Imperfect Foods Review
- What Is Imperfect Foods
- How Does Imperfect Foods Work
- What Makes Imperfect Foods Different
- Imperfect Foods Products
- How Much Does Imperfect Foods Cost
- Where Does Imperfect Foods Deliver
- Imperfect Foods Pros & Cons
- Sample Dishes
- Bottom Line
- Imperfect Foods FAQ
- Imperfect Foods Ratings
- Imperfect Foods Promo Codes And Coupons
If you hate overpaying for your produce and do not mind if all the potatoes in your bag are not the same size, Imperfect Foods may be the perfect choice for you. This California-based delivery service, formerly known as Imperfect Produce, specializes in so-called ugly produce and it has been bringing quirky fruit and veg to American homes since 2015. Keep reading this Imperfect Foods review to find out how this service can help you get all the tasty goodness you need while spending less money than ever.
What Is Imperfect Foods
Imperfect Foods is a grocery delivery service that provides organic and conventional produce and pantry items at prices that are about 30% lower than those at grocery stores. Its products are healthy but do not meet the usual aesthetic standards.
Essentially, what you get from this service is produce that is too thin, too thick, too large, too small or too asymmetrical to be featured in your average store. Retailers seek uniformity, ideal shapes, and optimal sizes because perfection sells. The truth is that this discriminative approach is not based on health or nutrition concerns. In fact, it is normal for properly grown fruit and veg to vary in size and shape because nature is not about uniformity but uniqueness.
With Imperfect Foods, you get the produce of your choice delivered to your doorstep at a great price and you also help reduce food waste. Instead of letting more than 20% of US fruit and veg go to waste just because they do not all look the same, together with Imperfect Foods, you can save unique produce and save some cash as well.
In addition to produce, the service offers farm products and imperfect pantry items, which are available as add-ons. This means that when you need something other than produce, you can get differently sized eggs straight from the farm or buy mislabeled trail mixes or broken pasta with a huge discount.
In short, Imperfect Foods is a grocery delivery that has stood up against produce discrimination and food waste and started delivering non-mainstream fruit, veg, and pantry staples to home cooks who value health and smart budgeting more than mere looks. It makes grocery shopping easier, allows you to adjust your deliveries to your needs, and lets you become a part of a movement that benefits the environment, the farmers, and your budget alike.
How Does Imperfect Foods Work
Imperfect Foods sources its fruit and vegetables straight from the farm and brings it to your kitchen weekly or biweekly. You can choose from 2 fully customizable boxes: Green, including organic produce, and Regular, featuring organic fruit and veg.
No matter which of the 2 boxes you choose, you can customize it to your needs. The service fills your box with the imperfect fruit and veg currently available. Usually, it handpicks about 10 different items to be included your order. Then you get to remove the items you do not like and add more of what you love. You do not have to stop at produce either. You can add non-produce items to your cart, such as snacks, beverages, and pantry staples. Your box can be anything you want it to be.
Your subscription is easily modifiable as well. You can skip deliveries, change delivery frequency, choose a different box type, and cancel your subscription anytime. What is even better, you can do all this straight from your Imperfect Foods account in a matter of minutes. Please, just note that you should introduce the desired changes before the customization window ends. Your customization window depends on your delivery day, it usually lasts about 30 hours, and you can view it on your account page.
With Imperfect Foods, you get produce of your choice delivered to your doorstep at a great price and you also help reduce food waste. Instead of letting more than 20% of US fruit and veg go to waste just because they do not all look the same, together with Imperfect Foods, you can save unique produce and save some cash as well.
What Makes Imperfect Foods Different
Obviously, Imperfect Foods differs from similar delivery companies in that it is more eco-friendly, convenient, and affordable. It has built a market for fruit and veg that would otherwise go to waste, thus supporting farmers, fighting wastefulness, and working to reverse global warming caused in part by methane emissions from landfills.
In contrast to many of its competitors, Imperfect Foods allows you to fully customize your every order and only get what you need. Furthermore, it aims to reduce the number of trips you take to the store by offering additional products like pantry staples and other groceries that can last long on the shelf.
Both its produce and its packaged goods come with huge discounts even though they may be fresher and healthier than what you get at your local supermarket. Its products are never moldy, bruised or spoiled and they all come with a satisfaction guarantee.
It is worth mentioning that Imperfect Foods helps those in need on a regular basis. Every week, it donates thousands of pounds of fruit and veg to food banks and other organizations that provide food for those who need it the most. As we are writing this Imperfect Foods review, the amount of produce this company has donated exceeds 2.2 million pounds.
If you want to spread the word about Imperfect Foods, you can refer your family and friends. The company often organizes referral competitions and winners get special prizes, like chef-catered dinners and 2-months-worth of free produce.
In contrast to many of its competitors, Imperfect Foods allows you to fully customize your every order and only get what you need. Furthermore, it aims to reduce the number of trips you take to the store by offering additional products like pantry staples and other groceries that can last long on the shelf.
Imperfect Foods Products
Every week, Imperfect Foods offers a different range of fruit and veg. While variations are common, you can expect to choose from more than 30 items, including both produce and shelf-stable packaged goods.
Produce
As mentioned previously, all Imperfect Foods fruit and veg are farm-fresh and you can choose from organic and conventional options. You can filter the offer based on your needs and browse cooking veggies, gluten-free items, salad ingredients, produce exclusively available at Imperfect Foods, and more.
Regardless of whether you choose the Green (organic) or Regular (conventional) box, you can browse both organic and non-organic fruit and veg, decide on the quantity for each item, and just have fun customizing your order. However, you should keep in mind that the selection and quantities available depend on what is currently available at farms. Thus, be sure to customize on time, before the company runs out of your favorite produce.
Packaged Goods
The company’s offer is continuously growing to include virtually all the items you need to make your meals, prepare treats and snacks, and stay hydrated. At the moment, the service offers a range of products that can be divided into just short of a dozen categories, including baked goods, baking supplies, bars, beverages, breakfasts, canned and pickled products, and dried fruit, nuts, and pantry staples.
Just like the produce on offer, these packaged goods are imperfect in some way and cannot be sold at stores. Imperfections that prevent them from being featured on store shelves nationwide are never related to product quality. For example, these products may have an outdated look due to recent changes in packaging. They may not currently be in demand. Their best before date may be about 6 months away so retailers do not want to risk not selling them on time. Some of them are not easy to sell because they do not look the way they are supposed to, like broken spaghetti. In a word, they are perfectly fine and may only have some superficial flaws that do not affect your enjoyment at the table.
How Much Does Imperfect Foods Cost
Imperfect Foods items are individually priced. The total cost of your delivery depends on the box type you pick and how you choose to customize your box. The Green box comes at the price of $24 and the Regular box costs $16 prior to customization.
For each delivery, the company’s team assembles a box whose value is equal to $24 or $16, depending on whether you go with the Green or Regular option. As you change the content of your box, the price of your delivery changes as well. There is no limit on customizations. As you add new products and remove items from your cart, the value of your order is updated and the total is clearly displayed on the page, so there are no surprises.
While prices vary greatly, you can expect to pay less than $1 for a pound of organic red potatoes, about $1.50 for a bunch of organic kale, approximately $1 for half a pound of organic snap peas, $2 for 5 conventional nectarines, and $4 for half a gallon of organic milk. Since the prices are so low, the company charges a delivery fee to cover its shipping expenses. The fee amounts to $4.99 – $5.99 per delivery, which is pretty reasonable.
Where Does Imperfect Foods Deliver
Imperfect Foods does not ship nationwide. It currently delivers to parts of California, Washington, Oregon, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.
To be more specific, the service is available in select zip codes within the areas on its delivery map. In California, these areas include Fresno, the Greater Sacramento Area, the Greater Bay Area, Los Angeles, Merced, Modesto, Orange County, San Diego, and Santa Barbara. In Washington, it is available in Seattle and Tacoma. In Illinois, you can order its produce if you live in Chicago. Within Indiana, the only city covered is Indianapolis. Maryland customers can order if they live in Baltimore. In Minnesota, the company delivers to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Area. As far as Texas goes, the cities covered include Austin, Dallas-Forth Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. The service is also available in Washington, D.C., Portland (OR), Hartford (CT), Boston (MA), Newark (NJ), New York (NY), Cleveland (OH), Philadelphia (PA), Detroit (MI), Kansas City (MO), St. Louis (MO), Madison (WI), and Milwaukee (WI).
Deliveries are made Monday through Friday between 2 pm and 8 pm. You can decide whether you want your box to arrive between 12 pm and 4 pm or between 4 pm and 8 pm. You do not have to be at home at the time of your delivery, but you should leave detailed instructions informing the driver about the safest place to leave your box.
Several minutes before the driver arrives, you get an automated message letting you know that your produce is on its way to your home. Afterward, you get a confirmation message once your box has been successfully delivered.
Imperfect Foods Pros & Cons
To make sure Imperfect Foods meets all your standards and expectations, it is important to know its biggest advantages and disadvantages. With a short overview of its pros and cons, you can easily decide if Imperfect Foods is the right meal kit service for you.
- Farm-fresh organic and conventional fruit and veg
- Vast variety of packaged goods
- Easily customizable subscriptions
- Amazing prices
- Satisfaction guarantee
- Eco-friendly
- Limited delivery area
- Shipping is not free
Sample Dishes
If you subscribe to Imperfect Foods, you can easily prepare culinary masterpieces using only the ingredients and recipes found in your meal kit box. You may not be a pro chef just yet, but with Imperfect Foods, you can easily make restaurant-grade meals. You don’t have to take our word for it – check out the images below to get a better idea of the types of dishes you can enjoy with Imperfect Foods.
-
- Harissa Maple Syrup Roasted Carrots
-
- Roasted Beet & Quinoa Salad with Za’atar Vinaigrette
-
- Spring Fennel and Zucchini Salad
-
- Spring Onion and Asparagus Gnocchi with Burrata
Bottom Line
At the end of this Imperfect Foods review, we can simply state that we like what this service is offering and we believe that you currently cannot get a better deal on farm-fresh produce. We wholeheartedly support the company’s mission and consider it to be a smart choice for anyone who is anti-wastefulness and wants to bring healthy fruit and veg to the table every day without overstepping the budget.
Imperfect Foods FAQ
How much does Imperfect Foods cost?
Imperfect Foods costs $16 or $24 per delivery. The price depends on whether you opt for organic or conventional produce. You may pay more if you choose to customize your order and add more products to your box.
How can I cancel Imperfect Foods?
To cancel Imperfect Foods, you should first log into your account. Then choose the Manage Subscription option in the My Account menu. Click the Cancel My Subscription button. Follow the prompts and finish by clicking the Cancel Subscription button.
Where does Imperfect Foods deliver to?
Imperfect Foods delivers to select zip codes in Washington, Oregon, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.
How do I customize by Imperfect Foods box?
To customize your Imperfect Foods box, you should log into your account and click the Customize button. Check the list of items in your box and click the minus sign to remove an item or the plus sign to increase the quantity or add new items.
Do you know what you get in your Imperfect Foods delivery?
You always know what you get in your Imperfect Foods delivery. What is more, you get to decide on every item that goes into your box.
How much does delivery cost at Imperfect Foods?
At Imperfect Foods, delivery costs $4.99-$5.99 per order.
How much food do I get in my Imperfect Foods box?
You can get as much food as you please. You start with about 10 items in your Imperfect Foods box and then you can add or remove products until your order is just right.
We’ve been pretty happy with imperfect foods, get our deliveries on time, produce fresh, I leaned to order early to make sure my favorite products were available. Sometimes I forget, but I have been happy with the box they sent. I like that I can customize it so that when I’m broke I can spend $20 and when feeling flush, I spend enough to get free delivery. (Delivery is $5, worth it to me).
Really disappointed with imperfect foods. I’ve had it for almost a year and I get a box once a week. EVERY week items are missing or wrong and I have to contact them and ask for a credit. It’s annoying and inconvenient plus I then have to go buy those items at a store because I thought I was getting them in my order. Don’t waste your money. They didn’t get one of my order correct and I finally cancelled.
My wife was on a waiting list for about a month and cancelled her account. They shipped it out anyway and told her they would not charge her. Good thing because what arrived was a disaster. First, there is a insulation bag that should have the produce in it. The person that packed the box put the ice in the bag and nothing else so all the produce was warm. Second, the box was damaged by FDX and the tomato’s were crushed, lettuce was bad from the heat (the package might have been 1 day late) some of the fruits were smashed. Very little produce for the price they charge.
Placed 3 orders in 3 consecutive weeks.
Summary: If you want reliable grocery delivery, stay away. Therefore, 2 stars for below average for grocery delivery.
Pros:
— Decent selection of organic and conventional produce.
— Probably due to covid-19, have some unusual items that you would not normally find in grocery or wholesale stores.
— Same delivery day each week.
Cons:
— So far only my non-produce items (seafood) have not been reliably fulfilled. So stick with just their sometimes ugly produce.
— Their Our Promise page used to say: “We promise to reliably deliver fresh, healthy, delicious produce and groceries to your door every week”. After I complained that my only 3 orders in 3 consecutive weeks were not being “reliably” fulfilled, it has been changed with a key word “reliably” removed to: “We promise to deliver delicious groceries and fresh produce and we’ll make it up to you if we ever leave you a few carrots short of a bunch.”
— Unlike others that have left comments, I knew what I wasn’t going to get but I didn’t find out until the day of delivery, which can be too late if you need those missing ingredients that were to be delivered for that day’s meals.
— Surprised that live chat page actually stated this at the time of this writing especially the part about not contacting them unless the order is more than 2 days late: “** We’re currently expecting delivery delays. Please do not reach out to customer care unless your order is more than 2 days late and you haven’t received an email from us. **”
I signed up right before all the covid19 shutdowns & lockdowns. Except for 2, my deliveries have been on time. A few items have been missing, but I was credited within a few days. I’m in the New Orleans area, so they have expanded their delivery zones (mine comes out of Houston). The produce has been good. Had to throw out maybe 15%. I’ve bought things I wouldn’t normally & liked them – that’s a plus. I don’t care for the haphazard packaging which makes a mess of everything. Otherwise, it’s been good to have during these weird stay-at-home times
I really liked them when I first started ordering ng from. that is until COVID 19 when they got a lot of new customers. now I’m getting 5 to 10 oz (approx 1 lb, is how they label) for produce items, they just exchange produce I didn’t order and they are usually 50% sold out when I am trying to place my order. It has turned into just a scam.
got food that was a good price because of the discount, but had it been regular price, i got 4 avocados, 2 granny smith, and 10 carrots, my order said i was suppose to get 1 granny smith some brussel sprouts, some summer squash, at regular price without the discount each item i got was 1.00, so carrots at 1.00 each, i will try one more week since 10 carrots are not going to go far, not an apple eater, so have to figure out what to do with those, hope the 4 avocados do not all get ripe at the same time, have no chips.
Food is not bad, at least the food that shows up, I’ve had 2 orders delivered so far and on both orders items were missing. I emailed and have gotten no response, at least credit my account or something, but they don’t seem to care
That is true they asked me what was missing in my box..I randomly wrote some items and got refunded for only those items. However other items that were missing, I did even get a refund. Very bad Service
Right! My box came warm! No cooling packs in it at all and I had meat in it on a 90 degree day! Half of my fruit wasn’t in it and my shallots were moldy! I got charged the full amount and still no reply from them!
They need to fix our account info area. I wanted to check and update my cc info but couldn’t. My first order was messed up cuz their foods I guess we’re messed up because of the c19 stuff. .
I wish I would have gotten noticed to how and when I could have been able to update my shopping cart earlyer. I did not know about all that till most of the add on stuff was sold out. . I got an email a day or so before end …said not to late to change your order. I wish would have gotten an email said your order window is now open. I would have been able to get cheese and meat I needed. .before was sold out
Send me some paper flyer sign ups there’s many elderly that are not online users probly need this.
Ordered groceries two weeks ago, was supposed to get groceries March 24th. Today is April 2nd and no groceries, no email from a human being, after I have sent them a couple emails asking for reimbursement or clarity. Still, no email from a human.
My daughter told me about Imperfect Foods 5 or 6 weeks ago. She is an enthusiastic customer! So when I got home I signed up at once. It was fortunate that I did. I’m in the frail elderly category and have groceries delivered often. When the “shelter in place” rule came out, my other supplier disintegrated into confusion under the onslaught of orders.
Imperfect Foods continue to arrive with a minimum of disruption. The vegetables and fruits are fresh and crisp if sometimes oddly shaped. Well, I did receive one cracked beet that I decided not to eat. But I’m truly impressed with quality of the food overall, and with the good will evident in messages sent out to customers in these dark times.
So far, not happy. I signed up a few weeks ago, and since they were getting slammed, my start date was 2 weeks out. That was okay since I was informed. But, they’re still swamped, and they pushed my first box back by a week with no communication to me. Not so much as an email. Not sure I’ll be keeping this service since it appears they’ve overextended themselves.
I loved my box. I got my first one today. I added up the price of the food and it would have been about $37 at the store, but I got mine for $32 (before the coupon code was added). So I’d say this was a really good deal and everything was also fresh. I was worried the food would be going bad by the time I got it, but no. None of the leafy stuff was wilted and none of the fruits or veggies were mushy. I recommend this to anyone.
Great idea! Can’t believe that people throw away perfectly good fruit and veggies because they are not the perfect size and there are so many hungry in the world!!! It’s insane!!! I love Imperfect Food and I plan to order exclusively from them in the future!
My mom told me about Imperfect Food and it literally changed my life! I spend way less on the same quality produce that just looks a bit different. Don’t know why would someone care about how a bag of potatoes look like but if it lowers the price of ugly food, I’m all for it! 😀
First delivery several items not delivered haven’t received any information as to where they went.
I’m very upset with the shipment of this product. I started with my first delivery to be January 9, 2020. Payment was taken out of my account on January 10, 2020…….. I still have not received my delivery. I thought ok, I’ll email them about the problem…..I’ve emailed at least 3 times concerning the problem. All I receive are robo emails saying they will get in touch with me…….still no response. I though I’d try one more time to order a box. It was to be delivered yesterday. I get an email saying it will be delivered instead on Saturday………. I’m not happy at all with my experience with them
Great produce, great prices, great service and I am happy that they are doing something nice for the poor instead of being all about profit. Warm recommendation!
Not sure how you think $30/week is catering to the poor..
What a strange thing fur Mary to say.. $30/week is so affordable for groceries!! I typically spend minimum $400 per month.
The company donates produce to local food banks.
To be honest, I’ve never bought “imperfect” fruit and veg before so I was afraid I wouldn’t like it. Still, the price was perfect so hubby and I decided it was worth a try. No regrets whatsoever! Even the kids love that their fruit is a bit “weird” 😀