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The vegetables that are thrown away are still good enough for you: a view of the field with the pumpkin fruits
Photo: Federico Gambarini / dpa
Many large retail chains value flawless goods, but what to do with the crooked vegetables?
The campaign by a farmer from North Rhine-Westphalia now suggests that pimply or crooked fruits do not necessarily have to be disposed of.
Christian Fuchs dumped tons of crooked vegetables in a field near Cologne.
For a few days, people with large bags or trailers have been coming again and again, sometimes from far away, to stock up on discarded sweet potatoes or pumpkins free of charge.
"It's vegetables that fall through the cracks because they don't meet trade standards," said the farmer.
His farm has been disposing of surplus vegetables in the field for 15 years, but hardly anyone has been interested in them in the past.
This time, however, photos of the mountains of vegetables have made the rounds on social media - "and that is why so many people suddenly come".
The action comes at a time when politicians are trying to fight food waste.
At the EU level, consideration is currently being given to abolishing the best-before date.
Perhaps Fuchs can still do business with crooked vegetables in the future.
apr / dpa