Canada’s Largest Food Retailer Loblaws is going To Sell Ugly Produce At Low Prices To Cut Food Waste.

Yes sir you have heard it right

Loblaws company Limited operate three stores No Frills, Loblaws and Real Canadian stores in Ontario and Maxi in Quebec. It officially launched a campaign last week to sell misshapen, “ugly” produce at a discounted rate in an effort to curb the country’s food waste problem (annually, Canadians waste some 40 percent of their food).

The campaign, called No Name Naturally Imperfect, offers aesthetically displeasing apples and potatoes at a discount of up to 30 cents in select Loblaws-owned stores in Ontario and Quebec. “We often focus too much on the look of produce rather than the taste,” said Ian Gordon, senior vice president, Loblaw Brands, Loblaw Companies Limited, in a press statement. “Once you peel or cut an apple you can’t tell it once had a blemish or was misshapen.”

According to Loblaws, the unwanted, cast-off produce is being stocked next to its aesthetically appealing counterparts — but sold at a more attractive price.

(A Video showing reality of Food wasted in Canada)

Needless to sat this will be really beneficial to environment but there is added benefit of savings to both the consumer, who can access healthy produce at lower costs, and the Canadian government, which loses some $31 billion dollars annually on food waste. Globally, food waste costs nearly $400 billion annually, but according to a February report released by the U.K.-based Waste & Resources Action Program (WRAP), countries could save between $120 and $300 each year by focusing on reducing food waste.

(Another Video showing reality of Food wasted in Canada)

This practice has proven results in past. Before Loblaws, in 2014, the E.U. launched the European Year Against Food Waste, prompting French supermarket Intermarché to sell disfigured fruits and vegetables for a lower price than their conformist counterparts. The campaign, titled “Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables,” created a 24 percent uptick in store traffic, reaching 21 million customers in its first month alone.

(Image Source: Intermarché)