Ashley Hanson

The Ugly Produce Business’s Murky Ethics Think about baby carrots. What, exactly, are they? For me, the realization came a few years ago. I have no idea what I thought of them before. Were they a miniature breed? Actual babies? What I hadn’t understood was that baby carrots are actually carrot nuggets. They come from ugly, big carrots that no one in their right mind would buy in a natural state. I’ve never had to wonder how baby carrots got made; I was blissfully ignorant. Since the 1980s, hundreds of smaller American ag companies have sold out to Big-Ag companies. The fact that I don’t have to think about the origins of baby carrots helped shadow the food supply chain in America. Make no mistake; this includes everything from food banks and the local farmers’ markets to commercial operations like Kraft Heinz and Dole. But, younger shoppers are flooding the market with more social consciousness. Their concern regarding sustainability has started to shed light on the food industry in a very unflattering way. One of the most popular statistics is how much produce the developed world wastes. The​ ​Natural Resources Defense Council​ (NRDC) puts their estimate at ​50%​. To fight this incredible waste, startups are popping up that deal with selling ugly produce boxes. Imperfect Produce, Misfits Market, and Hungry Harvest wants to provide a whole new market for growers. They do this by buying excess or “ugly” produce and using a subscription service to ship it to your door. If they’re successful, these companies could help small-scale growers’ profit margins while expanding fresh food access. However, not everyone buys it. Advocates for food justice argue that having a profit-based solution isn’t the right way to go for food inequality. Depending on which side you ask, ugly produce is either the salvation or destruction of the food system in America. The potential impact is more complex. The startups may profit from the structural problems in today’s food systems, but they also give a really good solution for the working-class. The large percentage of produce grown in America does make it through to the packinghouse for distribution and processing. But any farmer will tell you that the efficiency rate varies depending on what you produce. Misfits Market is trying to do things correctly. It doesn’t work with Big Ag companies. Instead, it works with organic, local growers. Growers who choose to partner with this startup get access to a network they can leverage to reach more customers and sell more produce. One report showed that over​ ​20 million Americas live in what they call “food deserts.” This means the people lack access to fresh, high-quality food. The startups claim they’re trying to get these people access at a cost-effective rate. However, critics dismiss this as being a sly form of marketing. The majority of companies that sell ugly produce delivered to urban areas or select zip codes. Misfits Market claims the majority of people in these areas are older and on fixed incomes. It’s also trying to find a way to accept food stamps (SNAP). Some community food organizations have found ways to form productive partnerships with ugly-produce companies. Since Hungry Harvest and Misfit Market became available in Philadelphia, the largest community food bank, Philabundance, hasn’t seen a decline in donation drop offs. Just because startups dealing in ugly produce aren’t doing all of the good certainly doesn’t mean they can’t do some good. If these businesses are well run, they can fill a genuine gap for consumers and farmers that big Ag corporations can’t or won’t. Maybe the only real solution is to dismantle America’s food system and completely rebuild it. In the meantime, maybe the venture capital can feed some people.