Local produce businesses in Cornwall are calling for us to stop discriminating against fruits and vegetables by their looks to support forgotten farmers.
We are constantly told it’s what’s on the inside that counts or never judge a book by its cover. Why should a carrot be any different? Also known as ‘wonky veg’, produce that doesn’t make it onto supermarket shelves because of its unconventional appearance can often be wasted. Some companies have made it their mission to sell these products at a reduced price, however Lucy from the Cornish Food Box Company believes that it is no less valuable or lower in quality that a perfect vegetable and consuming them can help to support farmers across Cornwall.
Lucy and her sister Tor grew up on a farm in Helston and started their local, seasonal produce company together when they noticed that farmers were suffering as a result of supermarket standards. They don’t label their produce as ‘odd’ or ‘wonky’, or cover them in wax or plastic, instead delivering them as they were when they left the ground; roots, mud and all. Lucy has realised through her mission to normalize fruit and vegetables in all shapes, sizes and colours that “people are really disconnected with their food”. She often hears from confused customers who have never seen a purple carrot before or don’t recognise an onion with its stem still in tact.
Lucy thinks that both supermarkets and consumers have caused this problem. She says, “there’s a weird dichotomy between consumer and supermarket” explaining that consumers expect all produce to look a certain way because it is what they are used to seeing in shops.
Lucy predicts that our food system needs changing in order to be sustainable, starting with embracing all of our local food and relying less on imported produce, saying “we have a major food security problem… in ten years time, we are going to have some serious problems about feeding the population in this country”. She believes importing food all year round will “come to a crashing end very soon” due to climate change and countries like Spain needing to prioritise feeding their own population.
Dan Newbery from Slight Hill Veg takes pride in supplying companies like Lucy’s with seasonal, natural produce. He agrees that wonky veg can get a bad rep, saying “I don’t like the idea that they do label it as wonky and make it a lesser product” and believes that embracing all produce will reduce our food waste.
Dan has noticed how supermarkets prioritise style over substance. He says, “produce is the first aisle in a supermarket…cosmetics is a selling point for them.” Dan argues against this approach, claiming, “if you did a blindfold test, you wouldn’t know the difference”.
With such a great selection of seasonal, local produce available around Cornwall, embracing, buying and selling it in all shapes and sizes could be a great way to reduce food waste and improve our food system.
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