ugly produce

Teams of cooks are making dishes from food that many American consumers would overlook — or even consciously avoid — as part of a sustainability project aimed at reducing food waste in the U.S.

Lots of tasty, nutritious produce ends up in landfills because it doesn't meet retail beauty standards. Now Wal-Mart is testing sales of wonky apples and spuds in hundreds of Texas and Florida stores.

Lots of tasty and nutritious produce ends up in landfills because it fails to meet retail beauty standards. Now, Whole Foods and Giant Eagle say they're ready to pilot sales of these wonky edibles.

As much as a third of the produce grown on some farms is rejected because it doesn't meet beauty standards. But it's still tasty and healthy. One big firm is now telling growers: Give us your uglies.

Lumpy, bumpy produce that fails to meet supermarkets' high bar for beauty usually ends up as waste. But increasingly, European supermarkets are finding that ugly sells, if you tell the right story.

Wonky produce can take on absurdly entertaining shapes. But one food activist says learning to love these crazy contours is key to stopping mounds of food waste.