Inspired by Rubies in the Rubble in their mission to stop food waste, Ben Whitehead, founder of Spare Fruit, decided to tackle food surplus in his own tasty way.

A staggering 40% of fruit doesn’t make it to the retailers in the UK. This means that almost half of all fruit produced isn’t deemed fit for purchase. An absolutely ludicrous statistic, but it’s true! This fruit is either the wrong shape, a slightly imprecise shade of green or retailers may have simply over ordered. So where does all this rejected fruit go? Unbelievably, straight in the bin.

Ben created Spare Fruit because he (rightly) believes that food’s primary purpose is to be eaten, that we need to educate people about food waste, and that small British farmers shouldn’t be struggling with an oversupply of ‘unsuitable’ apples. They therefore set about rescuing the doomed fruit, alerting the public to the issue, and helping small farms become more sustainable, financially as well as environmentally. I present to you: 100% fruit crisps.

Fruit Crisps

Made solely from fruit with absolutely nothing else added; Spare Fruit crisps are simply fresh apples and pears that have been thinly sliced and air dried into a crunchy and delicious low-calorie snack. The seemingly ‘unusable’ fruit now has a use, a longer shelf-life, and the farmer’s surplus produce has a value. You see, Spare Fruit purchase the leftover fruit from the farms at a fair price. This means the farmers don’t lose out if their harvest isn’t entirely retailer quality. It’s a win win! Over 12 tonnes of rejected apples and pears have been transformed into fruit crisps so far, and your custom could help ensure it continues!

You can buy Spare Fruit products online at www.sparefruit.com, and in outlets such as Planet Organic, Natural Kitchen London and Selfridges. So go and try – just don’t leave them hanging.