More than a third of fruit and vegetables grown in Europe is wasted because it looks a bit wonky, research says.
A study estimated that over 50,000,000 tonnes of fresh produce is thrown away each year because they dont meet supermarket and consumer standards.
In the UK, the figure stands at up to 4.5,000,000 tonnes, the team at the University of Edinburgh suggests.
The paper described food loss and waste (FLW) as one of the great scourges of our time, when 10% of the worlds population is chronically hungry.
The study examined how much food is thrown away within the European Economic Area before it gets on to shop shelves.
Their findings stated: The use of aesthetics for classifying and accepting fresh food for sale and consumption is built into food quality standards and regulations of the European Union.
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The food distribution sector in Europe and the UK is oligopolistic in nature; a small number of supermarket chains control a large market share. The influence of these “multiples” enables them to impose additional proprietary “quality” criteria.
Produce that doesnt meet these standards may be lost from the food supply chain, never seeing a supermarket shelf – it may not get past the supplier, or even leave the farm.
Our estimates suggest over a third of total farm production is lost for aesthetic reasons.
The university said the climate change impact of growing the wasted food – some of which may be ploughed back into fields, used in animal feed or otherwise reused – is equivalent to the carbon emissions of almost 400,000 cars.
The scientists suggest that greater awareness among consumers, and a movement towards shopping sustainably, could encourage the sale of more ugly vegetables.
They also suggest a greater use of misshapen produce or for sale at a discount to charities.
Professor David Reay, of the universitys school of geosciences, said: The scale of food that is wasted when it is perfectly safe to eat is shocking at a time when one tenth of the worlds population is perpetually underfed.
Stephen Porter, also from the school, added: Encouraging people to be less picky about how their fruit and vegetables look could go a long way to cutting waste, reducing the impact of food production on the climate, and easing the food supply chain.
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The study has been published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.
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