Saving food from going to waste is one of the most effective ways to curb climate change¹. Luckily, rescuing food has been our bread and butter since we got started in 2018.
In the U.S., 38% of the food produced goes to waste every year². Which means that all the resources behind every bite of food—everything from the land and the labor to the water and the fertilizer—go to waste, too. And as food decomposes, it releases environment-harming methane (yikes!).
That’s where we come in! By sourcing food that might otherwise go to waste or lesser outcomes, we’re able to connect farmers and producers with people who know that good food comes in all shapes and sizes. With the help of our customers, we’re able to rescue 500,000 pounds of food every week.
Food waste can be anything from the spaghetti leftovers you forgot about, to the ugly produce and packaged goods supermarkets won’t accept due to outdated beauty standards. We focus on buying up the good stuff that doesn't make it to typical grocery store shelves, including...
When farmers and producers need help selling through inventory, or manufacturers have byproducts that can be upcycled.
Produce can end up a little too big or too small (or have superficial scarring!) when the weather’s unpredictable.
Supermarkets often won’t accept outdated branding or packaging mishaps.
Shopping with us is an easy way to stop food waste at the source and save the resources that went into producing it in the first place. With every order, Misfits Market customers save an average of 5 pounds of food, which conserves roughly 196 gallons of water and nearly 7 pounds of CO2e emissions.
By storing food correctly and getting creative with scraps, you have the power to reduce food waste in your kitchen. Check out our blog for food waste-reducing how-tos, recipes, ingredient guides, and so much more.
And we’ve got plenty—like these three recent wins.
When Banza had a little packaging hiccup and put ziti in rigatoni boxes, and gemelli in ziti boxes. When the regular supermarket wouldn’t sell them, we were happy to (and at 25% off!).
Our friends at Niman Ranch are often left with extra trimmings after they cut their bacon down into uniform strips. We buy those delicious scraps up so you can use ’em in scrambles, carbonaras, and more.
When we learned that tender broccoli florets were being left in the field after stalks were trimmed at Lakeside Organics, we teamed up to offer ’em as broccoli niños, a Misfits Market exclusive.
We work every day—at the farm, in the food supply chain, and in our homes—to waste less food. Those collective efforts add up. When you shop with us, you’re part of a community doing good.
When we grow food, we want it to be eaten, honoring all the resources that went into growing it—water, energy, financial investment, time, and care. For Misfits Market, the highest outcome for our food means feeding humans! When we aren’t able to use food to its highest potential in the food system, we’re wasting our precious natural resources and contributing to climate change.
¹Project Drawdown
²ReFed
³2024 UNEP Food Waste Index Report
⁴According to the EPA average for the same trips to the grocery store.
