When it comes to eating fresh fruits and vegetables, it may be time to love the one you're with, so to speak. For the sake of your health, yes, but also for the sake of the poor, unfortunate pounds of misshapen produce thrown out each year before even hitting the supermarket.
According to EndFoodWaste.org, a staggering 26% of all produce in the United States is wasted before it even reaches the store, thrown out largely due to the strict cosmetic standards of large grocers and leaving billions of pounds of otherwise good, healthy food to rot uneaten in the garbage all for the sake of a little in-store aesthetics. (Think of it like fat-shaming for your food.)
That's where #WhatTheFork comes in. In an effort to convince stores like Walmart and Whole Foods to sell the less-than-beautiful produce that currently goes to waste at a reduced price, food activist Jordan Figueiredo and nutritionist Stefanie Sacks have created a petition to save what they call "the #uglies," and are encouraging everyone to use the #WhatTheFork hashtag across social media to support the cause.
Still feeling weird about opting for the odd-shaped carrot? Consider the numbers: According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, almost six billion pounds a year of fruit and veggies are tossed for their cosmetic imperfections. At the same time, Feeding America reports that 1 in 6 people in the U.S. do not know where their next meal is coming from. (And the lucky ones who do still aren't eating enough produce, according to the CDC.)
So #WhatTheFork, let's help the farmers, and the hungry, all at once! Here are 10 delicious summer fruits and veggies to look for in all their misshapen glory at the market this weekend. We're particularly partial to the funny-looking peaches.
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