I’ve been avoiding going to the grocery store since the COVID-19 outbreak. It’s stressful and there is always someone who isn’t wearing a mask or gets too close for my comfort.

My daughter suggested we order from Imperfect Foods to be delivered to our door. It’s an innovative company based in San Francisco that works with local farmers, grocery stores and suppliers. She likes the concept so much that she even applied for a job to work with them.

As an Environmental Science major, she knows a lot about food waste. Grocery stores display only the most attractive and unblemished produce. This means “ugly” scarred fruits and vegetables, are thrown away.

Here’s what I also learned from Imperfect Foods:

• Food is the single largest component of U.S. municipal landfills
• 80% of consumers throw away good food due to mislabeled best by dates
• Growing food that goes to waste used 20% of our fresh water

When dried mangos are considered too dark from sun exposure, it can’t be sold in stores, because it isn’t “pretty.” Some farmers sell it at a loss as fruit paste to smoothie manufactures, however Imperfect Foods buys it at a fair price and packages it as a delicious and healthy snack.

Remember reading about how the bountiful oversupply of potatoes piled up due to the coronavirus standstill. Hard-working farmers and producers with perfectly good potatoes, suddenly has no future.

Imperfect Foods motto is “If food can be saved we’ll save it.” They pledge to only provide products that are good value, high quality, and sustainably sourced. They saved 116 million pounds of Imperfect food and offered 345,000 reduced cost boxes delivered to low income families. Their grocery delivery company focuses on eliminating food waste and building a better food system for everyone.

If the food you receive is slightly imperfect, it still is delicious and nutritious. Just cut away a blemish and enjoy! They provide affordable pantry items, quality dairy, and meat to customers’ door for up to 30% less than the grocery store.

When you sign up, you’ll select certified organic produce or a regular box full of conventional produce.

Each week, your order of delicious, and sometimes “ugly” produce arrives. Based on your need, you can customize your order each week by shopping through their online shelves to keep, add, or remove items from your virtual grocery trip.

On the pink box it states “Whoever said that one person couldn’t make a difference in the fight against food waste obviously never met you.” Go online and select if you choose organic or conventional produce and then add grocery items you want delivered on a weekly basis.

An array of items, depending on the season includes:  Apples, Artichokes, Avocados, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cilantro, Cucumbers, Dried fruit, Garlic, Grapes, Kale, Lettuce, Nectarines, Onions, Potatoes, Squash, Swiss Tomatoes, Zucchini. Coffee, Almonds, Bread, Coffee, Eggs*, Milk* and Non Milk.

Since coronavirus, their grocery ordering demand has skyrocketed, so they temporarily may put new signups on a waiting list. New customers can join on a first-come, first-serve basis by zip code.  We were on a waiting list for one week, before receiving an email that our order was ready to deliver. It arrived at the perfect time and saved me a trip to the store. When it arrived I was surprised how the celery was very crisp, the Romain lettuce was small with a few “ugly’ leaves, yet crisp and fresh, and of the 9 apples I ordered, only one was bumpy. Will I continue ordering? YOU BET!

Imperfect Foods is packed with care and delivered straight to your doorstep. Currently, there is no evidence of foodborne transmission of COVID-19, and the CDC and our Supply team see no relevant risk or concern associated with food delivery. Within our warehouses, the Imperfect Foods Safety team has placed extra emphasis on our already stringent processes.

Every employee handling products and boxes wears protective gloves, and all employees are trained on proper handwashing, safe food handling, and effective preventive action.