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Spiking demand for 'ugly produce' shows beauty is in the eye of the consumer

Published: 03 Jul. 2025, 17:55

Shinsegae Department Store's ″Unpretty Fresh″ promotional event [SHINSEGAE DEPARTMENT STORE]

Demand for "imperfect produce" — fruits and vegetables that don't meet conventional appearance standards — is surging in Korea amid high inflation and a growing trend toward practical consumption.

Retailers, including large supermarkets, department stores and home shopping channels, are ramping up their marketing efforts for so-called "ugly produce" items. In the first half of 2025, sales of imperfect agricultural products increased by 30 to 50 percent year-on-year across various distributors.

Imperfect produce is emerging as a key sales driver, according to the retail industry on Wednesday. Lotte Home Shopping, for instance, sold about 350 tons of its branded "Areumari Apples" — imperfect apples — between January and June, raking in around 3 billion won ($2.2 million). The product ranked first in fruit orders.

Coupang launched a special set called “Saving Private Apple,” which pairs 2.5 kilograms (5.5 lbs) of imperfect apples with 160 grams of peanut butter. Marketed with a sweet-and-savory twist, the product quickly sold out upon release last week. The company plans to expand this concept with additional spreads like hazelnut and peanut almond cream for the fall apple season.

Among imperfect produce, apples are particularly common due to their long growing season, which makes them vulnerable to weather damage such as heavy rain, heat waves and typhoons.

In North Gyeongsang, Korea’s top apple-producing region, such blemished apples account for 30 to 40 percent of the annual harvest, according to industry sources.

A shot from an advertisement by Lotte Home Shopping, which branded imperfect produce apples as ″Areumari Apples″ [SCREEN CAPTURE]

“Apples grow from April to November, making them almost constantly exposed to climate-related risks,” said a Rural Development Administration official. “With more erratic weather, production of misshapen apples has been rising.”

Consumer demand for imperfect produce continues to grow. A survey of 1,300 households in the Seoul metropolitan area conducted by the Rural Development Administration found that the average annual spending on such fruits increased by 40 percent, from 5,679 won in 2022 to 20,316 won in 2024. Purchases of imperfect vegetables also rose 11 percent, from 2,108 won to 2,346 won, during the same period.

Even upscale retailers like department stores are embracing the trend. Since 2022, Shinsegae Department Store has held periodic promotions under the brand name “Unpretty Fresh,” offering discounted ugly produce like mini watermelons, musk melons, bell peppers and plums at up to 70 percent off. These items consistently sell out on the day of each event.

A promotional image for Coupang's “Saving Private Apple” product, which pairs 2.5 kilograms (5.5 lbs) of imperfect apples with 160 grams of peanut butter [COUPANG]

“It is different from premium fruits that require a lot of effort from the branding stage, but since there is demand, if there is stock from the producing region where we are dealing, we hold events even if we have to set up a separate stand,” said a department store industry representative.

Some sellers are exclusively dealing with ugly produce. Kurly launched “Jegakgak,” a brand dedicated solely to imperfect vegetables, in June 2023. Subscription platforms like Uglyus offer regular deliveries of imperfect produce.

For businesses, ugly produce offers a dual benefit: advancing environmental, social and governance goals while tapping into a new revenue stream.

“It creates a new distribution channel for farmers and opens up a fresh market for us,” said one industry insider.

Imperfect produce subscription service Uglyus [UGLYUS]

As abnormal weather patterns persist, the volume of imperfect produce is expected to grow. This has prompted calls for greater government involvement in facilitating their distribution.

Local governments are introducing ordinances to support such efforts, and lawmakers from the Democratic Party recently proposed a bill mandating state support for the sale of imperfect produce.

Countries like Spain and Britain have long implemented regulations that ban supermarkets from discarding such items and instead require them to be sold at a discount, in an effort to curb food waste.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY HWANG SOO-YEON [[email protected]]