An Australian fruit and vegetable "rescuer" is renewing pleas to the nation's biggest to when it comes to accepting fresh produce from our farmers. Josh Ball said he's saving approximately 4,000 kilos of avocados alone every week, which would otherwise have been "sent to a paddock to rot" after being . Ball, co-founder of Farmers Pick, told Yahoo News Australia some 30 per cent of all produce grown on our farms won't end up in stores due to retailers' strict policy on "blemishes and sizing", meaning Australia wastes a mind-blowing 2.
4 billion kilos of fresh fruit and vegetables every year. Farmer's Pick sells imperfect fruit and vegetables direct to customers at reduced prices. He said amid intense and widespread , this figure is unacceptable and, not only is the waste devastating for farmers, it may well be driving up prices too.
Ball said "until the end of the season", he expects his team will save thousands more kilos of avocados weekly, in addition to other slightly marked produce. Images taken at a Queensland farm earlier this month shows a whopping 1,600 kilos of avocados dumped for landfill because they were rejected due to having minor marks, despite being fresh and perfectly edible. "The avocados we salvaged had a combination of skin blemishes and were irregular in size and shape," he told Yahoo.
"This is something we see all the time and for many supermarkets, this is all it takes to reject fresh produce. "Another example is citrus fruits, around 50 per cent of citrus is being rejected by major supermarkets for having just minor blemishes on the outside." While avoiding naming which supermarkets are specifically responsible, in a bid to preserve the critical relationship between farmers and their stockists, Ball said the problem is across the board.
"Behind the cost of living battle, there is also a human cost that is affecting customers and farmers," he said. "Customers are already struggling to incorporate fresh fruit and veg on their tables due to rising inflation, and this problem is exacerbated by the shortage of fresh produce. "On top of this, the price of rejected produce is a hidden factor of the cost of produce in stores, so if we ate everything that was produced, fresh food would probably be cheaper.
" Even though consumers do ultimately have a say, "major retailers have a responsibility to support farmers during this time" and ensure they’re taking positive steps to reduce prices and food waste wherever they can" Ball added. "Major supermarkets play a critical role in rejecting 30 per cent of produce due to unrealistic cosmetic standards," he said. "This results in 2.
4 billion kilos of produce being rejected every year, before it even leaves the farm. We would love to see major retailers and supermarkets re-evaluate their unrealistic beauty standards on fresh produce, and the cost that it is inflicting on both farmers and consumers." Ball explained that the produce is not being knocked back on supermarket's physical doorsteps, rather that farmers have been conditioned "over 40 years" to determine what will and won't make the cut prior to shipment.
"The blemishes we see are usually very minor, and not to mention have no impact on the quality or taste of the product," he said. "We find customers are really enthusiastic about reducing food waste and being part of the solution to combat it once they understand the reality of our food system. "With price inflation on fruit and vegetables continuing to rise, we’re able to offer customers a cheaper solution too, as we can save customers up to 30 per cent off their grocery bill.
We think at these challenging times, a few blemishes are not worth the extra 30 per cent." Both Coles and Woolworths do offer a small range of produce at their stores and online where customers can pick from a selection of marked or blemished produce. Woolworths said last year it sold 250,000 tonnes of its “Odd Bunch” range.
Coles said its "I'mPerfect" range utilises more of their farmers’ available crop, and the range "helps reduce food waste". Farmers Pick works with over 50 local farmers and producers to save tens of thousands of kilos of fresh yet blemished fruit and vegetables from ending up in landfill across Victoria, NSW, Queensland and ACT..
