Flawed fruits are popular among consumers who value cost-effectiveness (image: Green Consumer Network in Korea)
SEOUL, Jul. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — So-called ‘ugly fruits’ with defects are increasingly popular at online markets.
Fruits with defects have either been affected by bugs or have problems in appearance and went unsold at supermarkets and other places, discarded as ‘ugly fruits.’
E-commerce company TMON Inc. said Sunday that sales of ‘ugly fruit’ jumped 134 percent in the April to June period, more than double the previous year.
The sales growth rate of ordinary fruits during the period was 61 percent.
Out of all fruit sales, the proportion of ‘ugly fruits’ increased from 17 percent in 2017 to 24 percent in 2018 and 31 percent in 2019.
Such flawed fruits are popular among consumers who value cost-effectiveness, according to TMON.
There is no problem with taste or nutrition, but ‘ugly fruits’ are sold at prices 20 to 30 percent cheaper than regular products due to their defects.
At 41 percent, those in their 40s accounted for the largest purchasing group of such “b-rated fruits” from TMON, followed by 28 percent in their 30s and 18 percent in their 50s.
D. M. Park (dmpark@koreabizwire.com)
