Since the beginning of Fruta Feia, in 2013, we have already prevented more than 3.000.000 kg of fruits and vegetables from being wasted.
Three thousand tons of ugly produce that Nature gave us were grown with the effort of farmers and carried by us to the delivery points where, with the precious help of our volunteers, we set up the baskets that we sold directly to the final consumers, the members of Fruta Feia. This shows that we have valued the work of farmers and the natural resources involved in their production, and we have avoided GHG emissions from the decomposition of food that would be left to rot in the soil. In water alone, 1440 Olympic-sized swimming pools have been saved!
Looking back: the goal of the first 1000 tons was reached in June 2018 when we already had eleven delivery points opened, with the help of the LIFE Program, almost five years after the start of our cooperative. 2000 tons were reached a year and a half later, in January 2020. This June we reached another level, with 3000 tons of fruits and vegetables saved, a year and a half after the previous level, and with thirteen delivery points already!
This milestone is important to us. It means we are not just a utopian ideal, but an alternative economic model capable of changing consumption patterns shaped by unbridled capitalism, which gives us more and more desire to continue to expand the space we have already achieved in the agri-food chain! For each delivery point we open, we take Fruta Feia to 350 more consumers and avoid another 1,5 tons of wasted fruit and vegetables per week.
Therefore, we are looking for spaces for new delivery points in the areas of Benfica, Alcântara, Algés, Paço de Arcos and Oeiras, and we appeal to all associations/entities that want to provide us with a space to contact us via e-mail: info@frutafeia.pt.
Thanks to all the farmers, volunteers and members who are with us in this fight against food waste due to appearance. We still have many tons of ugly produce to carry, and we want to keep reaching new goals with you!