Carrots like this are very common in farms, but are rare in supermarkets. Source: Thomas Bresson/CC BY-SA 4.0Carrots like this are very common in farms, but are rare in supermarkets. Source: Thomas Bresson/CC BY-SA 4.0

According to research from the University of Edinburgh, over one-third of fruits and vegetables — food that could be used to nourish the world’s starving populations — are discarded before reaching grocery store shelves all because they are “unattractive.”

Examining data concerning food loss and waste inside the European Economic Area, scientists discovered that more than 50 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables are discarded because they don’t meet grocer’s requirements and consumer expectations about how these foods should look.

Instead, the discarded food is treated as waste and is either sent to the landfill, fed to animals or used as fertilizer. Yet, discarding such ugly food has consequences for the environment, according to the research, which suggests that growing the amount of discarded fruits and vegetables is roughly equivalent to the carbon emissions of an estimated 400,000 cars.

One solution to the problem presented by University of Edinburgh scientists includes raising awareness that the discarded fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious as their better-looking counterparts.

Stephen Porter, one of the scientists behind this research, said: “Encouraging people to be less picky about how their fruit and vegetables look could go a long way to cutting waste, reducing the impact of food production on the climate, and easing the food supply chain.”

To contact the author of this article, email mdonlon@globalspec.com