Through a campaign to educate consumers on the value of “perfectly good imperfect” potatoes, NoKota Packers Inc. is encouraging consumers to embrace less-than-perfect produce as a part of a broader effort to support sustainability and reduce agricultural waste.
The North Dakota-local promotion is geared to educate consumers that produce doesn't have to be perfect, while helping support sustainability in agriculture and eliminate food waste.
The company is offering consumers “perfectly good imperfect” potatoes that don't make it to grocery store shelves, according to a news release. Producing food that goes to waste consumes resources such as water, energy and cropland, in addition to incurring financial losses for farmers. As food waste continues to become a growing concern, retailers, suppliers and shoppers seek solutions — such as the use of imperfect produce, a category that includes items with cosmetic blemishes, unusual color, shape or size, the company says.
“We want to help raise awareness of the value of ‘ugly' produce, while generating buzz about how to eliminate food waste, be better stewards of the planet — and quite frankly, find a home for perfectly good spuds,” says Carissa Olsen, president and CEO of NoKota. “We plan always to have a bin available for picking, and in the future, we'd like to add a designated day for ‘pay-what-you-can' for the perfectly imperfect potatoes for those in need of some additional help.”
The bin will be available for people to pick up potatoes Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at NoKota's Buxton, N.C., location at 16218 13th St. NE, a half-mile west of Interstate 29, Exit 118. 701-847-2200. NoKota is promoting the potato bins to the local market through community outreach and social media, including posts on the Facebook.
NoKota is a member of the Fresh Solutions Network of farmers. As part of FSN's commitment to improving sustainable food management practices and reducing food waste, SPUDS less-than-perfect potatoes were added to the potato portfolio in 2023.
