DUMPED VEGETABLES

(Click on the title for a link to the Soil Association)

Supermarket stocks of fruit and vegetables look as though they never came from the great outdoors, according to a report from the Soil Association that was released recently. Farmers are being forced to throw away up to a third of their stock because it doesn’t meet up to exacting standards of the big food retailers. The supermarkets claim that they are only following consumer trends and people do not want to see dirt or blemishes on their fruit and veg. Growers must now undergo quality checks such as a skin brightness test for spuds, apples undergo a crispness test and then cauliflowers undergo a three page document checking they come in a size between 12cm-16cm and have no more than two spots or blemishes on each leaf. A study commissioned by Biffa, England’s leading waste and recycling company found that of the 5 million tonnes of fruit and vegetables imported or grown for supermarkets ends up in the landfill. Take into account that there was a survey out recently that said households throw away at least 40% of their food. That taken into consideration nearly 75% of fruit and vegetables that are grown for the consumer ends up in the bin!

Environmental.