Walmart Begins Selling So-Called ‘Ugly Fruit’

These slightly blemished apples, so-called "ugly fruit," will be sold in Walmart stores as "I'm perfect." (Photo credit: Walmart)

These slightly blemished apples, so-called “ugly fruit,” will be sold in Walmart stores as “I’m perfect.” (Photo credit: Walmart)

After months of discussion, a brand of blemished apples from Washington, called “I’m perfect,” recently made its debut in Walmart stores.

“One of the challenges growers have is that Mother Nature can throw a curveball such as a hailstorm, high winds or even a string of very hot sunny days, which can damage the exterior finish of fruits,” Shawn Baldwin, Senior Vice President of Global Food Sourcing, Produce and Floral, Walmart U.S., said. “While the texture and flavor remain perfect, the exterior damage usually renders these fruits unsellable in the fresh market because they fail to meet traditional grade standards. We’re proud to be the first retailer to bring these apples to you.”

Advertisement

The “beautifully imperfect” apples will eventually be available in 12 varieties from Granny Smith to Red Delicious. For now, about 300 stores in Florida will offer the apples in 5-pound bags.

“From helping our growers find alternate uses for these less than gorgeous fruits, such as making apple juice or selling small apples for lunch kits, we are committed to identifying options to get less than perfect fruit to market and thereby reduce this type of food waste,” Baldwin said.

Top Articles
Equipment Updates Propel Davidian's Farm Market Into The Future

“What excites me the most about the launch of these “I’m perfect” apples is that it is a result of working with our suppliers to build the infrastructure and processes that create a new home for perfectly imperfect produce,” he said. “Because ugly produce can occur unexpectedly in any growing season or crop, we want to have the systems in place to offer this type of produce whenever it may occur.”

0

Leave a Reply

Avatar for Vern Crawford. Vern Crawford. says:

It only makes sense to eliminate senseless waist but adds more to the market place supply and the old lie supply and demand comes into play so the market price for the quality produce will be affected and the producer will be the victims !!!

Avatar for Mojito Mojito says:

Wal-Mart is speculating that there is a demand for sub-grade fruit and is testing their theory. The producers and marketers of fruit will participate by providing product to Wal-Mart. The consumers will decide whether there is a viable market and if so at what volume. Accordingly the “Ugly Fruit” market, which is the aggregate supply and demand for a small subset of the total fruit market, will or will not thrive. Please enlighten us about the “old lie supply and demand” in this story about Wal-Mart.

Avatar for Essie Mitchell Essie Mitchell says:

On Labor Day, the Ugly Fruit being sold at a Kissimmee WalMart was marked at a higher price than the non-ugly product. Hopefully that was an error.

Advertisement