Consumers more likely to buy “ugly” produce labelled “ugly”

When it comes to selling “ugly” produce, don’t beat around the bush.

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When it comes to imperfect or misshapen produce, it pays to call a spade a spade.

New research from the University of British Columbia found that labelling wonky fruits and vegetables “ugly” made consumers more likely to purchase them.

That’s because the candid labelling indicates the only thing that sets these imperfect produce apart is aesthetics, said Siddhanth Mookerjee, a UBC Sauder Ph.D. student and co-author of From Waste to Taste: How “Ugly” Labels Can Increase Purchase of Unattractive Produce.

“We’re pointing to the source of the rejection, to the flaw, which effectively de-biases the consumer,” said Mookerjee. “It makes people aware of the limited nature of their objection to the unattractive produce and makes it clear to consumers that there are no other deficiencies in the produce other than attractiveness.”‘

Consumers tend to reject unattractive produce because they think it’s less tasty or nutritious. But this leads to immense food waste. In the U.S., farmers throw out up to 30 per cent of their crops annually because they failed to meet beauty standards. American retailers also dumped over $15 billion in edible produce a year.

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In recent years, there’s been a push to promote ugly produce, describing them as “imperfect” or “produce with personality.” But while that may seem less judgemental, it’s also less effective, said study authors.

The researchers tested their hypotheses at different markets. At one farmer’s markets, they found that not only were customers willing to spend more on misshapen produce when it was labelled “ugly,” they were also willing to spend more on them than their more-aesthetically pleasing counterpart.

Ugly produce is often sold at a discount, but it’s still profitable for sellers as it’s cheaper for them to purchase imperfect produce.

But Mookerjee cautioned against discounting the ugly produce too much. If the discount is too high — 60 per cent rather than 20 per cent — consumers are more likely to be turned off because they expect the foods to be of lower quality.

The study, which was co-authored with UBC Sauder assistant professor Dr. Yann Cornil and associate professor Dr. JoAndrea Hoegg, will be published in the Journal of Marketing.

More to come.

chchan@postmedia.com

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