One of the top supermarkets here in the UK have introduced an Ugly Fruit And Veg section! I suppose it’s a good idea, but isn’t it a shame for those poor old carrots, potatoes and tomatoes that we see every season, the ones that look like bums or other parts of the human anatomy. They’ll all be tossed into a corner of their own, the ‘ugly fruit’ corner, unloved, lonely and unwanted.

Mind you, the alternative is worse, they are usually tossed to one side and left to rot or fed to the local pigs. At least this way, Mr manky carrot could still end up in a stew or soup. Once they’re cooked or boiled, the result is the same no matter how they look. Apparently, most supermarkets hold a ‘beauty contest’ on most crops which sees up to 40% being of produce being thrown out.

This particular supermarket will be putting their below par mixed ‘less than happy fruit and veg’ into boxes and selling them for £3.50p. They’re also claiming that a box will feed a family with fresh vegetables for a week. The initiative is part of a wider trend to decrease waste in farming. So much food has in the past had to force rigorous cosmetic standards for fruit and vegetables.

I think it’s a great idea, after all, I’m not bothered if my ‘taters’ look like Marilyn Monroe or a trod on chip. At the end of the day, if they’re fresh, then it’s a win win situation all round. Farmers win because there’s less waste, families win because we can get fresh vegetables at a reduced rate and the supermarket will win otherwise they wouldn’t bother, would they? I suppose the only losers will be the local pigs, but hopefully they’ll still get fed from somewhere.