Ridiculous reason why thousands of avocados are thrown into landfills – and it's a 'hidden factor' for higher prices

An Australian fruit and vegetable “saviour” is once again calling on the country’s major supermarkets to drastically revise their “unrealistic cosmetic standards” when accepting fresh produce from our farmers.

Josh Ball said he saves around 4,000 kilos of avocados alone every week that would otherwise have been “sent to pasture to rot” after being rejected in supermarkets.

Ball, co-founder of Farmers Pick, told Yahoo News Australia that around 30 per cent of all produce grown on our farms doesn't make it to stores due to retailers' strict regulations on “defects and sizes”. This means Australia wastes a staggering 2.4 billion kilos of fresh fruit and vegetables every year. Farmer's Pick sells defective fruit and vegetables directly to customers at reduced prices.

He said that given the enormous and widespread cost of living pressures, that figure was unacceptable and that the waste was not only devastating for farmers, it could also drive up prices. Ball said he expected his team to save thousands of kilos of avocados a week “by the end of the season,” in addition to other slightly damaged produce.

Supermarkets reject an incredible amount of products every week

Pictures taken on a Queensland farm earlier this month show that a whopping 1,600 kilos of avocados ended up in landfill because they were rejected due to small spots, even though they were fresh and perfectly edible.

“The avocados we rescued had a combination of blemishes and were irregular in size and shape,” he told Yahoo. “We see this all the time and for many supermarkets, that's all it takes to reject fresh produce.”

“Another example is citrus fruit. Around 50 percent of citrus fruit is rejected by large supermarkets because it has only minor external blemishes.”

While Ball avoided naming the specific supermarkets responsible, in an effort to preserve the important relationship between farmers and their retailers, he said the problem was broad.

“Behind the cost of living struggle, there is also a human cost that affects customers and farmers,” he said. “Customers are already struggling to put fresh fruit and vegetables on their tables due to rising inflation, and this problem is exacerbated by the shortage of fresh produce.”

“In addition, the price of discarded produce is a hidden factor in the cost of food in the store. So if we ate everything that was produced, fresh food would probably be cheaper.”

While consumers ultimately have a say, “major retailers have a responsibility to support farmers during this time” and ensure they take positive steps to reduce prices and food waste wherever they can, Ball added.

Blemishes are usually “very minor” and have “no effect on taste”

“Major supermarkets play a critical role in rejecting 30 percent of produce due to unrealistic cosmetic standards,” he said. “This results in 2.4 billion kilos of produce being rejected every year before it even leaves the farm. We would like to see major retailers and supermarkets reconsider their unrealistic beauty standards for fresh produce and the costs they impose on both farmers and consumers.”

Ball explained that the products are not sent back directly to the supermarkets' doorsteps, but that the farmers have been trained “over 40 years” to determine what will and will not be accepted before shipping.

“The defects we find are usually very minor and have no impact on the quality or taste of the product,” he said. “We find that once customers understand the reality of our food system, they are really excited about reducing food waste and being part of the solution to combat it.”

“As fruit and vegetable price inflation continues to rise, we can also offer our customers a more affordable solution as we can save them up to 30 percent on their grocery bill. We believe that in these difficult times, a few cosmetic defects are not worth the extra 30 percent.”

Both Coles and Woolworths offer a small range of products in their stores and online, where customers can choose from a selection of marked or faulty products. Woolworths said it sold 250,000 tonnes of its 'Odd Bunch' range last year. Coles said its 'I'mPerfect' range uses more of farmers' available crops and that the range “helps reduce food waste”.

Farmers Pick works with over 50 local farmers and growers to prevent tens of thousands of kilos of fresh but faulty fruit and vegetables from ending up in landfill in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and the ACT.

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