A study revealed that the amount of food Americans eat is nearly equivalent to the amount of food they throw away. Americans tend to have an idea that fresh produce should be blemish-free, and many consumers, supermarkets, and packers refuse produce items that appear imperfect. Approximately one-third—and $160 billion—of produce is wasted each year. The cycle starts early on. Instead of letting blemished fruits and vegetables go through the packing, shipping, trucking, and distributing processes, many farmers will simply leave the vegetables and fruits in the field, instead of incurring expenses and labor needs that will later have been wasted.
Some farmers estimate that they throw away or feed cattle around one-quarter of their crops, but the amount can vary based on crop, season, and appearance. If oranges have a rip in the peel, people will not buy them. If cauliflower is darker because of the sun, consumers presume something is wrong with it. The amount of food wasted each year is enough to feed everyone in all five boroughs of New York, plus Jersey City and Newark. Many grocery stores will not even purchase such produce, because consumers have the notion that produce must look perfect. Companies like Imperfect Produce and Food Cowboy have been started with the goal of finding a use for scarred and blemished produce, but the root of the problem still remains with American consumers.