Lidl Starts to Sell Ugly Fruit and Vegetables Boxes at 25 CZK

Lidl officially launched today its special vegetables and fruit boxes. It wanted to prove that unattractive produce is just as edible. 

These special boxes are put on the shelves every day, with various “ugly” – but still edible – vegetables and fruits. The weight of one box is about three kilograms.

Vegetables and fruit have been selected from farmers’ crops because they are misshapen, have growth cracks or are smaller or larger than average.

The produce is washed but the discount reflects the fact that customers may need to spend extra time peeling it or they might not be able to use the whole vegetable.

“The positive feedback that we have received off the back of our trial has been incredible; from our colleagues who are showing so much passion for them, to our customers who were getting in touch from the get-go asking where they could get one,” Eliška Froschová Stehlíková, head of CSR projects at Lidl, commented.

The average Czech throws away about 40 kilograms of food a year.

People in housing estates waste the most food, while in rural areas, waste is less, which is related, among other things, to the fact that in these localities there is a better possibility of composting or feeding animals.

According to data from the European Commission, households produce 53 percent of food waste, compared to just 5 percent from the “Wholesale/Retail” sector. Most often people waste fruits and vegetables, followed by pastries, milk, meat, and eggs.

A new amendment to the Food Act, aimed at reducing food waste, came into force in the Czech Republic in January 2018.

The amendment stipulates that all supermarkets in the Czech Republic over 400 square metres must donate unsold but still edible food to charities.