So, the other day I picked up a container of blueberry yogurt with the wording “made with Verified Rescued Fruit” on the aluminum seal. Of course, I was a little curious about this product, so I went online to find out more.
What is Verified Rescued Fruit?
As it turns out, rescued fruit is exactly what is sounds to be. That is, fruit which is defined as a harvest or produce and is for human consumption but, unfortunately, it is determined that the food will go to waste at the time of evaluation.
There are basically two reasons for this:
One, the food produced is “ugly”. It could be misshaped, lumpy, too large/too small, or not what consumers want.
Two, for some reason there might be an overproduction of that particular produce, loss of consumer demand, etc. It is to the point that is the produce is going to go to waste and never make it to the market.
Advantages to Using Rescued Fruit
Rescuing fruit that is going to be left to rot in the fields is a good thing for all concerned. First, it provides a new source of revenue for farmers, it reduces waste, water use, and our footprint on the environment.
From my online research, in the United States one-third of edible produce gets wasted on the farm level. Not only is there a loss of money and revenue for the farmer, but it can also fill up our already overfull landfills. Plus, there are hungry people out there who need that food.
Ending Notes on Blueberry Yogurt
I guess you are wondering what the rescued fruit yogurt tastes like. Well, it pretty much tastes like regular blueberry yogurt. I didn’t taste any difference. Of course, the blueberries are pureed to begin with, so one doesn’t actually see a misshaped berry in the container. The container also costs about the same as other brands of yogurts.
Apparently, this company started out with an offering of Meyer Lemon flavored yogurt using 100% verified rescued fruit. The company then went on to introduce new yogurt flavors.
However, I am not exactly sure who is doing the actual verification. It doesn’t look like it is a governmental agency with rules and regulations.
I do, however, like the “Have a Good Day” on the back of yogurt’s seal. Nice touch and a good way to begin your day.
Resource Sites: wwwprneewire.com/news and ww.fullharvest.com