[News Today] UGLY FRUITS CREATE BUSINESS

[LEAD]
Yesterday was World Food Day, established in 1979 by the World Food Organization to foster international cooperation on food issues. This year's World Food Forum featured a surprise invitation for Korean university students to present. Their innovative but UGLY activities have caught the spotlight. Here's more.

[REPORT]
Baek Jung-hyuk, a producer and seller of gelato, has been using imperfect fruits since May.

Since the fruit is blended, blemishes aren’t an issue, and it’s even cheaper than store-bought fruit, which helps boost profits significantly.

Baek Jung-hyuk/ Gelato shop owner
At times, it can be over 50% cheaper. Plus, using seasonal fruits and produce ensures good sweetness and flavor.

Baek was able to source imperfect fruits at low prices thanks to an idea developed by college students.

Despite little difference in taste, ugly fruits are discarded because they are less appealing, costing 600 billion won, or nearly 440 million U.S. dollars, a year.

The search for a way to utilize these ugly produce led to the creation of a business.

Ham Da-bin/ Head of ‘Nareum’
We sought ways to make good use of ugly produce. We opted for B2B supply model, since it is the way to consume a great deal of ugly produce at once.

After visiting farmers and dessert stores nationwide, they now have a distribution network for seasonal imperfect produce.

Lee Young-soo/ Oriental melon farmer, Seongju-gun County
Despite the price gaps, the inside is the same when they are peeled off. Seeing these products, we are very grateful for the students. This is tasty.

Cho Young-eun/ Member of ‘Nareum’
In addition to fruits used in gelato, cake and pie, we plan to distribute sweet potatoes and persimmons, too.

This is a win-win for both farmers, with less waste, and small businesses, who receive tasty fruit at a lower price.

The students will introduce the program and vision for a sustainable future at the World Food Forum 2024 on Thursday.