Imperfect Foods, the grocery delivery brand that aims to create a less wasteful food system, is now a Certified B Corp. This milestone underscores the brand's commitment to sustainability, transparency, and accountability, with Imperfect Foods one of the first grocers to receive the prestigious certification, according to Imperfect Foods.
Founded in 2015 with the goal of eliminating the 35 percent of food that ends up wasted in the U.S. each year, Imperfect Foods began by sourcing ugly and surplus produce that didn't meet conventional grocery store standards, and delivering it to customers' doors. Over the past six years, Imperfect Food has rescued over 150 million pounds of food from farms and producers across the country, which is recognized and credited under B Corp Certification as producing a specific positive benefit for people and the planet.
The full-service online grocer offers private label items, with 25 million boxes delivered to date and on track to rescue over 50 million pounds of food this year. Imperfect Foods recently announced its plan to become a net-zero carbon operation by 2030. In 2020, Imperfect Foods' last-mile delivery emitted 12,800 fewer tons of CO2 than trips to traditional grocery stores—the equivalent of taking 2,800 cars off the road for a year—purchased 7,921 tons of post-consumer recycled packaging, and saved 55,043,735 pounds of food from lesser outcomes.
"Since day one, we've been on a mission to fix our country's broken food system, from how we source our products, to the way we package and deliver orders, and how we're driving access within local communities," said Imperfect Foods' head of sustainability Madeline Rotman, in a statement. "We're honored to have this stamp of approval and to pave the way for the future of grocery, to show that you can be sustainable, accessible, and successful."
Related: Imperfect Foods to Become Net-Zero Carbon Operation; Imperfect Foods Pilots Warehouse Management System.