Extending purchasing tolerances to enable selling of “crooked” carrots and apples

Overview

Overview

The need: “Second class” fruits and vegetables are often not sold by retailers as it’s believed consumers often prefer “perfect” products. In recent years retailers have started to challenge this notion; selling “imperfect” fruit and vegetables. Many retailers view this as an opportunity to simultaneously reduce food waste and boost sales of otherwise unsaleable products.

The solution:

In order to show its customers that there’s nothing wrong with the quality of so called “ugly fruits or vegetables” or “misfits”, in summer 2017, ALDI SÜD started to sell Class II carrots and apples.

The benefits: The project further supported the promotion of sustainable consumption. Additionally, the sale of the “Krumme Dinger” was scientifically evaluated to identify the causes of food losses and indicate to ALDI SÜD further reduction potentials.