imperfect

Imperfect Foods is perfectly imperfect

By Amber McIver-Traywick

The Surveyor

Food waste is an astronomical issue in the United State. According to research by the FDA food takes up more space in landfi lls than anything else. While the world wastes about 1.4 billion tons of food every year, the United States discards more food than any other country in the world: nearly 40 million tons — 80 billion pounds — every year. That’s an estimated 30-40% of the entire U.S. food supply being tossed. To address this issue a company called Imperfect Foods is taking up the call by doing things like selling products that would be considered unusable simply for aesthetic reasons.

“It felt wrong, and even a little bit silly, that fruits and veggies were getting tossed aside because they looked a little different. It also felt wrong because wasting less food is the #1 way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (Source: Project Drawdown) — which means it’s a climate problem we can do something about,” a blog post on the company’s website explained.

Grocery stores have strict ideas of what produce can be sold based on how it looks. Imperfect Foods takes produce with cosmetic quirks, irregular sizes, or that are just surplus, which means they used to go to waste and sell them to you at a discount. While they may look different (nubby carrots, or oddly shaped eggplant) than what you’d fi nd in a store, they’re sustainable, delicious, and high-quality. They also source a wide range of sustainable, affordable groceries (with no imperfections) to help out with the additional grocery needs. Since the company’s founding, hundreds of growers and thousands of customers have joined them in their mission and together the company says they have saved more than 145 million pounds of food from lesser outcomes. The service delivers directly to your door and offers a variety of groceries including “ugly” produce, items made with rescued ingredients, items with size or weight imperfections and items made with upcycled ingredients like okara fl our, a nutritious ingredient left over from making soy milk, that they use in many of their cookies. Signing up is simple. You indicate when you would like your shipments to start and how many people are in your household. During your “shopping window” which for Berthoud is 3 p.m. Friday until 12 p.m. Monday you get the chance to look over your cart and if there are things your family won’t eat you can simply remove or replace them in your order. You can choose between conventionally grown products and organic on a sliding scale. For the other products, besides produce, you’ll also select if you are vegan, vegetarian or you eat it all. You can select snacks, meat and fi sh, plant-based, dairy, produce and pantry items. Currently, they have over 300 products to select from. You can skip your order at any time and cancel at any time.

Imperfect Foods estimates that their customers recover around 288384 pounds of food a year that would otherwise be in a landfi ll, conserve 9000 plus gallons of water, save 38 hours of shopping time and conserve 192-288 pounds of CO2.

The prices are incredible and at least in my house, it’s saving us money with the dramatic increase in grocery prices. Plus, we are consuming perfectly imperfect food that isn’t fi lling up our landfi lls and doing our small part to help the environment.

Fall and winter skin care tips

Special to the Surveyor

As summer transitions to fall, many changes take place. In addition to changing landscapes, men and women may need to adapt their health and wellness habits to ensure that they stay healthy and happy. Part of that daily regimen includes how to care for skin as the seasons change.

Just as skin requires certain protection from the sun and heat in the summer, skin has special needs in the fall and winter. Fall and winter are often characterized by cold, dry weather, which can make these times of year particularly challenging for people with dry or sensitive skin. These tips can help people maintain their skin’s appearance and health. • Don’t skip the sunscreen. Sunscreen is not a summer-only requirement. UV rays can damage the skin any time of year, even if the rays are not as strong as during the summer. UV radiation accelerates and increases the risk of skin cancer. It also can lead to premature aging. Utilize a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher every day. • Invest in a humidifi er. Dry, cold temperatures can rob the skin of essential moisture, even indoors. Dermatologists suggest using a humidifi er at home to boost the amount of moisture in the air. This can make skin more comfortable and can have other health benefi ts as well. • Skip hot showers. It can be tempting to sit under a hot stream of water to warm up. However, hot water dries out the skin by depleting its stores of natural oils, says Glacier Med Spa. Take warm showers instead and don’t stay in for longer than 15 minutes. • Limit exfoliation. While exfoliation can remove dead skin, overdoing it can make already sensitive skin more raw. Increase the time between exfoliation treatments. Consult with a dermatologist for more advice about dealing with fl aky skin. • Don’t forget your lips. Using a thicker moisturizer on the body and face can help add and retain moisture. But pay attention to your lips and eyes as well. Something as simple as petroleum jelly on the lips can help prevent chapping. Invest in a quality eye cream to help the delicate skin around the eyes as well.

Modifi cations must be made to skincare routines in anticipation of seasonal weather changes.