves attached sold at farmers markets where consumers are exposed to the combined marketing messages.

“If you’re at a farmers market, you’re thinking more holistically. You’re not thinking about cosmetic perfection. You expect things to be more ‘real,’” Roe said. “So, I think then people realize this is what we might expect if we’re getting produce directly from a farmer. There’s more room for imperfection because it’s probably not interpreted as imperfection. It’s interpreted as naturalness.”

The research team analyzed the tipping point in consumer willingness to pay that could make harvesting ugly carrots profitable—an important calculation for farmers who need a positive return on their investment into planting, picking, and shipping their crops. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also has a say in the percentage of nonstandard produce that can be sent to market—a limit that may need to be revisited, Roe said.

“We hope these findings will change the viewpoint of the industry. If you want to move into the ugly produce space, you probably need to rebrand it rather than locking in a discount and saying, ‘This is ugly food that should be worth less, so let’s just lock it in as being an inferior good from the get-go,” he said. “There hasn’t been a lot of rethinking of standards in light of food waste, so that would be one policy lever that could be re-examined to deal with food waste in the modern era.”

This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Ohio State’s Van Buren Fund, and the LSU AgCenter.
 

 

Latest News

Sustainable California Initiative charts progress in ag sustainability and equity
Sustainable California Initiative charts progress in ag sustainability and equity

GrubMarket says its initiative made strides in 2023, including the planting of 100,000-plus trees and aiding farmers in organic transition.

Oppy hits the slopes with competitive skier partnership
Oppy hits the slopes with competitive skier partnership

Ski-cross athlete Emeline Bennett will share food tips, highlights and more through Oppy’s social media channels.

World Variety highlights combo pack of dragon fruit at AWG showcase
World Variety highlights combo pack of dragon fruit at AWG showcase

With more than 1,500 options among its offerings, World Variety Produce had plenty of options to highlight at the Associated Wholesale Grocers' seventh annual Innovation Showcase, March 25-26.

AgroFresh bolsters postharvest solutions with Pace International purchase
AgroFresh bolsters postharvest solutions with Pace International purchase

The company says the acquisition will expand its postharvest portfolio and that it plans to collaborate with Valent BioSciences to develop future products to boost produce freshness.

Wonderful Citrus highlights Organic Halos, Seedless Lemons
Wonderful Citrus highlights Organic Halos, Seedless Lemons

Wonderful also promoted its No Shells pistachios, including its new Jalapeño Lime flavor, at the Associated Wholesale Grocers' seventh annual Innovation Showcase.

NGA makes marketing hire, promotes government relations staffer
NGA makes marketing hire, promotes government relations staffer

The National Grocers Association has welcomed Caroline Sar as its manager of marketing and member engagement and promoted Max Wengroff to senior manager of government relations.