Access All AreasThe support of the ‘ugly’ veg is on the rise, with popular chefs and award-winning events caterer, Seasoned, putting their services to the test to encourage consumers not to disregard a wonky looking vegetable.
The movement to get more perfectly edible veg on the shelves comes with help from celebrity chefs, Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty. The pair revisited Asda in a bid to extend their ‘Wonky Fruit & Veg Box’ on their Channel 4 show, Friday Night Feast. Asda has previously sold ‘ugly’ veg at a discounted price, until the new launch of its new Beautiful on the Inside range, which is currently trialling across the country.
It was announced that the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation estimates that one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, equating to around 1.3 billion tonnes per year.
“We recently carried out an experiment where our team tasted these dishes featuring both the wonky and the aesthetically pleasing vegetables, and the answer was clear – they both tasted just as great as the other,” said Colin Sayers, managing partner for Sayers. “It was then that our pledge became clear: instead of allowing our wonky veg to be sent to landfill before it reaches us, going forward we will be choosing wonky.”
Seasoned has agreed with their suppliers to take wonky vegetables in their produce deliveries, and will be working with the farmers throughout 2017 to continue to find ways to cut food waste.
Seasoned have supplied to events, including various charity balls, film premieres, Farnborough International Airshow, The Woodland Trust, and London Fashion Week.