Reducing Food Waste
‘Grade B’ Red Peppers
In the course of making Good Bowls we order a lot of produce from farmers all over North Carolina. Grocery stores only want to buy produce that is the right size, shape, or color because that’s what sells. But nobody cares if the sweet potato chopped up in their Curry Bowl was too big, or if the pepper in their Chicken Burrito Bowl was shaped funny.
Misshapen Sweet Potatoes
Good Bowls are a great outlet for ‘grade B’ produce and with every batch of Good Bowls that we produce we’re able to order more grade B produce from local farmers that might otherwise go to waste, thereby reducing food waste and increasing market opportunities for farmers.
We work with our local food aggregators Happy Dirt and Farmer Foodshare who communicate with farms in the region about sourcing both grade B and seasonal excess produce when it’s available. We can use the extra produce or oddly-shaped veggies at our production kitchen - the Weaver Street Market Food House . Since Good Bowls are sealed and frozen, they can last for many months instead of a just the week or two. So by preparing and freezing all the potentially unsellable produce we are not just keeping it out of the landfill but using it to make sure everyone in the region has access to healthy, delicious food and the farmers don’t lose money.
Good Bowls Subscription - stock your freezer with twice per month delivery!
This is something that you can help with too! Every Good Bowl that we sell in a co-op, at a university, or here online is more food that we can order from local farms, more grade B that we can use, and more we can reduce food waste in the system. Plus, we now offer a subscription program for Good Bowls customers in the Triangle area. You can have a batch of Good Bowls delivered directly to your house once or twice a month, keep your freezer full of healthy local meals, and help us keep our food waste reduction machine churning.
Sign up for a Good Bowls subscription or give the gift of a Good Bowls subscription today!
