Photo courtesy of Flickr user Pete
Related: France Wants You to Eat Ugly VegetablesAccording to a 2012 paper published by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Americans waste 40 percent of all produced food. Unsurprisingly—considering our country's obsession with image—much of this wasted food is tossed out simply because it isn't deemed to be aesthetically pleasing enough to sell in commercial stores.Fortunately, a new project called Imperfect Produce has stepped in to save the day by advocating for the rights of unfairly trashed ugly produce. According to its website, Imperfect Produce aims to "reduce food waste while making produce more affordable for all families" by giving "consumers the chance to buy delicious, wonky-looking produce at a discount." Currently, they have listed a few different "produce boxes" that are available for preorder, all ranging in price from $12 to $18.Until recently, Imperfect Produce had primarily marketed itself as "a home and office produce delivery service," and were scheduled to start deliveries in early August. Now, however, a few weeks ahead of its delivery service launch, Imperfect Produce has partnered with a northern California supermarket chain, Raley's, to sell "Real Good" produce in select locations as part of a nine-month pilot program.Ten Raley's locations are now stocking Imperfect Produce on their shelves and selling the ugly produce for up to 30 percent cheaper than the pretty produce to which we have become accustomed.Follow Michael Cuby on Twitter.