Walmart Unveils New Lines Of Ugly Apples And Potatoes

Ales says Walmart has been selling “so-called ugly produce” for years ? putting imperfectly sized avocados and corn, or over-ripe Roma tomatoes, on shelves. He also said a certain amount of sales of over- or under-sized produce is “pretty common across the grocery industry.”  

But food activists say they are looking for more radical changes from major grocery chains, such as large-scale programs to sell ugly produce and educate customers.

In the U.S., as much as 30 percent of all apples and pears grown “don’t make the cut” for cosmetic reasons, according to Walmart’s blog.

A recent study from the Guardian paints even starker numbers: half of all produce grown in the U.S. may be discarded because it’s bruised, misshapen, oddly sized or has some other non-threatening deformity.

Walmart’s new initiatives will make some strides against food waste by bringing potatoes that are “less than perfect” to more than 400 stores across Texas and nearby states, and “ugly apples” to around 300 stores in Florida.

Both items will be sold to customers in bundles at a lower price per pound than traditional potatoes or apples would be, according to Ales.

While Walmart’s two new initiatives are a step in the right direction, both activists and consumers say they want to see more.

On Wednesday, Figueiredo hand-delivered a petition to Walmart with more than 143,000 signatures, demanding that the grocery chain do more to combat the country’s food waste crisis. 

“If produce fails to make the grade for size, shape, or color, retailers deem it ‘ugly’ and refuse to sell it in their stores,” the petition reads. “Tell [Walmart] to add the ‘uglies’ to their store aisles so you can save money, fight hunger and help the environment all in one.”  

Walmart’s stores in the United Kingdom have made more progress than those in the U.S. to sell ugly produce.

Asda, Walmart’s U.K. grocery chain, began selling boxes of “wonky” vegetables earlier this year, for about 30 percent off regular prices. The program proved so successful, the company expanded the offer from 250 to 550 stores in March.  

Now activists in the U.S. are hoping Walmart will do the same in the same here, selling ugly vegetables in its more than 5,000 stores nationwide.

“[Walmart’s ugly potatoes and apples] are also weather-blemished,” said Figueiredo, “which is not consistently happening like most ‘ugly’ produce is: Weather blemished is a one-off thing that happens here and there.”

Ales said the ability to sell ugly produce isn’t entirely in Walmart’s hands, as the amount of ugly produce growers have available can be dependent on external factors like the weather.

“There are a number of factors that impact whether a harvest yields so-called ‘ugly’ produce, including Mother Nature,” Ales said. “When this type of produce is available, we look for ways to provide value for our customers and a return for growers.”

But Ales says Walmart has no national plans to sell ugly produce in the U.S:

“We don’t have any current nationwide plans at this time,” Ales told HuffPost. “We do not have specific goals for ugly produce. We’re watching ASDA closely, we brought these two initiatives forward and are continuing to look at new possibilities. There’s always more we can be doing.”

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