As much as 40 percent of the food grown, processed, and shipped for human consumption in the United States will never make it into a human’s mouth, according to Feeding America, a nonprofit group that coordinates food banks. That comes out to roughly 70 billion pounds of tossed food each year.
One California startup is trying to reduce that number by selling fruits and vegetables that are too “ugly” to occupy the produce section at your local grocery store. The company’s called Imperfect Produce, and their mission is to teach American consumers that misshapen, oddly colored fruits and vegetables deserve to be eaten.