This is because the majority of consumers refuse to buy fruit and vegetables that look less than perfect. When this happens, fresh produce is trashed, ending up in landfills, when it could have been used to feed the hungry.
Closer to home, a staggering 4,080 tonnes of edible food end up in landfills daily, according to the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp).
Upon degrading, this food waste produces potent greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide, which contribute to climate change.
“Sometimes, in the process of choosing the perfect-looking fruit, we might scratch or bruise them; these get rejected as well,” said Hailey Yong, 21, adding that even a small neighbourhood grocer throws out some 1,000kg of edible food a week.
She also discovered that fruit not sold because of an oversupply in the market, are either dumped or used as feed for livestock.
Luxury hotels too often reject entire crates of fresh produce if just a single item in the batch appears imperfect.
Feeling despair at the enormous amounts of food wasted on a daily basis, and given her love for ice cream since young, Yong decided to use these fruits to make gelato.
So she founded her dessert business at the end of 2021, naming it The Unusual Greens, more popularly known as TUG.
TUG now has about eight flavours, including vegan variations, with the mango sorbet, banana mango toffee with Biscoff crumbles and avocado pistachio among the bestsellers. The latest addition is avocado Houjicha.
Yong said her company receives “rejected” fruits from distributors, importers as well as small neighbourhood vendors. “We’re very fortunate as a lot of them reached out to us because they believed in what we do.”
Come December, the company will launch their central kitchen and retail space in Seri Kembangan. And in the third quarter of next year, they hope to open their own ice cream store in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
However, despite their efforts on spreading awareness about food waste, some doubt if TUG is making a difference to the environment.
“Some also wonder if the gelatos are safe for consumption, so we try to be as transparent as possible to promote trust,” she said, adding that they plan to hold events where people can have a look at what goes on in their kitchen.
Yong added that although it is challenging running her own business at such a young age, it has been an extremely ‘fruitful’ journey (pun intended), and that she often felt empowered when surrounded by like-minded people.
“It makes me feel that I’m not alone as we’re all aiming for the same goals.”
Yong said some of her most memorable moments were distributing TUG gelatos at orphanages and child centres.
“We also give simple educational talks and presentations on what we do and on food waste,” she said, adding that it’s extremely heartwarming to see the kids’ happy faces.
Yong said that fruit suppliers whose stock is rejected for lacking the “right” aesthetics can reach out to TUG. “It’s important for those in the food and beverage business to work together so we can tackle this problem.”
Ultimately, TUG’s gelatos hope to encourage people to value food beyond its appearance.
“The reason why I wanted to combine food waste – something that we Malaysians generally don’t talk about – and gelatos, which is something everyone can relate to regardless of age, is because I want people to start talking about food waste through something as commonplace as gelatos.
Besides purchasing TUG’s gelatos online and at their pop-up stores during events, customers can drop into The Panas Grocer at Publika, Small Shifting Space in Chinatown, Kayuh Ca in Rawang as well as Yeap Café in Petaling Jaya for their fill of gelato.
Visit The Unusual Greens (TUG) at its website, as well as on Facebook and Instagram.