Rewriting Desirability an Exploration Of North American Ugly Food Marketing Campaigns

The application of aesthetic and cosmetic standards to fresh fruits and vegetables results in the discrimination and elimination of an abundance of “ugly” foods. The systematic elimination of “ugly” foods, which are foods deemed suboptimal in their appearance, weight, shape, or size, greatly contributes to the global problem of food waste in a time of increasing food insecurity. Grocers and food retailers in Canada and the U.S. have begun promoting the sale of “ugly” foods in an attempt to combat the issue of food waste. This MRP (Major Research Paper) examines the names and titles of eleven North American “ugly” food marketing campaigns. This project explores how “ugly” foods are communicated to consumers in North America and how the chosen language used in these campaign titles works to normalize “ugly” foods and attempts to alter their desirability to consumers. The analysis is conducted using textual coding and the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) method. Moreover, this MRP reflects on the power of grocers and food retailers to encourage the consumption of “ugly” foods, reduce food waste at the retail level, and effect change in the global food system.