Whole Foods just announced that they will pilot selling cosmetically imperfect fruits and vegetables in several Northern California stores. Well, the retailer didn’t really announce it, USA Today did in a recent article. And then an unnamed Whole Foods spokesperson tentatively confirmed it to NPR. But still, this is both great news and a bit amusing.
It’s great news because Whole Foods is Whole Foods. They are an industry and thought leader and what they do matters. If they do in fact partner with funky produce peddlers Imperfect–the anonymous Whole Foods source told NPR it was a “potential partnership”–it will be a huge deal.
It’s amusing because Whole Foods is Whole Foods. They are the among the leading perpetuators of produce perfection and homogeneity. Through their ‘food porny’ displays and high standards for produce appearance, they’ve helped teach us that our food should look as good as it tastes.
It would be ironic and oddly fitting then if Whole Foods were to lead the charge in knocking down the mental barriers against imperfect produce that it helped erect.  If ‘ugly produce’ can catch on there–and that’s a big if–our superficial norms may just change. So keep your fingers crossed and an eye out (if you live in the Bay Area) for this exciting new development.
No word yet on whether the imperfect fruits and vegetables will cost more than the perfect ones. Kidddding!!