Kentucky’s Farms to Food Banks program increased the types of produce purchased from farmers in 2019.
It also began a new project to freeze some items that were sent along to food banks.
Farms to Food Banks buys what’s sometimes called “ugly produce.” It’s healthy, but not perfect enough in appearance to be sold to grocery stores.
The program pays farmers enough to cover the cost of labor, packaging and transportation, and keeps the imperfect produce from going to waste.
Sarah Vaughn, programs coordinator for Feeding Kentucky, said the program bought 22 types of produce in 2018, with that figure increasing to 28 varieties in 2019.