Fruit Group
What is TUFG?
WHAT WE DO
The Ugly Fruit Group is a social enterprise founded as an Enactus project by students at Durham University in 2019. Through our three pillars, Reusing, Donating and Educating we aim further our philosophy of fighting hunger by reducing food waste.
Reuse
Fruit and vegetables destined for the waste bin are donated by local wholesalers and supermarkets. The ripest produce, which needs to be used as soon as possible, is preserved using traditional methods and turned into delicious fruity snacks. These are then sold to you guys! All the money raised goes to maintaining and growing our project.
Reuse
Donate
The best quality fruit and vegetables we receive are donated in weekly food boxes to those in our local area who need it most. This is done through our partnerships with local food banks. All the produce we receive can be stored and transported.
Donate
Educate
Through our social media and university stalls we aim to change the perception of how food should look. We teach people how to cook and eat products that are riper and less aesthetic than usual. We believe all fruit and vegetables are delicious, no matter how different they look!
Educate
So far we have...
Saved
2839k g
of fruit and veg
Prevented
3823kg
of CO2 emissions
Saved
6725
meals worth of fruit & veg
Prevented
583673l
of wasted water
Supported
3
local food banks
THE PROBLEM
Now more than ever before there is an inconsistency in the food ecosystem: over 800 million people world-wide go to bed hungry everyday, yet food waste is reaching unprecedented levels. The situation in the UK can be summarised by these 5 facts:
70%
In the UK
of fruit and veg is thrown away.
Food waste from Europe and the USA alone could solve world hunger four times over. Not only is food waste damaging to the environment as more trees are cut down for farmland and more water is used in food production, but it is also damaging for developing countries. Increased demand for food drives world prices up.
data taken from a WRAP 2012 publication
In the UK
40%
of fruit and veg is wasted on aesthetics alone.
Almost 45% of food waste happens before the food even reaches stores. For example, due to food specifications, if a red onion is below 40 mm in diameter it will not be sold. Here at The Ugly Fruit Group we believe that all fruit and vegetables are delicious regardless of how different they are!
data taken from a WRAP 2012 publication
In the UK
2%
of families used a food bank in 2019.
Families' reliance on food banks has increased: families are returning to food banks 10-15 times a row compared to an average of just 2-3 times two years ago.
data taken from Statista.
In the UK
10%
of children live in severe food insecurity.
Severe food insecurity means that families are unable to provide the required nutrition for children without extra support. This percentage makes the UK one of the worst ranked developed countries worldwide.
data from a UNICEF study published in 2017
Food bank parcels provide almost
50%
less than the recomended amount of vit. A,C, D and E.
This is because food banks offer little to no fresh fruit and vegetables. That's where we come in!
data from a 2018 report by the Trussel Trust
less than the recomended amount of vit. A,C, D and E.
MEET THE TEAM
Sophie Young
Co-Project Leader
Sophie is a 3rd year Geography student. Her favourite fruity dish is banoffee pie with chocolate ice cream!
Chloe Chua
Co-Project Leader
Chloe is a 2nd year History student. She likes strawberry shortcake (the Japanese kind)! :P
Emily O'llane
Publicity Officer
Emily is a 3rd year History and Spanish student. Her favourite fruity dish is Bruschetta (tomatoes are fruits!)
Joyce Chen
Publicity Officer
Joyce is a 4th year Marketing and Management student. She loves lemon cheese cake a lot!
Issabell Pope
Partnership and Outreach
Issabell is a 4th year Law student. Her favourite fruity dish is raspberry and peach cake!
Yuvika Kumar
Store
Yuvika is a 2nd year student doing law. Yuvika likes Torta di Mele! It's Italian apple cake
Sonia Lee
Sonia is a 2nd year economics and management student. Sonia likes blueberry and strawberry tarts!
Strategy and Finance
Venus Chong
Venus is a 2nd year Law student. Venus also chooses lemon cheesecake as her favourite fruity food!
Compliance
GET INVOLVED!
