Farmer has a Wife – City girl, country world.

WHEN you go shopping do you leave the mis-shapen, ugly and slightly damaged fruit and vegetables on the shelf?

Do you only select the perfectly round, brightly-coloured oranges? Will you only eat straight carrots? If a banana has a few black marks on its skin do you walk on by?

If you answered ‘Yes’ to these questions then you’re not alone. We’re a fickle bunch of shoppers … we buy with our eyes and have become accustomed to choosing from a uniform selection of beautiful fruit and veg.

Go back 20 years or so the quality of fresh produce on the shelves was not as high. There was an acknowledgement that farming is a risky business, a busines which does daily battle with nature and the elements. Sometimes the end result is not always perfect to look at, but more often than not it still tastes great and is packed full of nutritional benefits.

But over time shoppers have become more fussy. Just as they strive for beauty in their own appearance, they seem intent on only consuming beautiful food. It means that each year fresh food producers, supermarkets and other retailers are left with surplus supply. Rather than throw it in the bin, many farmers and most of the country’s leading retailers donate their excess to charities like Foodbank. Foodbank has a sophisticated logistics system in place, which transports excess from supermarket DCs and farmgates to their warehouses in major cities. Representatives from charities like the Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul, Meals on Wheels and many others visit the warehouses each day to select fresh produce for the thousands of people who seek their help.