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Juniper Ventures has partnered with Ample and StreetBox to help rescue perfectly good vegetables that may otherwise go to waste because they do not meet standard supermarket specifications.
The partnership will see surplus and irregular-shaped produce, often known as wonky veg, redirected into Juniper’s school food operations, helping to reduce waste while giving children access to fresh, nutritious ingredients.
Across the UK, huge volumes of edible produce never leave the farm gate. It’s estimated that 2.9 million tonnes of edible food is wasted on UK farms each year, equivalent to 6.9 billion meals. Much of this waste is not linked to quality, but to appearance, size or retail specification.
For Juniper, this partnership is a practical way to make school food more sustainable and more connected to the communities it serves. It also creates an opportunity to help pupils understand where food comes from, why waste matters, and why vegetables do not need to look perfect to be nutritious and delicious.
Michael Hales, Chief Executive Officer at Juniper Ventures, said: “At Juniper, we believe good food should be valued from field to fork. This partnership is about challenging the idea that vegetables need to look a certain way to taste great: if produce is fresh, safe and full of flavour, it has a place in our kitchens.
“Working with Ample and StreetBox allows us to take a practical step towards reducing waste while helping pupils understand where food comes from and why it matters.”
Leon Aarts, Co-Founder of Ample said: “Too much good food never gets the chance to be eaten simply because of the way our food system is designed. These vegetables have been grown with the same care as any other crop and this partnership helps ensure more of that food is valued and put to proper use.”
Chris Steele-Kendrick, Director at StreetBox said: “Our work is about making good food go further. This partnership shows what can happen when organisations work together across the food system, from farms through to school kitchens, to make sure perfectly good produce reaches places where it can be used and enjoyed.”
The partnership with Ample and StreetBox will support Juniper’s ongoing work to reduce food waste, strengthen responsible sourcing and create school food services that deliver wider social and environmental value.