Is imperfect produce worth buying?

Where to find ugly food in Australia

Woolworths: The Odd Bunch

Woolworths' dedicated ugly produce range saves you 30-40% on fruit and veg with cosmetic imperfections. Look for the distinctive branding in the produce section, usually near regular fruit and veg. Stock changes weekly based on what is available from suppliers.

Harris Farm: Imperfect Picks

Harris Farm's imperfect produce range is often even cheaper than Woolworths. If you have a Harris Farm near you, this is your best bet for ugly food. They tend to stock a wider selection than other retailers and rotate it frequently.

Coles

Coles has limited imperfect produce options. You will find the occasional discount on slightly damaged items, but there is no dedicated range like Odd Bunch or Imperfect Picks.

ALDI

ALDI does not have a dedicated ugly produce range, though they do discount items that are close to their best-before date.

What to buy ugly (and what to skip)

Buy ugly:

• Carrots: lopsided or odd shapes work perfectly for soups, stews, and cooking
• Capsicums: cosmetic bumps and wrinkles do not affect flavour or nutrition
• Tomatoes: taste is identical; wonky shapes actually do not matter when cooked
• Potatoes: you are peeling them anyway
• Apples: for baking, minor blemishes are completely irrelevant
• Bananas: for smoothies and banana bread, appearance does not matter at all
• Onions: shape and blemishes do not affect storage or taste
• Zucchini: minor cosmetic damage does not impact cooking

Skip ugly:

• Salad ingredients: if presentation matters to you, whole leaves and attractive greens make a difference
• Fruit platters: for dinner parties and entertaining, appearance counts
• Raw eating produce: if you eat it whole and care how it looks, choose regular stock

How much can you actually save?

Let us break down a realistic weekly shop:

• Regular carrots: $1.80/kg at Woolworths
• Odd Bunch carrots: $1.20/kg (33% saving)

• Regular tomatoes: $4.50/kg
• Odd Bunch tomatoes: $2.80/kg (38% saving)

• Regular potatoes: $2.40/kg
• Odd Bunch potatoes: $1.60/kg (33% saving)

If you buy 2kg of mixed imperfect veg per week across these three items, you save $4-5 per week compared to regular produce. Add in capsicums, apples, onions, and zucchini, and you hit that $9-15 weekly saving easily.

Shopping tips for ugly food

Stock goes fast. The best imperfect produce disappears quickly because it is a genuinely good deal. If you see something you need, buy it. The selection refreshes weekly.

Check freshness anyway. Cosmetic imperfections are fine; soft spots, mould, or browning are not. Ugly produce is perfectly fresh, but you should still use the same freshness checks as regular produce.

Plan your meals around what is available. Some weeks you will find great deals on capsicums; other weeks it might be apples or carrots. Build your meal plan around what is in stock rather than the other way around.

Use the Pinch app. Track prices across Woolworths, Harris Farm, and Coles to compare ugly produce pricing week to week. Some weeks Harris Farm is cheaper; other weeks Odd Bunch offers better value.

The bigger picture

Supermarkets reject 25% of produce for cosmetic reasons. These carrots, tomatoes, and apples are perfectly edible. Buying them keeps food out of landfill and keeps money in your pocket.

Imperfect produce is not a compromise. It is the exact same food at a fairer price. The only difference is that nature did not make it perfectly symmetrical.