Le food waste is a major problem affecting the entire supply chain. Among the causes of this phenomenon, the rejection of so-called «ugly» fruits and vegetables plays an important role. Fortunately, solutions are emerging to add value to these imperfect but tasty products, and to reduce food waste. The Post Office, through its service Log'issimo, engages in this fight by facilitating the distribution of fruit and vegetables that are often overlooked.
The scourge of ugly fruit and vegetables
Each year, tonnes of fruit and vegetables are discarded from distribution circuits, not for their taste or nutritional quality, but simply because of their appearance. These products, deemed too small, too large, or misshapen, do not meet the aesthetic standards imposed by large retailers. Yet, they remain perfectly edible. This is why professionals are working to create Anti-waste solutions.
consequences Environmental and economic consequences considerable. In addition to the Financial losses for producers, these discards imply a useless use of natural resources (water, soil, energy) and contribute to the increase of waste.
Log'issimo: An encouraging partnership
To meet this challenge, La Poste has launched Log'issimo, a logistical solution to facilitate the Delivery imperfect fruits and vegetables. This service is part of a strategy to reduce food waste by ensuring optimised and rapid transport of these products to consumers or processing companies.
Thanks to its well-structured transport network, La Poste is putting its expertise to work for Producers and distributors who wish to give a second life to these often-overlooked foodstuffs. This initiative proves that logistics can be a powerful lever for promoting more equitable food Responsible and sustainable.
How does this anti-waste solution work?
Designed to facilitate the distribution of imperfect fruits and vegetables, Log’issimo is a delivery service developed by La Poste which, thanks to its wide logistics network and its flexible transport solutions, allows these products to be quickly delivered to consumers, processing companies or associations.
Concretely, partner producers or distributors entrust their "ugly" fruit and vegetables to La Poste [the French postal service], which organises their transport. These products can then be delivered to agri-food companies for processing, to shops involved in selling anti-waste baskets, to food aid associations, or directly to individual customers.
What solutions are there for using imperfect fruit and vegetables?
Even if they don't meet aesthetic standards, ugly fruits and vegetables are perfectly edible and can be utilised in various ways:
- Juices and smoothies Damaged or overripe fruit is perfect for fresh, vitamin-packed juices. Once blended, their appearance doesn't matter!
- Soups and purées in the same way, when cooked into creamy soups, broths or purees, the appearance of fruits and vegetables no longer matters.
- Jams and compotes The shelf life of ripe, bruised, or unappealing-looking fruit can be extended once the produce has been prepared into compotes, jellies, or jams.
- Drying or dehydration To avoid throwing away overripe fruits and vegetables, you can dry them to make snacks. They can also be transformed into crisps.
La Waste-free cooking allows everyone to contribute to reducing food waste while discovering new ways to cook these very often neglected products. Once cooked, their appearance no longer matters!
With initiatives like Log’issimo, La Poste is demonstrating that it’s possible to rethink logistics to combat food waste. An approach that is both ecological and caring, and which deserves to be encouraged.
