Eco special: Bruised, blemished ingredients shine in creative new dishes

Mediterranean egg and bean stew with grilled sourdough bread, kaya croissant, and hazelnut fondant with yuzu sorbet from Plentyfull, which are part of a menu launched in partnership with The Food Bank Singapore to encourage encourage consumers to have a meal made from ugly and donated food. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Head chef Emanuele Faggi of Zafferano Italian Restaurant & Lounge at Ocean Financial Centre dries the rind of parmesan cheese and tops it with uni cream and nori flakes to serve as a starter in the restaurant. PHOTO: ZAFFERANO
The "ugly food" section at the FairPrice Xtra at shopping mall Jem. Chefs have been creative in incorporating "ugly" ingredients into their dishes. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

SINGAPORE - Imperfect ingredients - blemished, bruised or even deformed - are slowly shedding their "ugly food" image.

In a bid to get more consumers to buy these products - mainly fruits and vegetables - supermarket chains such as FairPrice and Sheng Siong have been selling them at more attractive prices. For example, FairPrice supermarkets sell a mixed bag of blemished fruits for $2, so you could save a few cents and even up to a few dollars.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.