A food delivery service has hit out at the “astounding” cosmetic standards driving the price of fruit and veg skyward

The cost of fresh produce is skyrocketing - and consumers’ snobby attitude towards ‘fugly’ fruit and veg is making it even worse.

Gold Coasters are paying up to 25 per cent more for fruit and vegetables because they are too snobby about what it looks like, farmers say.

In fact, they say up to one-third of produce does not leave farms because the Glitter Strip has a fixation on “cosmetic presentation”.

Smaller suppliers like Good and Fugly are stepping up to the plate to minimise waste for growers such as Tweed Valley ginger farmers Michi Domahidy and Aidan Quick.

Farmer Aidan Quick with a sample of ginger produce. Picture: Supplied

“When we send something to a wholesale market on the Gold Coast there are always issues with cosmetic presentation so we lose lots of our product, but with groups like Good & Fugly we don’t have to deal with that anymore,” Mr Quick said.

Research from Deakin University in Victoria found the cost of lettuce, broccoli and tomatoes has soared up to 150 per cent in three years. However, the price of oranges, bananas and apples dropped.

Foodbank Australia says 70 per cent of the 7.6 million tonnes of food lost or wasted each year was edible. It said that was especially telling given one in six Australian adults do not have enough to eat.

Good & Fugly CEO Rich Tourino with a box of harvested produce. Picture: Supplied

Good and Fugly CEO Richard Tourino said superficial market expectations were to blame for sustained price hikes.

“It’s all about supply and demand,” he said. “If expectations were reined in on presentation, up to 25 per cent more produce would be leaving the farm, which in turn could drive prices down by as much as 25 per cent in stores.”

Mr Quick said realistic presentation standards was an “easy fix”.

“If you lowered your expectations as both a seller and a buyer, you’ll still get some of the best fruit in the country.

“Coles, for example, only takes the best of the best of the best – and even then there’s wastage because stuff gets dropped on the floor or bruised.

“If supermarkets widened the spectrum of produce prices would come down.

“There’s no food shortage. It’s an issue of customer expectation and consumer habit.”