This Activist Wants You To Rethink Ugly Produce

Anti-food waste activist Jordan Figueiredo is putting a lighthearted spin on the otherwise serious issue of food waste.

As part of his Ugly Fruit And Veg campaign, Figueiredo posts photos of oddly shaped produce on social media, accompanied by playful captions to illustrate that just because a food may appear “ugly” doesn’t mean it’s not edible. For example, a recent photo on the campaign’s Instagram page shows three curved cucumbers with the caption, “Cucumber family snuggles. 💚💚💚”

“People don’t realize that you’re just as delicious as a straight cucumber,” Figueiredo says to a curvy cucumber he’s holding. In the video above, watch the activist discuss how stereotypes surrounding ugly produce contribute to the 1.3 billion tons of annual global food waste.

This video was produced by Alex Kushneir and Paul Josephson.