Beautiful or genuine fruit?

A while ago I heard a story about a kindergarten teacher who asked the children to draw spinach.

Guess what was drawn on one of the sheets?

Are we also sure we know what the real fruit and vegetables are? At the supermarket or out and about we are used to seeing them aesthetically impeccable. In fact, many times if they have some aesthetic defect we believe that they are of inferior quality.

This perfection, however, comes at a cost , both in terms of authenticity and environmental impact.

To understand this, just retrace the path that fruit generally takes from the tree to our table:

• Collection
• Transport
• Packing center
• Transport
• Distribution center or wholesale in general markets
• Transport
• Supermarket, city markets and greengrocers
• Final purchase

Many days pass from the moment of harvest to the final purchase, so fresh fruit could not always be preserved naturally, especially when it is imported from other countries or subject to rapid deterioration.

The solution to this problem is in some cases to use environments with a modified and controlled atmosphere that slow down the natural ripening process (for example for apples), while for fruit that ripens on the tree, we generally use anti-mold and wax treatments . The latter, in addition to increasing the “shelf life” (shelf life), also give the fruit a more attractive appearance.

In addition to post-harvest treatment, to ensure that the fruit is aesthetically impeccable, particular attention is paid to:

• Increased use of pesticides : they are used to ensure that the fruit does not have defects (spots, etc.) caused by insects or other pathogens. Hormones are also used to influence the ripening and commercial characteristics of the fruit.

• High percentages of waste : between 20% and 50% of the fruit is discarded due to aesthetic or ripening defects or because it does not have the right size. In some cases this fruit is destined for processing, but many times it is thrown away.

As we can see, authenticity is often compromised due to the demand for aesthetically flawless fruit, with the consequence that the fruit and vegetables that arrive on our tables are not entirely natural.

The other cost that aesthetically impeccable fruit entails is environmental.

The use of pesticides releases residues into the environment that can be harmful not only to humans but also to the entire ecosystem, causing phenomena of physiological depression of plants, reduction of insects useful to humans (e.g. bees), damage to other animals.

Isn't it better to eat a less beautiful but genuine apple? You just have to get used to it. There are some markets, even local ones, where some producers sell their organic fruit directly. Just as there are some companies like ours that sell both fruit and vegetables directly to your home.