£3.50 box of "wonky" veg on sale in Asda in Shoebury as part of trial

The £3.50 boxes of misshapen vegetables, which are perfectly edible, are on sale at the Asda in North Shoebury Road as well as Harlow, Tilbury, Colchester, Chelmsford and South Woodham Ferrers. 

The family-sized box includes nine in-season misshaped winter vegetable lines.

The veg boxes, which are 30% cheaper than buying ordinary veg, are being trialled in 128 stores. 

The supermarket was the first to introduce imperfect fruit and vegetable into selected stores last year, with the move championed by celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty.

During the latest series of the show, ‘Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast’ airing on Channel 4, the foodie stars revisited Asda’s wonky veg and challenged the supermarket to extend the range even further, which led to the new development.

Food waste remains a high priority for supermarkets and Asda has worked hard across its agricultural supply chain to reduce waste whether that’s with relaxing specifications to allow more crops onto its shelves, ensuring out-of-spec produce goes into further processed products like ready meals or including it in its Wonky Fruit and Veg range.

By reviewing standards around superficially damaged veg, over 340 tonnes of carrots and 300 tonnes of sweet potatoes that would have previously been rejected have been put on shelf at Asda, which significantly benefits farmers.

The Wonky Veg box was launched on Friday, February 5.

Stock will initially be limited as part of a trial to see if the box is a hit with customers.

Each box has enough produce to feed a family of four for an entire week for just £3.50.

It will include in-season vegetables;

· Carrots

· Potatoes

· Peppers

· Cucumber

· Cabbage

· Leeks

· Parsnips

· Onions

The ‘wonkiness’ element of the veg changes by product.

Currently, 15% of potatoes do not meet specifications because they’re too big, too small or blemished and 15% of parsnips don’t make the shelf because they’re odd shaped or have superficial defects.

Similarly, 10% of onions that are the wrong shape and size, and 8% of carrots grown with knobbles and bobbles are left with growers. These are the types of products that will be seen in the Wonky Veg box, meaning more crop is taken from growers.

Ian Harrison, Asda’s technical produce director, said: “Our shoppers absolutely love Wonky fruit and veg and we’ve seen sales steadily increase over the last year.

"So, we’re excited to launch a unique and exclusive Wonky Vegetable box that is jam-packed with ugly winter veg that not only saves shoppers money but helps farmers get more of their crop onto our shelves. However, this range only solves one part of the food waste puzzle. The work we continue to do with our growers to ensure as much of their crop is sold as possible, by flexing specifications, is the golden ticket for farmers.”

Initially, six lines of wonky fruit and veg were trialled in five Asda stores in January 2015; carrots, potatoes, swedes, apples, pears and citrus.

After initial customer research, swede and potatoes were taken out of the range and the products extended into 25 stores, where they remain on sale and doing well.

Customer research shows that 65% of Asda customers are open to the idea of wonky veg and 75% are drawn in by the significantly low price, which led to the range becoming a permanent fixture in selected stores.

What do you think? Would you buy a "wonky veg" box?