Ugly Delicious

'Ugly Produce' Delivery Company Begins Shipping to Florida

Misfits Market brings food that's not aesthetically pleasing enough for the grocery store right to your doorstep.

By Cooper Levey-Baker November 18, 2019

Misfits Market, an organic produce delivery company based in Philadelphia, may call the fruits and vegetables that it ships out around the U.S. "ugly," but often enough, you have to look closely to see how it's any different from the products you'll find on a grocery store shelf. In one recent box, it was easy to spot the undersized butternut squash (about half as big as you normally find) and bell peppers (squat little things), but for many other items, it was difficult to figure out what made them less than ideal. The lemons in the box had a few brown spots on them, and the beets were slightly dented, but that was about it.

Misfits Market only recently began delivering its boxes to Florida. The company offers two subscription services: A "Mischief Box" subscription costs $22 (plus $5.50 for shipping to Florida) and includes 10-12 pounds of fruit and vegetables, while a "Madness Box" goes for $35 (plus $5.50 for shipping), and is stuffed with 18-20 pounds of produce. You can choose to receive a box either weekly or every other week.

Misfits produce is certified organic and comes from farms in the U.S. and the rest of the Americas. Boxes are designed to include a variety of items: leafy greens, fruits and larger vegetables. In addition to the items noted above, our box overflowed with kale, squash, cucumbers, pears and more.

One of the key goals of Misfits Market is to reduce food waste. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, roughly one-third of food produced each year is either lost at the farm, in storage or during transit, or wasted at the grocery store or at home. According to Project Drawdown, a research organization that works to identify solutions to climate change, food waste is responsible for 8 percent of global emissions. Eating imperfect produce is a satisfying way to cut down on those numbers, and it's also a reminder that natural foods don't pop out of the ground perfect. "Ugly," perhaps—but tasty, and that's what matters.

For more info, visit the Misfits Market website.

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