Even if they're bruised, deformed, or lumpy, all fruits and veggies deserve to be eaten.
Whole Foods apparently agrees. The grocery chain known for specializing in organic food will soon sell ugly produce, USA Today reports.
The ugly produce rollout is a pilot project in select Northern California stores. Whole Foods is working with Imperfect Produce, a Bay Area startup that deliver blemished produce from local farms to consumers' doorsteps, on the project.
It's part of an effort to fight global food waste, which is endemic in grocery stores. Every year, the US throws out 133 billion pounds of food, and grocery stores are responsible for 10% of that waste, according to the United Nations.
Grocery stores usually shy away from selling ugly produce, because they know that consumers won't buy them, food waste activist Tristram Stuart previously told Tech Insider.
Whole Foods isn't the only grocer trying to do better. Last week, a market that only sells expired produce, called WeFood, opened in Copenhagen. The grocer Giant Eagle also recently announced it will start selling ugly fruits and vegetables.
If ugly produce becomes more normalized, perhaps more people will start buying it. Or at least, with Whole Foods' help, those lump carrots and apples will get some extra attention.
