Why I believe Loblaw’s Naturally Imperfect fruits & vegetables is a great initiative!

On Friday, you might have seen or heard a lot about Loblaw’s newest initiative; the launch of no name Naturally Imperfect line of fruits and vegetables at a discount. I read through the various articles and readers’ comments and noticed that people were split. Some people thought that it was about time that the initiative was started in Canada while others thought it was a blow to the face, making consumers seem shallow. Perhaps there’s a truth to both sides of the coin.  However, from an economical perspective, for the greater good of all Canadians, I think that this is a great idea and here’s why.

Pretend you are out shopping for a toy for your kid and there’s only two boxes left at the store. One of the boxes is in pristine condition while the other, has a tear in it. Both are priced the same. Which box would you purchase?  I bet you would always choose the box that’s in perfect condition.  Truthfully, there’s nothing wrong with that. You’re the consumer and you’re spending your hard earned money. Why take a chance with a box that has a tear when there’s an equally priced box that’s a guarantee.  I believe that consumers do a similar comparison when they’re out shopping for their produce.  You sift through the pile of apples, peaches, grapes, strawberry’s and more to find the best looking ones. You do this because 1) the option is available to you and 2) you’re spending your money.

That’s why I believe Loblaw’s Naturally Imperfect campaign is great. It gives us options as consumers on where we want to spend our money. No name Naturally Imperfect produce costs up to 30 per cent less than traditional produce options found in store.   It also educates us.  Through this campaign, we can learn that even blemished, bruised or misshapen products can taste great.  This alone will help reduce the amount of food waste, which is a major problem in Canada.

I received a package of Naturally Imperfect apples to try and even with the ‘good initiative’ aside, I’m a believer. Not only were they sweet and delicious, my kids didn’t seem to notice that there was anything “wrong” with them. And truthfullyly, there are no bigger critics than kids.  I created a yummy and quick salad with the apples based on a recipe sent to me from Loblaw’s but I added my own little spin on it. Bon Appetite 🙂

Warm Apple Salad Recipe

Ingredients

1 pkg of Mixed Greens and Baby Spinach

3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 no name Naturally Imperfect Apples, cored and thinly sliced

1 ripe avocado, sliced into small pieces

A handful of blueberries, washed and dried

4 tsp Pure Maple Syrup

4 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 cup of feta cheese

Preparation

1. Transfer Mixed greens and Baby Spinach to a large bowl

2. Add avocado and blueberries

3. Over medium heat, warm up olive oil in pan. Add apple slices and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until softened.

4. Mix vinegar and maple syrup together and pour into pan.  Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Pour over spinach.

5. Add Feta cheese and toss.  Serve warm.