It all started in a college kitchen with four crates of unsightly peaches from the Georgetown Farmers' Market, a Vitamix blender, and two college students with a mission to put an end to food waste.
With the help of some friends, Georgetown University students Philip Wong and Ann Yang put their passion for food waste into action and created a startup: Misfit Juicery. Their cold-pressed juices are made with cosmetically imperfect produce that would otherwise contribute to the massive amount of food waste.
Food waste is a huge problem in the United States, and the statistics are shocking:
A third of farmers' produce is thrown away for not meeting physical standards.
This food uses 25% of our fresh water and takes up 18% of our land used for growing crops.
Supermarkets and grocery stores get rid of 40% of their produce due to overstocking or spoilage.
Food is manufactured to look perfect for consumers; perfectly cubed and packaged fruits and veggies and the production of baby carrots waste tons of valuable rinds, peels, and pieces.
Wasted food takes up 21% of landfill volume. 20 billion pounds of produce is wasted each year.
Bruised apples, wilted lettuce, misshapen pears, you name it, and Misfit will make delicious juice out of it. Their ugly produce, which makes up 70% of each juice, is sourced from farmers and produce distributors with leftovers scraps and food that failed to meet absurd aesthetic standards of distributors.
Misfit Juicery currently sells seven blends of motley and unwanted produce, and are even working on transforming the pulp of their juices into a nutritious snack. Talk about "LESS WASTE, MORE FOOD."
ALL KALE BREAKS LOOSE
This drink screams "health in a bottle," and is one of my favorites for sure. The subtle hint of basil makes all the difference and I always feel clean and revitalized after drinking this juice.
Ingredients: Kale, Apple, Cucumber, Romaine, Lemon, Ginger, Basil
24 CARROT GOLD
Turmeric has anti-inflammatory benefits, but I have always had a hard time incorporating it into my diet. This drink is slightly sweet and masks the bitter taste of turmeric, but provides all the health benefits.
Ingredients: Carrot, Apple, Lemon, TurmericS.C.R.E.A.M.
This juice is my absolute favorite. It is the perfect mix of sweet from the fruits and tangy from the ginger and reminds me of summer.
Ingredients: Strawberry, Pear, Lemon, Ginger
PEAR TO THE PEOPLE
The pear goes surprisingly well with the cucumber and spinach to create a slightly sweet but ultimately refreshing drink.
Ingredients: Pear, Cucumber, Spinach, Lemon
FAR FROM THE TREE
The mint and lemon make this juice a grown-up version of apple juice, but tastes just as great minus the added sugars.
Ingredients: Apple, Lemon, Mint
OFF BEET
The beet flavor in this juice is very strong, but pairs well with lemon and apple to create a refreshing and bold blend. And come on, the color of this juice is unreal.
Ingredients: Beet, Apple, Carrot, Lemon, Ginger
A BETTER OJ
You wouldn't even know there were carrots in this guilt-free orange juice, and the mint takes it to the next level.
Ingredients: Orange, Carrot, Mint
Luckily, food waste isn't a helpless cause, but a solvable problem. Changes must be made across the supply chain, from farms to manufacturers, to consumer-facing businesses to homes. ReFED, a multi-stakeholder nonprofit dedicated to limiting food waste, performed an economic analysis on food waste in the United States and identified 27 solutions, including consumer education campaigns, home composting initiatives, packaging adjustments, waste tracking, and improved inventory management.
If these solutions are put into action, the environmental and economic gains are noteworthy: $10 billion of economic value, 1.6 trillion gallons of water saved annually, $5.6 billion in annual consumer savings, and 1.8 billions saved meals.
The Natural Resources Defense Council, a non-profit organization comprised of lawyers, scientists, policymakers, and online advocates, focuses on the relationship between people and the earth and how we can protect our natural resources. To promote the environmental movement, the NRDC has global initiatives to improve education about and protection of the oceans, energy, water, climate, communities, and food, particularly food waste.
The NRDC created a campaign called "Save the Food" to provide strategies to limit food waste. The interactive website includes devastating statistics about food waste and ways people can alter their everyday habits to contribute to the movement
It offers recipes using food that would otherwise contribute to food waste, such as Buried Avocado Chocolate Mousse with overripe avocados and Sour Milk Pancakes with old milk.
Join the movement and make little changes in your daily habits to help put an end to food waste. Start by trying Misfit products. It's that easy.