Food marketing
Sell ugly carrots as dinner
By Prof. Alessandro Buffoli, PhD
A shopper still needs to imagine a good meal. A request to reduce waste does not answer that question on its own.
“Help us fight food waste” tells me what the retailer wants to achieve. It does not tell me what to cook with the misshapen carrots in front of me.
This matters in an area close to my research. My work on compassion and unattractive produce examines why consumers respond differently to food that looks imperfect. I would be cautious about assuming that every shopper becomes more willing to buy when a message draws attention to the produce’s disadvantage.
For a retail trial, I would put a concrete meal beside the product: carrots for a tray of roasted vegetables, or for a soup in which irregular shape creates little practical difficulty. The recipe and portion need to work with the actual produce being sold.
That proposal is an application I would test. It is not a finding I am claiming from the research. The question is whether a clear use helps a customer evaluate the food instead of stopping at its appearance.
Make the comparison fair
A useful test might compare the existing display with a meal-focused display, holding the produce, price and availability as consistent as possible. Record purchases and the amount bought, then ask a subset of customers what they plan to make.
If the meal display also gives a large discount, changes the pack size and adds a tasting, a sales increase will not identify which change mattered. Sometimes the complete offer is what the retailer wants to evaluate. It should be explicit about that aim.
I would also check expectations. A customer may infer that visibly irregular food differs in taste, freshness or preparation effort. The response should address the relevant concern accurately. Appearance alone does not justify a promise about safety, quality or nutritional superiority; the food still has to meet the retailer’s actual standards.
The meal is not complete at checkout
Moving stock into a customer’s kitchen does not establish that it gets eaten. If the campaign’s purpose is to reduce waste, follow-up should ask what was used and what was discarded. Retail waste and household waste are different parts of the problem.
This is one reason I prefer a practical serving suggestion to pressure to buy a larger “rescue” quantity. A customer who buys more than they can use may simply move the waste somewhere less visible to the retailer.
There is room for a message about waste. I would put it beside a convincing product and a plausible use. The shopper came to buy food for a life they already have. Showing how these carrots fit tonight’s dinner gives that shopper a decision they can actually make.
Prof. Alessandro Buffoli, PhD
Assistant Professor of Marketing at The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong.