RANGERS
Wonky munch
What you’ll need
• A selection of wonky foods • Plates • Knives • Paper • Pens • ‘Perfect’ foods (optional)
Aim of the activity
Would you judge a book by its cover? Or a banana by its peel? See wonky food differently and reduce your food waste.
Supermarkets sometimes choose not to sell fruit and veg that doesn’t pass their beauty standards. Maybe a banana was too bent or a carrot too small. But fruit and veg come in all shapes and sizes. In recent years there’s been a rise in wonky veg boxes being sold by supermarkets. You can even get them delivered to your door.
Note to leader: For this activity you’ll need a selection of misshapen or wonky foods. For example, over-ripe bananas, bruised apples, crooked carrots or any fruit and veg with marks or odd shapes. If you want, you could also have ‘perfect’-looking foods to match up. Check allergies and dietary requirements and plan accordingly.
Step by step
1
Imagine you’re in the fruit and veg aisle of your favourite supermarket. Picture all the different fruit and veg; focus on their colours and shapes. You have two minutes to draw as many fruit and veg as you can think of.
2
Look at your drawings. How many of you tried to draw fruit and veg looking picture perfect? Depending on your artistic ability, you may have accidentally drawn some misshapen and wonky ones too!
3
If people don’t buy the wonky fruit and veg, what do you think happens to it? Around 1.3 million apples in the UK end up in the bin rather than being eaten. What a waste! This needs to change.
4
Imperfect fruit and veg can still be delicious. Look at what your leader’s brought in. What do some of the shapes look like? Is there a carrot with an extra sprout that looks like an arm?
5
Would you pick this up in a supermarket and eat it? If you wouldn’t, why not?
6
It’s time to get munching! Cut up the fruit and veg so there’s some for everyone. Does it taste different because it looks different?
7
Do you think you’d now be likely to buy wonky and misshapen fruit and veg from a supermarket? Next time you go food shopping, buy some imperfect fruit and veg to make into a perfectly yummy meal. If your supermarket doesn’t stock it, you could start a campaign to bring back the wonky veg.