Public happy with 'wonky veg' - if it's cheap enough

Moves to persuade the public to buy wonky veg appear to be paying off, with almost nine in ten grocery retail managers saying their customers are happy with less-than-perfect produce if it saves them money.

A survey for predictive analytics provider for the retail industry Blue Yonder found that senior managers in particular are enthusiastic about customer response.

One supermarket has been able to cut the amount of potatoes thrown away by 34,000 tonnes since 2014; another has reduced waste by 135 tonnes a year by no longer asking green bean producers to 'top and tail' their produce to make it look neater.

"In a struggle to remain competitive, grocers find themselves throwing away an increasing quantity of goods on a daily basis. This issue has intensified as customers have become accustomed to having not only a wide variety of choice, but also the freshest selection available," says Blue Yonder retail industry director Matt Hopkins.

"This research reveals 90 per cent of grocery managers feel customers would be happy with discounts on imperfect fruit and vegetables. This has the benefit of overcoming the waste problem in the supply chain, and is clearly of benefit to all."

Restrictions over the sale of 'imperfect' fruit and veg were scrapped in 2008, after concerns that too much food was going to waste.

According to a report from the UK's Global Food Security (GFS) programme, as much as 40% of edible produce never makes it into the shops, thanks to its size, shape or level of blemishes. Sub-standard fruit and vegetables are used as animal feed or simply ploughed back into the ground.

Since the restrictions were scrapped, though, several supermarkets have started selling wonky produce at a discounted price.

"We've been absolutely overwhelmed by the response to our wonky vegetable box and think it shows just how conscious our customers are of food waste, particularly in the produce aisle," says Ian Harrison, produce quality director for Asda, which launched a 'wonky' vegetable box earlier this year.

Tesco, meanwhile, has created a 'Perfectly Imperfect' range, which it expanded over the summer.

"We've been amazed by just how popular the range has been with our customers," says Matt Simister, the company's commercial director for fresh food and commodities.

"It's been flying off the shelves - we launched with just parsnips and potatoes, but since then we've responded to our customer's demands and grown the range to include strawberries and apples too."