“Imperfect Foods” Review

 Written by: Sarah Trost, SLU Dietetic Intern

What is “Imperfect Foods”?

“Imperfect is a food delivery service that was founded to fight food waste by finding a home for the imperfect of “ugly” fruits and vegetables that farms couldn’t sell to grocery stores”. This original concept has grown over time. The company realized that not only was eliminating food waste important, it is equally as important to ensure that the entire food system is improving for everyone.

This company is constantly working on plans to better the environment. Their current plans are aimed at becoming a net-zero carbon company by 2030. They are doing this by focusing on 3 projects:

1. Intentional sourcing: By 2022, Imperfect Foods will increase their regional sourcing by 15% to reduce the number of trucks moving and delivering food. I noticed this in my order specifically. They asked for my zip code and I was given a specific grocery delivery day, Wednesday, based off of where I lived.
2. Reducing waste to landfill: In addition to rescuing one billion pounds of food by 2030, Imperfect Foods will also create their first facility certified zero-waste-to-landfill operation by 2022. This was also something that was reflected in my order. There was no additional packaging in the box that was delivered to me. The box itself, along with insulation was all recyclable or reusable. There were very clear instructions laid out what to do with the extra materials in the box
3. Using energy responsibly: By 2026, Imperfect Foods is hoping to convert all of their fulfillment centers to 100% renewable power. Beyond the fulfillment centers, they also have a goal of having a fully electric vehicle fleet by 2027.

Ordering Process

The ordering process was very user friendly and individualized. Before placing an order, I took a short quiz for them to find out more about me. They asked how many eaters I had in my household, what size box I would like to receive, my food preferences, and what subscriptions I would like to sign up for. Their typical grocery plan includes a produce, plant, dairy, snack, meat & fish, and grains pack. This grocery plan comes with approximate prices for each pack, and it is easy to unsubscribe from any of them. For example, I could have easily removed the meat & fish pack from my plan if I was a vegan/vegetarian or if I just didn’t need any meat during that week. 

Like I mentioned before, my location specific delivery day was Wednesday. I also had a specific time frame during which I could grocery shop, which was Friday to Monday morning. Imperfect Foods curates a box for you that you can then customize if you decide that you don’t want an item or want something that isn’t on that list.

The payment for the groceries does not come out of your account until your box has been shipped. With the adjustments I ended up making to my box, my total for my entire order was around 70 dollars. For the week that I ordered, groceries over 68 dollars were offered free shipping. I did enjoy that perk. They also had a low cost box option for people that may need help paying for their box. There is a short application process, but, if accepted, the low cost box will be given with a 20% discount.

My Order

My curated order with some small adjustments that I made cost a total of 70.88 for 24 items, approximately $2.95 per item. Below is a picture of all of the groceries together.

Review

Overall, I was fairly pleased with my order. I enjoyed the process and found myself getting very excited about receiving groceries that I don’t normally pick up in stores. I also enjoyed the fact that I was supporting a company that is doing so much for causes that I care about.

As far as pros go for the order, there were many. I liked the variety with the groceries and I enjoyed getting to choose some of my own items as well. They typically deliver food that is in season, so a lot of the fresh fruits and vegetables were perfectly ripe. I loved the fact that I didn’t have to actually go to the grocery store; saving that trip also saved me from collecting more plastic bags as well. Receiving items that I don’t typically shop for got me excited to cook and eat meals and changed things up from the typical 5 or 6 meals that I always make.

On the opposite side, there were a couple of things that would keep me from ordering again. The biggest turn off would probably be the price. I know that the overall cost for the groceries was not outrageous; however, I typically spend a little less than 70 dollars per week at the store and I feel like I usually get the same amount, if not more items. The items that I did receive were awesome, but I don’t think it was enough to make meals for an entire week, which is what I normally do with my groceries. If you are used to shopping at higher priced grocery stores like whole foods or even target, I don’t think that the prices will be a big problem. Another small issue, which could have been user error, was that the website didn’t portray serving sizes very well. There were a couple of things that I ordered that looked a lot bigger online than they were when they arrived. This wasn’t too big of a deal though, and I believe that I would get better at knowing what to order as time goes on.

I do believe that I will order from Imperfect Foods again. I don’t think I am interested in a weekly subscription, but I could see myself ordering a box every couple of months to change things up a bit and support a great company.

 

Sources:

https://www.imperfectfoods.com/