Don't waste ugly fruits and vegetables

Every year a third of global food production never finds its way onto plates and is lost or wasted. In Europe and North America, we waste on average 95-115 kg per person per year

When it comes to fruits and vegetables, almost half of what is produced is wasted. Sadly, part of this waste is simply down to cosmetic reasons such as colour or shape.

Did you know that about 20-30% of carrots don’t make it to the grocery store because of aesthetic defects? While supermarkets have a part to play in this, consumers do too.

Ask yourself, would you buy a wonky carrot? Or an over-ripe, discoloured, fruit or vegetable? If you intend to eat the fruit the same day, then why not. It will otherwise just go to waste. Remember that once chopped, diced or blitzed in a food processor, fruits and vegetables, regardless of their looks, taste the same as those perfect looking ones.

This week’s #SDGKitchen is a reminder that ugly looking fruits and vegetables are just as good as any other. Our weekly recipe is a Carrot Soup, a great way to take advantage of those wonky looking carrots you might have been avoiding.

Choosing ugly produce, storing fruits and vegetables properly and eating what you already have in the refrigerator before what is newly purchased are just some things that each of us can do in our daily lives to create a #ZeroHunger world and combat climate change. 

Read more - Beauty (and taste!) are on the inside (FAO) | Food is much more than what is on our plates (FAO)

Ingredients:

• 550g carrots
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 small onion
• 1.5L vegetable stock
• Handful coriander
• Salt/pepper to taste

Preparation:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan.
• Add the chopped onion, then fry for 5 mins until softened. 
• Add peeled and chopped carrots along with the vegetable stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat. Cover and cook until the carrots are tender.
• Transfer to a food processor along with a handful of coriander then blitz until smooth.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.