As Silicon Valley Turns Food Waste Into Profits, Small Farms Suffer | Eater
"Started by Ben Simon as a mission-driven startup, this company buys off-sized, misshapen, and slightly damaged fruits and vegetables and sells them in subscription boxes at roughly 30 percent below typical grocery prices. It scaled rapidly from a warehouse in Emeryville to a national business spanning multiple cities and commanding significant venture funding and a valuation in the hundreds of millions, while operating as a public benefit corporation that emphasizes a double bottom line. The model has appealed to consumers seeking to reduce food waste and save money, but has drawn criticism from food-justice advocates who argue the approach captures rather than creates value, may pull customers away from traditional CSAs and small farms, and risks reinforcing industrial overproduction by addressing waste at the end of the supply chain rather than at the point of production." - Stephen Satterfield
