This ‘Ugly’ Subscription Service Is Reducing Food Waste (Not to Mention Your Grocery Bill)

Real talk: It’s estimated that more than $1 trillion worth of food is wasted each year and that 50 percent of food in the U.S. is thrown away—and not because you tossed your leftover salad. A ton of fruits and veggies are thrown away just because they’re not cute enough for the produce bin. A few grocery stores are on the move to reduce food waste, but there’s still a lot to be done.

Enter Misfits Market, a Philadelphia-based startup that’s rescuing “ugly” produce and shipping it to your door. The subscription service sources less-than-cute but totally edible organic produce from regional farms so that it doesn’t end up in a landfill. And while there are wider implications when selling ugly produce (it’s often donated to food banks), Misfits Market is helping farmers who don’t have the resources or infrastructure to donate all of their unattractive crop.

The fruits and veggies in Misfits Market’s boxes sell for up to 50 percent less than retail prices, so it’s a lot cheaper than most produce subscriptions on the market. Right now, boxes can be delivered to all of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, New York and Connecticut…but we wouldn’t be surprised if that list grew.

As they say, sometimes the ugliest apple tastes the best. (They say that, right?)

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