As Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall turns his attention onto the commercial rejection of vegetables on cosmetic grounds (“Hugh’s War on Waste” BBC1, 2 November 21:00) Vacherin believes the foodservice industry could and should embrace his aims more fully – and has launched its own new initiative that champions imperfect produce.
15-20% cheaper – and tasting just as good
Having worked with suppliers to source imperfect fruit and vegetables, Vacherin has now launched a new range to its chefs by showcasing the ingredients that would be made available to them. These chefs receive emails informing them of weekly availability – and order as much as they wish. So far the produce is up to 15-20% cheaper – and tastes just as good.
A client launch – including new marketing materials under the “I’mperfect” banner – targets diners at each Vacherin unit. Director of Food Dan Kelly comments: “No-one can tell which dishes contain I’mperfect produce and which do not. There is a place and time for any size, shape or colour of produce – it’s just a matter of planning, education and creativity.”
Alternative ways
Anthony Kingsley, Vacherin’s Lead on Sustainability & CSR, says: “While retailers are not transparent, estimates suggest a single large retailer disposes of 2.5 tonnes of produce per week. Alas, a majority is binned because it does not meet the necessary specifics, even though it still tastes as good as the other produce. The planet just cannot sustain over-production like this and we need to find alternative ways of doing things.”
Finding the perfect partner
Having launched I’mperfect, Vacherin is urging other caterers to get on board, but warns it may take a couple of years to find the perfect partner – and encourages suppliers and producers to embrace the approach. Anthony adds: “We now have delicious produce that might otherwise be discarded, but it took us a while to find someone to partner us to improve our fruit and vegetable sourcing.”
Dan adds: “The foodservice industry is in a perfect place to help address this issue. We are not as constrained as retailers, seldom need the same volumes that they do, and we prepare produce before serving it to consumers. We have found that it actually saves us money.”
Anthony concludes: “This is only the first step – it’s ultimately about systematic change. We have to bring this imperfect fruit and veg back into the mainstream – working to educate consumers, clients and suppliers to understand that our choices have a cost whether it’s financial or environmental.We throw away enough food waste each year to fill The Royal Albert Hall 30 times over – this is not only a cost to the environment, but also a cost to the business and farmer.”