Do “ugly” product subscriptions actually reduce food waste and save you money compared to shopping at a discount store? Not quiteThat’s mostly marketing – but they’re still relatively cheap, reliable, and a convenient way to get vegetables delivered to your doorstep.
What are ugly product boxes?
The great players are Imperfect foods, Misfit market and Hungry harvestand they’re similar to subscription food boxes like Hello Fresh or Blue Apron, except that, as the names suggest, they focus on misshapen or out of spec items that are otherwise perfectly edible.
As with regular subscription grocery boxes, the groceries you choose (some of these boxes also contain other groceries like meat) are delivered to your doorstep every week. However, you can also opt out and skip weeks.
Do these boxes really reduce food waste?
All three boxes claim to use food that would otherwise be wasted. Imperfect Foods pledges to “help build a kinder, less wasteful world”. Hungry Harvest says they are “eliminating unnecessary and avoidable food waste” and Misfit Markets claims that they are “offering excellent prices on organic products due to inefficiencies within the food system”.
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But, as we mentioned earlierAlthough these subscription boxes are dependent on products of the second class, so do food services, food banks and groceries in the lower price range – which also compete in the same place as these subscription boxes. Real “ugly” products are really only made into juice, jam, baked goods, salsa, soups or guacamole.
Food waste is a real problem, of course, but that’s a problem related to overproduction, especially with crops generate a flood of products in a short time and are wasted. Plus, these ugly product boxes make up a tiny part of the grocery market. Whatever the impact of these companies, they are minimal in terms of size.
are these boxes cheaper than a grocery store?
It is comparable to the prices you find in discount grocery chains (as opposed to Wegmans or Whole Foods, for example). There is a Choice of optionsIn general, however, these boxes cost anywhere from $ 20 to $ 30. The shipping cost is about $ 5.
Most reviews suggest that there is a cost over the equal than shopping in a grocery store, although you can get a few breaks here and there for certain items (less for the prepackaged items). This can be seen when I compared Imperfect Foods prices to a discount grocery chain in the same area where the box was delivered:
- Bag of kale, chopped: 65 cents more expensive
- Asparagus: 2 dollars cheaper
- Green pepper: Same price
- A pound of red potatoes: Same price
- One avocado: 11 cents cheaper
- Carrots: 50 cents cheaper
- One pound of ground chicken: 50 cents more expensive
- Unhardened Turkey Francs: $ 2 more expensive
Of course, the value also depends on the quality of the products available in your region. So you have to try these boxes out to really know which option is better. Also, consider shipping costs and the inability to make your own selections by hand, as these could potentially negate the savings you would get on grocery prices.
Bottom line
Despite some overhyped marketing, ugly product boxes can still be a good and affordable option if you want the convenience of having products delivered to your doorstep at a reasonable price. For what’s worth it, two Lifehacker employees subscribe to Ugly Product Boxes and are happy with what they get (one says they eat more products, another says it helps plan meals for the week) . So if you think the cost is reasonable, it is definitely worth a try. However, it is unlikely to be a major nuisance in terms of food waste prevention. Or you can save a lot of money.
