More than 5,000 tonnes of Belgian apples could go to waste this year because hail marks have left them failing to meet supermarkets’ cosmetic standards, food waste campaign group Waste Warriors has said ahead of Apple Week from 3 to 10 October.
On Wednesday, Waste Warriors and several growers handed out free apples at Mont des Arts in Brussels as part of their “Sorry, appel” campaign. In recent days, the group has also held awareness events in several Flemish cities.
According to the organisation, lightly blemished apples are often excluded from shop shelves even though their taste, freshness and nutritional value are unaffected by hail damage. It says supermarkets tend to favour flawless imported fruit over Belgian apples with only superficial marks.
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Rejected apples can still be sold for industrial processing, but Waste Warriors said they fetch only about 10 cents per kilogramme. That is well below production costs, the group said.
Growers must still harvest the fruit to avoid damaging the trees and putting next year’s crop at risk. As a result, they face losses even when the apples remain perfectly edible.
During Apple Week, the organisation aims to save 150 tonnes of Belgian apples. Consumers will be able to order five-kilogramme boxes of damaged fruit or donate them to a food bank.
Drive-in collection operations will also be held on 3 October in Antwerp, Bekkevoort, Hasselt, Ghent, Leuven and Kortrijk.
Waste Warriors said that while consumers are making increasingly conscious choices in favour of local and sustainable food, supermarkets continue to apply strict aesthetic standards. According to the group, apples are still expected to be perfectly round, spotless and uniform in colour.
