Hungry Harvest produce delivery service fights food waste and hunger
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- You've probably the expression "Don't judge a book by it's cover," but how about "Don't judge a fruit or vegetable by it's shape, or misshape?"
That's the idea behind a produce delivery service growing in Philadelphia.
You may have seen this idea on ABC's "Shark Tank" last year. Evan Lutz from Baltimore got a deal to help launch a delivery service of so-called ugly produce.
Now, the business is growing and customers are getting more options.
From a small apple, to an oversized mushroom or a funny looking Asian pear, Lutz says these aesthetic imperfections lead to waste.
Grocery stores only want perfect-looking produce.
"There's 6 billion pounds of produce that gets thrown away every year in the U.s. and over 50 million people who are food insecure," says Lutz.
So his company Hungry Harvest works with local farmers and wholesalers to rescue misshapen produce and sell it at a discount.
"We have lemons that you would never see in a grocery store, but are perfectly fine to eat. When you cut them up, squeeze them out, you can't tell a difference whether it's a beautiful lemon or something that looks like this," says Lutz.
A Hungry Harvest box is 20 to 30 percent cheaper than from a grocery store. And it's not just imperfect produce, sometimes like with these green beans, it's a surplus or it's an ordering mistake that left these packaged tomatoes up for grabs.
Since getting a deal on Shark Tank, the company is now in several cities including Philadelphia. You can order a weekly or bi-weekly box to be delivered fresh and now it's up to you what goes inside...
"You can choose if you want more tomatoes or less apples or more watermelon," says Lutz.
It's also a way to try new things too.
Hungry Harvest is not only passionate about "leaving no produce left behind," it's also helping fight hunger.
For every box sold, a donation is made to Philabundance.
The boxes start at $15 dollars, but there's a $5 discount for new customers. Just use the code: PICKYOUROWN.
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