Let's talk about ugly vegetables and fruits | Mike Meinhardt | TEDxUniversityofNevada
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Mike Meinhardt |
TEDxUniversityofNevada
• January 2018
Billions of pounds of produce are thrown away every year for cosmetic imperfections! These ugly fruits and vegetables are perfectly fresh and delicious, but their destiny is a trip to the local landfill. This waste costs our economy tens of billions of dollars a year!
Mike Meinhardt discusses food waste, imperfect produce, consumers perception of what perfect produce should look like and some underdogs that have come to save the day. #letstalkuglyveggies
From marketing consumer packaged beverages with Coca-Cola and Molson to promoting professional sports with the National Football League, Mike Meinhardt has spent his 20-years career developing inventive programs that drive increased consumer traffic, retail volume and revenue for the companies he serves.
In recent years, Mike brought his marketing expertise to local growers at RedHat Co-operative. He also introduced a number of innovative programs aimed at raising the profile of local fresh produce, while tackling the complex issue of food waste. In this business, it is common practice for growers to dispose of healthy produce that doesn’t meet the high visual standards of consumers, even while grocery prices continue to rise. This is a real and emergent issue for growers, consumers and the environment.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx