In Norway, an outcry arose about a photo that recently surfaced on Facebook. It depicts a tractor container full of strawberries going straight into the bin. Bjarne Gerhard Danielsen, who shared the picture, says, "It's terrible that strawberries that are good enough to eat are being thrown away like that. I think consumers want both large and small strawberries. Especially now that food waste is gaining increasing attention. I understand why people are reacting ."
Bama: "Unacceptable"
Bama director, Pia Gulbrandsen, confirmed that the strawberries in question come from one of their suppliers. The strawberries were thrown away on 14 September because they were too small. "The grower delivers the strawberries via a local supplier, Sognabær."
"We don't agree with edible strawberries being thrown away like that. If fruit or vegetables deviate too much, we sell them at adjusted prices. Or they go to the Foodbank or are processed as animal fodder. For some reason, that didn't happen, which is regrettable. We've spoken to the grower and found a solution for the rest of the season," Pia says.
28mm
Tom Christensen is a strawberry farmer. He's also the strawberry coordinator at the Gartnerhallen cooperative. Tom says, "The various supermarket chains have product specifications - shelf life, a certain ripeness, and size. Strawberries must be 28mm in diameter. If growers are to deliver smaller sizes to wholesalers, this must first be discussed. That applies to anything that doesn't meet the set requirements. There has to be some kind of agreed-upon standard."
Small strawberries aren't profitable
In the past, strawberries could be smaller, says Christensen. But that changed, in part because of consumer demand. "It takes longer to pick small strawberries. It's also much less profitable to grow them. There are probably growers who succeed. But looking at sales, large strawberries sell first. Import standards are even higher. Those strawberries must be at least 30 mm. There were discussions in Norway as to whether the standard for Norwegian strawberries should be raised as well. But it's still 28mm, and has been for a long time," concludes Tom.
Source: nationen.no