In order to reduce food waste, Coop Sweden decided to start selling vegetables with a non-standard look at cheaper prices. Customers have welcomed the idea, although local growers would prefer them to be sold at the same price. The initiative affects products like carrots, parsnips and cucumbers.
"It has gone much better than I thought and it's very appreciated by customers," says Anna-Carin Forslund, who works at Coop's fruit and vegetable department. "We run out of parsnips the first day we received the delivery," says colleague Calle Andersson.
The presence on the shelves of crooked carrots attracted the attention of many customers, who stayed a little longer when they noticed their presence.
"It's just brilliant. We shouldn't throw food away for no reason, and it tastes just as good anyway," said customer Stig Lundgren after picking up a bag. "It might not look great on the surface, but it's the inside that counts," he affirms.
Another customer looking at the produce, Kicki Ahlnäs, stated that "I would absolutely consider buying some uglier vegetables. It's a very good idea, since it is unnecessary to throw away food that has the same quality."
Local producers support the initiative. "I think it's positive that the goods are sold instead of thrown away," says Ulf Andersson, grower from Kärrbo Prästgård.
Another vegetable producer, Hans Johansson, assures he sells all vegetables, regardless of how they look. "More and more people consider buying vegetables that look a little different, so I sell them too. It is nature that has shaped them like that, so I throw nothing away."
Coop sells the "ugly" vegetables at about 25 percent cheaper prices than the regular ones. "I think this is not good. It takes just as much work for us growers anyway, so I think they should be the same price," says Ulf Andersson.
"For me, it's a difficult job to harvest vegetables that have thicker roots, so I do not think there should be any difference in price," affirms Hans Johansson.
All in all, Coop sales have continued to spark interest for the past few weeks, assures Anna-Carin Forsberg.
Source: vlt.se