Americans are stressed about grocery prices, so why do they toss or overlook so much ‘misfit’ food?

Quality, rather than discounts or environmental benefits, is what’s needed to encourage shoppers to consider odd-shaped produce.

By: Jintao Zhang, Binghamton University, State University of New York, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: October 13, 2026

Words: 1,252

Last Updated: 4 days, 17 hours ago

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By Jintao Zhang, Binghamton University, State University of New York

There’s a paradox that drives the shopping decisions of many Americans: Almost three-quarters say they’re feeling stressed out about skyrocketing grocery bills. But they keep discarding large quantities of food that’s safe to eat, from crooked carrots to surplus yogurt to “best before” items pulled from shelves early.

Overall, the U.S. government estimates that 30% to 40% of all food – from consumers, …

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