# Anybody try "Imperfect"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 17, 2020, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-imperfect/849629 "2020-03-17T04:41:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-imperfect/849629/1 "2020-03-17T04:41:30Z")
A company that “rescues” foodstuffs destined for the dumpster allows a person to subscribe! I’ve been getting weekly boxes for a couple of months now, and I’m delighted. My husband had a heart attack on January 17th, and he’s on a very low sodium diet now. That means no convenience foods, no processed foods, no fast foods. Damn near everything is cooked from fresh. Imperfect is a nice way to add a variety of fresh fruits and veggies to the diet, and who cares if they don’t look like model produce in magazine pictures? ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-imperfect/849629/2 "2020-03-17T13:48:37Z")
No, but I’ve interested in it. I guess I just assumed that by the time they add packing and delivery back into the cost, it wouldn’t really be saving me any money over going to a grocery. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-imperfect/849629/3 "2020-03-17T14:25:54Z")
Is that the same as “Imperfect Produce”? We did that two years ago, and then realized it was just cheaper to buy at the store. The nice thing about it was that it did force us to use a certain amount of vegetables in our diet, and there was the convenience of having it delivered weekly. It’s definitely a good idea, but it’s not something we’re interested in right now. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-imperfect/849629/4 "2020-03-17T14:58:51Z")
Our friends/neighbors have a farm and a farm market. The amount of food that goes to compost because it is “imperfect” is amazing. They give us boxes of produce that cannot be sold all the time. I cut away and discard 1/4 of a cabbage and the rest is perfect! ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-imperfect/849629/5 "2020-03-17T15:04:18Z")
I think there was a big discussion about this sort of thing on the SDMB a few months ago, concluding it’s very misleading - people think they are stopping food waste, but that’s not really what happens to ugly produce, it would go into processed foods or something. Not sure how to search for it since words like “produce” and “food” are very common. However, if price is your motivation, and you are sure it’s really cheaper, why not? Make sure it really is saving you money, though, and take into account whether you really want the mix of items they send you. [Here’s one of a number of articles you can find on the topic.](https://newrepublic.com/article/152596/hungry-harvest-box-ugly-produce-help-planet-or-hurt-it) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-imperfect/849629/6 "2020-03-17T16:23:58Z")
We use it. We tried a bunch of local CSA programs but none of them were a good fit for us. Either you couldn’t pick out what you got and ended up with the same crap week after week, or you could pick your own stuff but had to go to an inconvenient pickup spot. So when I heard about Imperfect I checked if they were in my area, they were, and I signed up. Been using it since last summer. It’s very easy; they deliver right to your front door for a flat fee ($4.99 for me, or free delivery if you order more than $50) and they actually have a good, very user-friendly website. I like that it’s easy to skip a week and there’s absolutely no minimum. Now they’ve been offering meat and dairy products. The prices are usually not better than at the local supermarket, unless your local supermarket is Whole Foods like mine is (it’s not an “upscale” area, not even close, though it’s trying _really hard_ to be); I find the prices a touch steep but not unreasonable. The selection varies from week to week of course, but most weeks there’s plenty of stuff available that I want. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-imperfect/849629/7 "2020-03-17T18:12:10Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > I think there was a big discussion about this sort of thing on the SDMB a few months ago, concluding it’s very misleading - people think they are stopping food waste, but that’s not really what happens to ugly produce, it would go into processed foods or something. I never dove that deep into it, but I can tell you that almost all the “imperfect produce” we got was simply surplus, nothing “imperfect” about it. That may be good or bad depending on your point of you, but if you’re expecting to pay half price regular store prices in order to get misshapen carrots, that isn’t happening, or at least wasn’t two years ago. For our area what we paid was equal or more to the grocery store a quarter mile from my house. Now, if you shop at Whole Foods or an upscale retailer, yes, Imperfect Produce is cheaper. But compared with the normal supermarket, it was the same or a bit more expensive (not even counting the delivery cost, which is fine for convenience). ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-imperfect/849629/8 "2020-03-17T21:01:06Z")
It definitely is a bit more expensive. The convenience is wonderful. And it is adding a nice bit of variety to our world right now. Some items are, indeed, imperfect. We’ve gotten tiny lemons, weird shapped butternut squash, lumpy potatoes, and apples with “rust” spots. And it’s fun! I place my order on Monday, forget all about it, and then I’m surprised when it arrives on Friday! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![InsomniaMama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ad7895/32.png) [@InsomniaMama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InsomniaMama)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-imperfect/849629/9 "2020-03-23T02:44:57Z")
I did it for quite awhile, but there were issues. Like when they said smaller size, whoooo boy. Tiny kiwis. Tiny avocado. And for whatever reason, they couldn’t contact me via email. Checked my spam folder. Nothing. When I received a recalled item and wasn’t notified, I finally gave up. I don’t know what’s wrong with their communication, but no.