Fugly delicious: Produce box deliveries in Melbourne that tackle food waste - and your budget woes

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Tackling food waste with depression-era cooking tricks, "inflation-busting" produce delivery boxes and "ugly" veggies could help Australian households save big on their grocery bill.

Weekly delivery boxes packed with fruit and vegetables directly sourced from farms have become increasingly popular after the financial pressures of flooding, freight and fertiliser pushed the price of produce up 12.7 per cent over the past 12 months.

Melbourne-based produce delivery service The Flying Zucchinis are "at their strongest position" since opening during the first wave of COVID lockdowns, says co-founder Caity Meyer.

The Flying Zucchinis recently introduced a weekly $20 "inflation-buster" box with a selection of budget-friendly produce, like root vegetables, apples and bananas.

"We know these price hikes have been near-impossible for so many people," says Meyer.

It can make a huge difference to your household budget when you know how to stretch ingredients a long way.

"For those who still wanted fresh produce but were willing to pare back on the fluffy bits, like herbs and leafy greens, we created a box with adaptable essentials.

National delivery service Farmers Pick offers 6kg "ugly" produce boxes starting at $39 per fortnight. Founder Joshua Ball says customers can slash up to 30 per cent off their weekly produce spend by redirecting low grade produce from landfill to their dinner plate.

"Consumers are feeling the pinch. They're seeing it as a way to save a few bucks," he says.

"I think we've doubled our orders in the past six months."

Ball's produce delivery service sources blemished, undersized and excess produce directly from 60-70 farms across the country, allowing farmers to profit from the fruits of their labour, rather than see it ploughed back into the earth.

Up to 40 per cent of fruits and vegetables grown in Australia never make it to the produce section of the supermarket due to a grading system based on appearance rather than taste or nutritional value.

"That's a massive contributor to food waste, but also climate change," Ball says.

When surplus food makes its way to landfill it breaks down, producing a methane gas that accounts for eight per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Household waste is a major contributor to that figure, as more than one fifth of bought food ends up forgotten at the bottom of a vegetable crisper and ultimately thrown away.

Sydney cafe Cornersmith released a cookbook this month to help households counter food waste with scrap-saving tips inspired by "other complicated times in history" such as war time and the depression, says co-author Alex Elliott-Howery.

"It was all about making the most of what you have," she says.

"It can make a huge, huge difference to your household budget when you know how to stretch ingredients a long way."

Food Saver's A-Z: The essential Cornersmith kitchen companion aims to encourage home cooks to take their tired fruit and veggies and transform them into delicious family meals, like stir-fried cauliflower leaves or "green" pie.

"People don't want to waste food but they often don't have the skill to know how to shop smart, cook smart and make the most of what they have," Elliott-Howery says.

"We've gotten so used to seeing perfect-looking produce in our supermarkets that we're no longer comfortable with using fruit and vegetables that are slightly blemished.

"That has to change."

Five produce boxes with a difference in Victoria

The Flying Zucchinis

Seeing household budgets tightening, Victoria Wetherall and Caity Meyer decided their produce boxes needed a shake-up. Enter the Inflation Buster Box (from $20 for 1 person), an assortment of typically cheaper produce, such as root vegetables, with less variety in the box to cut down on the costs of picking and packing. It's a savvy addition to their core range of boxes, which start at $27 (feeds 1-2) if you commit to ordering each week. Delivery fees are low, boxes come in reusable packaging and imperfect produce is donated to community kitchen, Open Table. theflyingzucchinis.com

Good and Fugly

Just launched in Melbourne, this merchant of odd but edible fruit and veg is what happens when a GoGet founder decides to tackle food waste. Building a network of growers in the Sydney basin (and soon Victoria), Richard Tourino has rescued nectarines blemished in a hail storm, excess tomatoes and beetroot during lockdown, and other "seconds" that wouldn't meet supermarket standards. As long as it's fresh, farmers can call the 13-000-FUGLY hotline, and Good and Fugly will take it. Farmers don't lose a crop and you get competitive prices. The starter box for 1-2 adults is about $28 (including delivery) if you subscribe. goodandfugly.com.au

Farmer's Pick

"Screw ordinary" is the motto here: uneven, knobbly or sometimes "perfect" produce that can't find a buyer is assembled into boxes that are a mix of seasonal and staple ingredients. By sourcing directly from farms across Australia, Farmer's Pick's shorter supply chain help keep costs down. Chef-created recipes for the veg are emailed to customers each week as inspiration, plus every box sold is matched with a meal for someone in need, delivered by OzHarvest. A box for 1 adult (about 6kg of produce) is $39 including metro delivery. farmerspick.com.au

Pino's Fine Produce

Those in the know have always flocked to Prahran Market on Sundays, seeking one of the few bargains to be had among the dry-aged steak and artisan jams: the $30 veggie box at Pino's. The good news is that same box is now available with a few clicks. Pino's - 64 years young - has an online store selling a selection of in-season fruit and vegetables, a veg-only box ($35), eggs by the dozen, cold-pressed apple juice and bunches of flowers. It's a minimalist approach but if you know Pino's, you know it's all killer, no filler. Delivery mainly to south and east Melbourne, with select suburbs north and west. Order by midnight Wednesday. pinosfineproduce.com

Farm Box Co

Describing itself as a "farmer's market to your door", Farm Box Co. sells vegetables, bread, olives, eggs, honey and more, mainly sourced from Gippsland, the food bowl of Victoria. Started during the first wave of the pandemic as a way to support farmers, the business has grown to offer seasonal produce boxes, low-FODMAP boxes, Asian green boxes and individual items like avocadoes and tomatoes as add-ons. Know someone doing it tough? Nominate them for a free box of veg via the Community Give-Back program. Essentials box of 10 different items is about $43 if you sign up; the seasonal box (17 items) is $62. farmboxco.com.au