Supermarket rejects 1,500 ‘ugly’ cauliflowers because of ‘tiny spots’ – outraging customers and local farmers
- Boer saved 1200 cauliflowers that were ‘too ugly’ to sell in the supermarket
- Josh Ball claims the food ‘had a few small blemishes’
- The law shocked customers and disgusted farmers
Farmers and shoppers are shocked after a major supermarket rejected 1,500 fresh cauliflowers because the food was too ‘ugly’ to sell.
Josh Ball, co-founder of Farmers pick who sells “imperfect food” was visiting a farm in Werribee South, Victoria, when a huge truck arrived to return the produce.
He claims he managed to save 1200 of the cauliflowers from destruction.
Josh described the situation in a TikTok video to point out ‘unsustainable practices’ used by large supermarkets. He did not disclose which specific supermarket giant rejected the food.
In the comments he wrote, the cauliflower was not accepted because the food “had a few small blemishes” but was otherwise “perfectly edible and tasted great.”
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Josh Ball, co-founder of Farmers Pick, which sells ‘imperfect food’, claims to have rescued 1,200 cauliflowers rejected by a ‘big supermarket’ in Australia
“I just got back from the farm in Werribee South. One of our great breeders there, [a] big cauliflower grower, they had some pretty bad news yesterday,” Josh said in the video.
“So the truck came in this morning from one of the major supermarkets. 1500 rejected cauliflowers.
‘Luckily we got there just in time and picked up 1200.’
In the clip, Josh turns across to show the vegetables in 144 crates and four huge tubs of vegetables.
There are a number of reasons why fruit and vegetables are refused from supermarkets – for example, the food does not meet sizing standards or small scratches may be visible.
Overnight, the video went viral, garnering more than 108,000 views and shocking thousands.
“I don’t understand why people expect fruits and vegetables to be perfect,” one commented.
“Supermarkets must be stopped from treating producers in this way. Once the cauliflower is sliced and cooked, who knows if it’s perfect or not!’ another wrote.
“Why don’t supermarkets just sell everything and stop being picky?” questioned a third.
In response, the company wrote, “We totally agreed! To impose unrealistic beauty standards on fruit and vegetables is absurd, they all taste the same!’
‘Wow. What a waste,’ added another.
According to Food Bankfood waste costs the economy about $36.6 billion or $2,000 to $2,500 per household per year.
The amount of water used to grow food that is wasted is equivalent to the volume of water in five Sydney Harbors (2600 gigal litres).
By buying ‘imperfect’ products from Farmers Pick, Australians can save up to 30 per cent at any store.