Another crusader trying save you money while saving thousands of tonnes of produce going to the tip is now bringing the goods to the Illawarra.
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Good and Fugly is the latest company to deliver fruit and vegetables boxes to the region, filled with items that would be deemed unsuitable for supermarkets due to size, shape or freshness (too close to their used-by date).
Sydneysider Richard Tourino launched the company in 2020 to fight the food waste pandemic, with the team delivering over 620,000 kilograms of quirky produce to consumers ever since.
"People really want to do good and they're looking to be sustainable, but it's kind of really hard and there's not a lot of opportunity out there ... and it needs to be at least as convenient at least as affordable is what you're trying to to replace," he said.
"So we've designed this whole business on the premise that people want to do good, you've just got to make it cheaper than the alternative and more convenient."
!['A lot of our stuff in Wollongong boxes today, maybe 50 to 60 per cent of it was picked yesterday,' says Good and Fugly founder Richard Tourino. Picture supplied 'A lot of our stuff in Wollongong boxes today, maybe 50 to 60 per cent of it was picked yesterday,' says Good and Fugly founder Richard Tourino. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/UPAcJLQNVGftX3BUDy544C/143d6788-b02f-4859-9522-0d09bf879e7d.jpg/r0_0_6241_4161_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Scroll down to find out what was in Good & Fugly, Farmers Pick boxes
It could be another avenue to explore for people tightening their belts due to the rising cost of living.
A recent survey by welfare advocates ACOSS found nearly three quarters if of people living on JobSeeker, Youth Allowance and Parenting Payment were skipping meals to save money.
Meantime, 42 per cent of Aussies said grocery shopping was causing them financial stress, according to Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker.
Adding the Illawarra to its delivery destinations follows in the footsteps of other similarly-priced companies like Farmers Pick and Odd Prod, with all three advertising their boxes will beat supermarket prices while helping do their bit to save the planet.
Around 25 per cent of unwanted produce doesn't leave Australian farms, in NSW that accounts for around for 392,900 tonnes a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Mr Tourino has also created a "farmers hotline" where farmers with too much "reject" produce (for example, peaches that have suffered hail damage) can call to offload it to Good and Fugly for a once-off opportunity.
Good and Fugly - like the others aforementioned - has a range of boxes starting from $35 of fruit, vegetables or a mixed produce box.
The smallest box includes around six to eight kilograms of seasonal produce, while a large box includes around 10 to 12 kilograms of seasonal produce (check each company's websites for exact details).
Of those surveyed in July and August, they found 73 per cent were eating less or skipping meals, while 64 per cent were are cutting back on meat, fresh fruit, vegetables and other fresh items.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX
The Mercury road-tested a $35 "small" mixed box from Good and Fugly, which also included an easy recipe for corn and carrot fritters - two vegetables that were inside.
There was a mix of very fresh and delicious produce, almost weighing seven kilograms collectively.
It was enough to feed a family of two adults and a toddler for about a five to six days.
- 3 Pink Lady apples
- 2 avocados
- 2 sweet corn
- 1 brown onion
- 1 purple Oakleaf lettuce
- 1 bunch broccolini
- 4 Lady Finger bananas
- 1 rockmelon
- 1 cauliflower
- 3 carrots
- 3 brushed potatoes
- 2 zucchinis
The Mercury also road-tested a $46 "couples" mixed box from Farmers Pick, with the addition of delivery the total cost was $52.
It included a great variety of odd-shaped, fresh and delicious produce, almost weighing 12 kilograms collectively.
It was enough to feed a family of two adults and a toddler for about a 10 to 12 days.
- 4 Pink Lady apples
- 2 pears
- 4 oranges
- 10 mandarins
- 2 lemons
- 4 bananas
- 2 corn
- 1 rockmelon
- Half a celery
- 4 brown onions
- 5 brushed potatos
- 4 carrots
- 4 beetroots
- 1 sweet potato
- 5 mushrooms
- 2 broccoli
- 1 Oakleaf lettuce green
- Half a purple cabbage
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 2 capsicums
- 2 avocados
OTHER WAYS TO SAVE MONEY
The EPA has a Love Food Hate Waste program, with associated website, to help households and business make the most of their food - saving money and waste at the same time.
For households they have a free online "Food Smart" tool to help people reduce how much food they're wasting at home, here are six tips from that program below.
- Know your waste: Work out how much food you're throwing away and learn how to save it from ending up in the bin. People could measure in a container as-they-go to track food waste, clean out the fridge and take a picture, or start a food waste diary.
- Plan your meals: Planning your meals and preparing a shopping list can save you time and money. It helps at the shops and it makes life a lot easier when you know what's for dinner and you've got all the ingredients you need..
- Prepare your shop: A good shopping list reflecting your meal plan can make shopping easier and save you money and time. Before you write your list and head to the shops, double-check what you already have in the fridge and pantry.
- Serve the right portions: Preparing and cooking the right amount of food is one of the best ways to save money and reduce food waste. You can follow a recipe or use a serving size calculator to measure the amount of food you need.
- Keep food fresh by storing it correctly: Storing food correctly will keep it fresher for longer and save you time and money.
- Love your leftover: With careful planning, leftovers can be a great way to save time, save money and eat well.