As the pinnacle of the spooky season draws frighteningly closer, I think it’s time we stand up for the ghouls and goblins. Every year we get dressed up in preparation for parties and trick or treaters, celebrating the scary, but then neglect the weird the rest of the time. As the seasonal mantra goes, monsters are for life, not just for spookmas.
Wonky vegetables
In 2015, Jamie Oliver brought to the public’s attention just how much ‘wonky’ vegetables and fruits are overlooked and wasted. Fast forward almost a decade and unfortunately not much has changed.
‘Wonky’ fruits and veg is produce that is not cosmetically perfect, whether it is an odd shape or irregular size. This leads to aesthetics taking precedence over supply and reduces the consumers tolerance for visually imperfect food. To give you an idea of the scale of this issue, in Australia alone, 14 million kilograms of edible fruit and veg is wasted per year on appearance alone. Nothing to do with the edible quality of the item, solely to do with how it looks.
This issue is world wide. The UK’s food waste is enough to feed up to 30 million people a year, which is over triple the amount of people living in food poverty. $USD 34.8 billion of fresh fruits and vegetables are wasted yearly in the USA. It all seems a little bit dour and hopeless, all for the sake of a bendy carrot or a cucumber that looks like a nose.
However, with all haunted houses and creepy caves, there is a way out. Research shows that 87% of UK residents would eat wonky produce if it were available. These numbers have incentivised supermarkets such as Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsburys and Lidl to sell wonky fruit and veg at discounted prices and to change stringent aesthetic conditions. We, as the consumers, can do our best to purchase completely edible items to further convince supermarkets and supply chains to reduce meaningless food waste.
Brunel University of London reported on a government study on how embracing the “ugly” could solve multiple challenges. A push to get wonky produce into baskets will lessen waste, reduce greenhouse gases, improve profit for farmers and feed more people at lower cost. It really seems like a win-win scenario. If aesthetics are such an issue, those that don’t meet visual standards can be used in juices, sauces and soups; all fruit and veg looks the same, diced, sliced and blended anyway.
Alas, the culinary is not the only “ugly” that needs our help, as bias spreads further into the animal kingdom! Some species have been neglected from conservation efforts due to humans’ very shallow perceptions of their beauty.
Beauty is the Beast
Vulture conservationists often fail in obtaining funding because of general dislike for vultures. The large scavengers have obtained a bad rep over the years for their diet of animal carcasses and their demonic bald chicken cosplay. However, as many creatures do on our little blue planet, vultures play a very important role within their ecosystem.
With incredibly strong stomach acid, any carcass carrying disease is effectively “sanitised” by these cleaners of nature. Vultures are often considered as nature’s sanitation service as they have the ability to remove diseases which are often consumed and spread by other scavengers. Infected carcasses pose a threat to the wildlife that vultures help mitigate.
They’re also fantastic dog whistles for illegal poaching activity. Due to vultures’ preference for rot, they begin to circle a recently deceased animal before poachers reach the same target. As they circle, authorities can make their way to the location and intercept the poachers, and mitigate illegal activity.
Give attention to the “ugly”
These terror turkeys actively contribute to the preservation of their ecosystem and yet receive unwanted attention from poachers and poor conservation efforts remain. Much like our own human society, worth should never be placed on the aesthetic properties or physical perception of the individual. The Smithsonian Magazine reported about bias against “ugly” obscure animals when it comes to funding, even within organisations meant to help with the conservation of endangered species.
The World Wide Fund US raises money through their adoption scheme. You pay a monthly amount, your money goes towards conservation and you get a certificate and stuffed toy in return. However, it doesn’t matter how an animal was presented or described within campaigns, the more appealing or socially accepted animals always got more donations. The Edge of Existence programme, however, did find marketing animals of a more “ugly” nature amongst household names helped garner more donations and support for our plucky outcasts.
In 2008, Edge of Existinction’s top 5 animals receiving donations were beautiful “uglies” such as the aye-aye, hog-nosed bat and red slender sloth. This isn’t to say the Taylor Swifts and Lionel Messis of the animal world don’t deserve conservation efforts. There are only 60 Java Rhinos left and only 200 to 300 adult Cross River Gorillas remaining. Popular species are still suffering but aren’t as neglected as those on the fringes.
Whether it be making better choices on what we eat or the creatures we choose to save, we can’t afford to be picky, in a broad sense that is. We are sold the idea of pristine uniformed produce that leads to the reality of perfectly edible veg rotting away because of visual imperfections. Certain animals are receiving less funding they need to help secure their future because we perceive them to be “ugly” or less. I don’t like wasps, most of us don’t, but they, as predators, keep pests down and protect crops. So, as we drink with vampires and dance with werewolves, let us do better for the Titicaca Frog and wonky veg by eating wonky parsnip soup this winter.
Be Curious!
- When you’re next shopping, take a chance on a funky looking carrot or odd looking tomato. If they are for sale, odds are they are edible. Remember, participation is the number one way to enact change.
- Visit Food Waste Feast for more information about how to reduce food waste and create delicious food in the process.
- Interested in vulture conservation, learn more from the people at the forefront of the Vulture Conservation Foundation.
- Keeping with the creepy crawly theme, check out why conservation zones are failing to protect insects.
- As highlighted in this article, nature’s contribution to people is immense when it comes to human health. Learn more about how animal disease impacts human health and the research going on under the One Health Approach spearheaded by WHO, UNEP, WOAH, and FAO.
