How to be a less sh**ty fruit & veggie customer

Lettuce waste in the field of an organic farm after harvesting

Our blog posts usually help our customers (primarily Traders and Procurement Directors) better understand and mitigate some of the agricultural disruptions that are happening around the world.  Sometimes we even post a little nugget that tells you whether commodity prices are going up or down in the near future (like this one).  This is not one of those posts.  This is a post directed at you, the retail buyer of fruits and veggies.  You know why? Because you are probably a terrible customer. You may be thinking that’s a bit abrasive, but read until the end of this post and you’ll see why you need to change ASAP.  

Last week, Helios got to spend time with an awesome group of AG start-ups as part of the International Fresh Produce Association’s cohort of Ag Innovators.  We visited with organic farmers that oversee 50,000+ acres; inspected production facilities that clean, cut, and package over one and a half million pounds of carrots every day; and analyzed new fruit trees that are more resilient to climate change.  It was awesome.  We even got to test out some of the most cutting edge AI-enabled machines that can individually plant, weed, and harvest thousands of acres autonomously.  

And yet, what was most surprising and heartbreaking about the whole trip was the sheer amount of waste we saw everywhere.  Every employee we spoke with is desperately trying to reduce waste (not just because they care about our planet, but because it also helps their bottom line).  And yet, every time they’d tried to come up with an innovative solution that would waste less produce or recycle more materials they were stymied.  Not by their shareholders, or CEOs, or angry politicians - but by you.  Yes, you: the finicky fruit and vegetable consumer that makes up the core of their business.  

Produce wrapped in plastic from the grocery store

Let us explain: The vast majority of consumers want to recycle more plastic and understandably worry about its environmental impact.  Packaging companies want to provide you with recycled plastic, especially for those thousands of fruits and veggies wrapped in little bags you see at the supermarket. 

Unfortunately, truly recyclable plastic is 10 times more expensive than traditional packaging and is slightly less transparent.  That means customers will buy the competitor who has the less recyclable but clearer plastic bag because the produce looks better.  

On the field, the problem is even greater. The picture you see at the top of this post is one we took just last week, at a farm that grows millions of lettuces that we eat around the country.  Look at the waste: they discard more than 50% of each head of lettuce - not because they enjoy throwing away potential revenue, but because consumers only want to eat the clearer and “fresher” looking core.  Not the darker leaves surrounding it.  Once these lettuces make it to your supermarket, it’s a time bomb until they get a little darker or yellow, and then consumers won’t eat them.  Growers expect 40% of the produce they send to supermarkets to get thrown out. That’s right: almost half. 

So next time you’re in the supermarket, try and be a less sh**ty fruit and veggie customer. Buy the tomato that’s a little soft, or the lettuce that’s gone a little yellow.  Look for the cherries in a plastic bag that’s a little darker (and recyclable), and pay the slight difference in price.  Because without your demand signal telling the farmers and producers that you’ll buy their less-than-perfect produce in their less-than-perfect bags, we’ll continue to waste our way into a harrowing future.