“All along the value chain, starting in the field and ending in the kitchen or dining room, food is lost or wasted. Because they are perishable and fragile, fruit and vegetables are especially at risk of going uneaten (FAO, 2019). High rates of loss and waste represent a waste of nutrients, a waste of money and lower profits in production and the value chain, lower incomes for producers, and higher costs for consumers. Smallholder producers and consumers who have little money to spare are especially hard hit.”
Accepting and eating substandard food has become essential for existence.
CPAG Food Poverty Part2: Food Insecurity Aug2019
“In a world where 690 million people go to bed hungry every night and three billion cannot afford a healthy diet, wasting food on the basis of aesthetics is ethically unacceptable.”
Increasing numbers of New Zealand households are finding it harder and harder to afford enough, nutritious food for themselves and their families.
There’re more than 500,000 kiwis are experiencing food insecurity, food poverty and hidden hunger post COVID19.
Go into a market or shop anywhere in the world: shoppers will be picking and choosing fruit and vegetables according to their look and feel. They want firm tomatoes, plastic wrapped straight long cucumber, yellow bananas, unwilted lettuce, apples without maggots, blemish-free mangoes, and fresh spinach. Traders constantly sort through their stock to toss out damaged or overripe produce. Supermarkets package delicate items to prevent bruising and extend their shelf life. Greengrocers spray water on their wares to keep leaves pert and flies away.
Consumers should be given the option to buy “ugly produce” that is safe but does not meet aesthetic standards. Such items are just as nutritious as food that is cosmetically more attractive. Selling them at a lower price would particularly benefit poorer consumers. The increasing importance of supermarkets in much of the world will force producers to conform to quality © FAO/Pedro Costa Gomes 58 Fruit and vegetables – your dietary essentials standards – although consideration is increasingly being given to relaxing these standards in order to reduce waste. Nevertheless, the high levels of waste in retail must not be overlooked, particularly during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
“Taiao – a Māori concept meaning the relationship between climate, land, water and living systems – is a great way of expressing what we need to move towards. Restoring the balance, as when nature thrives so do families, communities and businesses. The health and wellbeing of our communities and children for generations to come should be the legacy we all want to leave”. Barry O’Neil President @HortNZ Annual Report 2020
Perfectly Imperfect Community is aim to support local growers to reduce food loss and waste by provide fresh perfect good fruits and vegetables to kiwi family’s table, especially where young kids live. Not only affordable and sustainable to our environment, as this year is the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables that we continue to educate our young kiwis what’s real fruits and veggies looks like and how we grow. We supply to local daycare centres, schools, offices and partner with local charities to provide for the needy.
What we do:
Community harvest/gleaning services at local farms
Supply perfect good fruits & vegetables to charities
Provide direct channel to local growers to make some profits out those ugly ‘mean to be eaten’ products,
To reduce food loss
Good Farm Ethnic
Well balanced farming life
ANY individual household can access these ugly and nutrient produce at affordable price and anywhere in New Zealand
Our community need you:
Join forces community services to collect perfect good produces from local farm
With every $10 you purchase from our community shop, $6 helps local farm to continue to grow more for kiwi families.
Share these perfect good produces with people you love