Responsive - Food In The Loop: Misshapen Fruit & Veg

Worldwide, almost 40% of fruit and vegetables will go to waste before they even reach consumers, according to figures from the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). In some parts of the world, that's because there are no efficient means of storing it. In Europe, the reasons are primarily cosmetic. The Soil Association calculates that in the UK, 20-40% of produce is rejected because it's misshapen.

That's a problem, and not just because it's wasteful. According to Wrap, the sustainability agency, each year 90,000 tonnes of produce in the UK alone is sent to landfill, where it rots and emits methane into the atmosphere. Wasted food also uses scarce water and land resources. Besides, a quickly growing world population needs the food. The FAO estimates that by 2050 global food production must increase by 70%.

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/misshapen-fruit-vegetables-business-case

Culinary Misfits

Brumsack and Krakowski's business, Culinary Misfits, is part of a new trend to utilise the misshapen produce. Three other young Germans have hit international headlines with their campaign Ugly Fruits, which uses suggestive slogans to attract consumers to rejected greens. They have started a restaurant using misshapen veg. Showing how it is still just as delicious.

We only are only offered beautiful fruit and veg in the supermarkets. We have grown used to it and don’t want anything else now. We view ugly veg as bad and inferior. 

Fruits and vegetables should be beautiful, otherwise we do not eat it! This is what the supermarkets. The consequence is that farmers need to destroy up to 40% of their crops because of optical defects. The variety of fruits and vegetables in our society gets into oblivion; ugly fruits reduces the prejudice of consumers and gives the abnormal fruits and vegetables attention, they deserve. Because taste is not a matter of appearance.

An excellent idea for a restaurant which more places should consider. People are drawn to it out of curiosity to see the weird shaped veg but also to try it. Through the curiosity they understand that appearance has nothing to do with taste. 

The design elements are nice extra touches to really enforce the idea of weird veg. The coasters show a range of different veg and allow customers something to look at and discuss as they wait for their food.

A simple range of postcards have been created as well to support their philosophy and the message they are trying to send. The postcards feature an image of the vegetable on a white background. Nothing else distracts from the piece of veg you are looking at. Simple slogans have been added in German to reiterate the point.