Fruta Feia CRL

About half of the food produced in the world each year goes to waste. According to FAO, the current food waste in industrialized countries reaches to 1.3 billion tons per year, enough to feed the roughly 925 million people who are hungry every day. This waste has consequences not only ethical but also environmental, since it involves the unnecessary expenditure of the resources used in its production (such as land, energy and water) and the emission of carbon dioxide and methane resulting from the decomposition of foods that are not consumed. Only in Portugal, one million tonnes of food per year are lost - 17% of what is produced by the country - according to the conclusions of PERDA presented in December 2012.

The reasons for this waste are many and occur throughout the agrifood chain. Intensive production models, inadequate storage and transport conditions, tight deadlines and promotions that encourage consumers to buy in excess are some of the causes that contribute to the current huge waste. Another problem is the preference of the usual distribution channels for "perfect" fruits and vegetables in terms of size, colour and size that restricts consumption to foods that comply with certain aesthetic standards. This requirement results in a waste of about 30% of what is produced by farmers.

The Fruta Feia cooperative arises from the need to reverse such fruit and vegetable standardization trends that have nothing to do with food safety and quality issues. This project aims to combat market inefficiency by creating an alternative market for "ugly" fruit and vegetables that can change consumption patterns. A market that generates value to farmers and consumers and tackles both food waste and unnecessary waste of the resources used to produce them.