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Nature Fresh Farms’ new program markets imperfect produce

Nature Fresh Farms (NFF) recently introduced a new program to sell imperfect produce to reduce food waste and increase access to nutritious foods.

Dubbed the Waste Me Nots program, it leverages NFF tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers that do not meet the criteria of their Quality Control team. While most greenhouses hope to grow flawless produce, some product grows to be naturally bent or smaller in size. Although unique in shape and size, these vegetables still have the same nutritional value and flavour as their perfect counterparts.

‘We believe it’s important to ensure that nutritious and delicious produce does not go to waste,” said Ray Wowryk, NFF director of business development, in a statement. “By creating this program, we are helping our retailers with a ready-made waste reduction alternative.”

Since volume of this type of product is not predictable, the program cannot be guaranteed to supply specific quantities and will depend on the product grown. However, NFF believes the unpredictability is outweighed by the benefits of making the most of all the produce they grow.

Photo courtesy of Nature Fresh Foods.

“The Waste Me Nots program helps us to reduce waste while allowing us to better service the price-focused shoppers looking for quality tasting products at a discounted price, and lets our retail partners bring in some incremental sales to the category,” said Matt Quiring, NFF director of sales.

NFF aims to bring more cost-effective options to consumers and bring the focus back to the taste and freshness of the produce, not solely the look of it. They hope to break the cycle of imperfect food waste by offering discounted misshapen vegetables and expand consumer knowledge of the type of produce they purchase.