Manhattanites are spoiled with the amount of food we devour. But what happens when we take the concept of food waste, which is an ever growing concern in our city and worldwide, and flip it on its head for something good? Here’s where Imperfect Foods come in.
Imperfect Foods launched in NYC on Monday, October 7. They are bringing their affordable grocery subscription boxes to the city while expanding efforts to fight food waste wherever it happens. And as part of the launch in New York, Imperfect is also officially announcing its re-brand from Imperfect Produce to Imperfect Foods.
Here’s more about this all too important brand. Imperfect was founded in 2015 to recover ugly produce from going to waste on farms, and as the brand has grown, has expanded the model and mission to account for all the ways perfectly good pantry and grocery items can go to waste too (like grains, nuts, beverages, dairy, proteins, etc.) due to arbitrary grocery standards and fickle contracts with suppliers.
But wait… there’s more!
Since 2015, Imperfect Foods has donated over 3 million pounds of food to over 117 nonprofit partners and food banks. As part of Imperfect’s launch in NYC, the company will be partnering with Edible Schoolyard to aid their efforts in fighting food waste and supporting the community.
Imperfect is excited to partner with Mast Brothers Chocolate and Brooklyn Delhi to support NY food producers and provide local products in deliveries.
Imperfect Foods can have a big impact in NYC. If just 2,500 residents sign up, the community would be recovering 26,450 pounds of produce each week and over 1 million pounds of produce a year.
40% of all food goes uneaten. 33% of food that’s grown is either unharvested or left behind in the fields because the growers suspect it might not meet the specifications of their buyers. And often, shelf-stable and grocery items never make it out of the warehouse due to inefficiencies in the supply chain, changes in labeling and design, and inconsistencies with date labels.
Imperfect has recovered 80 million pounds of food since launching in 2015.
Imperfect Foods is a fantastic example of what can be done in order to make even the smallest of dents happen in the food industry.
For more information on Imperfect Foods, click here.