Saving the Seconds

You've probably heard the statistics on food waste in the U.S.—that upwards of 40% of food we grow never gets eaten. Some of that responsibility lies with the consumer, but plenty of it occurs before it even gets to your fridge. For a variety of reasons, some food rots in the field, some is thrown away because it's bruised or blemished, and some gets tossed because it doesn't sell at the grocery store. We can't control all of that, but we want to help reduce the waste in our own supply chain wherever we can.

With sales increasing and more capacity to store more food, it's getting easier for us to offer "farmer seconds" when we have access to them. These are the bruised peaches, the split tomatoes, or the apples with a little brown spot. They're fresh and still tasty but may need to be eaten soon or cut up, canned, cooked, or frozen. 

This year, Juniper Hill and South Baldwin Farms have offered us seconds of tomatoes and peaches, and we are excited to carry those alongside the more "perfect" produce when available. Selling seconds keeps good food out of the landfill. It helps farmers recoup their costs and gives them an incentive to harvest the food rather than just letting it rot. Since we can buy it at a discount, we can sell it cheaper—meaning your dollar goes further and buying local is an option for more people. It's a win for everyone (and for the planet). 

We do love seeing the gorgeous prime produce that comes from our partners farms, so you can still expect to find plenty of blue-ribbon veggies at Full Circle. But for the times you don't need your food to win a beauty contest, we're excited to sell the second runners up!