Get ready to see more ugly produce when you shop at Kroger. Coming in early 2019, a new label called Peculiar Picks is making its way to the popular grocery store. The initiative will label produce that may not otherwise sell because of its appearance. The store is already tackling plastic bag waste, by eliminating all single-use plastic by 2025, so eliminating food waste is another step in the direction toward a more mindful shopping experience.
Waste not, want not. That’s just one of the things we learned from Grandma after all. Learn her other cooking secrets here.
What Is Ugly Produce?
Ugly produce is perfectly safe to eat, it just doesn’t have that perfect appearance that we’re used to seeing at the supermarket. While these fruits and veggies might be too big or too small, misshapen or slightly off in color, they are still perfectly fine to consume and cook with, and would otherwise go unsold in stores.
This program is combating food waste, which accounts for 6 million pounds of wasted produce annually. Kroger hopes to shift the conversation away from the outer appearance of food, and more to what you can create with fruits and veggies that might not be the prettiest in the store.
You can use these cosmetically imperfect produce items any way you would cook with or snack on regular produce, the possibilities are endless with recipes and for snacking.
Try using your “ugly” produce in these hearty fall soups.
Stuffed Pepper Soup
Cream of Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
Pumpkin-Lentil Soup
Classic French Onion Soup
Pasta Fagioli Soup
Satisfying Tomato Soup
Pumpkin-Coconut Soup
Firehouse Chili
Cheesy Broccoli Soup in a Bread Bowl
Roasted Autumn Vegetable Soup
Chicken Gnocchi Pesto Soup
Turkey Sausage, Butternut Squash & Kale Soup
Carrot Soup with Orange & Tarragon
Hearty Quinoa & Corn Chowder
Sweet Potato Soup
Parmesan Artichoke Soup
Apple Squash Soup
Turkey White Chili
Turkey Dumpling Soup
Ginger Butternut Squash Bisque
Tuscan Turkey Soup
Quick Golden Squash Soup
Minestrone with Turkey
Cheesy Ham & Corn Chowder
Lunch-Box Chicken Soup
Red Curry Carrot Soup
Lemony Mushroom-Orzo Soup for Two
Creamy Turnip Soup
Pressure-Cooker English Pub Split Pea Soup
Pressure-Cooker Easy Pork Posole
Asian Ramen Shrimp Soup
Turkey Gnocchi Soup
Roasted Parsnip and Pear Soup
Zippy Pork Chili
Creamy Root Veggie Soup
Guilt-Free Chicken Chili
Maryland-Style Crab Soup
Hearty Turkey 'n' Rice Soup
Creamy Mushroom-Thyme Soup
Spiced Sweet Potato Soup
Butternut Squash Chili
Creamy Curried Carrot Soup
Traditional Italian Wedding Soup
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Soup
Chicken & Broccoli Rabe Soup with Tortellini
Sherried Sweet Potato Soup
Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
Creamless Creamy Squash Soup
Sweet Potato Bisque
Moroccan Cauliflower and Almond Soup
Hopping on the Bandwagon
Kroger isn’t the only grocer selling flawed fruits and veggies, the store is joining a group of fellow grocery chains that are tackling food waste. Whole Foods, Walmart and Meijer have all been experimenting with similar programs as well since 2016.
A San Francisco-based company, Imperfect Produce, is a produce-delivery company that services much of the west coast with weekly deliveries of produce that doesn’t meet cosmetic standards and has saved 30 million pounds of food so far.
Looking to reduce food waste in your own home? You can reduce your footprint with these ideas:
- Compost at home to turn your scraps into soil
- Repurpose leftovers in new ways
- Being mindful of how long your produce lasts so you can gobble it up before it spoils.