Supermarket shoppers are used to seeing 'wonky' vegetables on the shelves alongside the more 'perfectly formed' varieties. And Brits have been urged to buy more of the misshapen produce as the impact of the drought hits farmers' harvests.
The driest July on record could see some food producers struggling to meet the requirements of supermarkets for attractive fruit and veg, such as carrots, potatoes, onions and sprouts. Already, 'wonky' strawberries and blueberries have been on shelves of shops such as Aldi, Asda and Morrisons.
The National Farmers' Union has also called on supermarkets to take a wider variety of produce, because even though some veg may be smaller and wonkier, they will still be fine to eat.
Tom Bradshaw, deputy president of the NFU, told the Telegraph: "Consumers need to have a bit more flexibility because potatoes might be a bit smaller, onions might be a little bit smaller.
"And that's still the case of everyone just needing to pull together a little bit to accept that it's not been a perfect time. Then you've got your broccoli, your cauliflower, they're all being impacted at the moment by their growing conditions. There isn't anything which is not impacted if it's grown in a field that isn't irrigated."
CountryLiving reported Jo Musson, the National Farmers' Union Holland county representative in Lincolnshire, saying: "The quality and yield of the potato is a major concern. It is really important that the food doesn't go to waste, so we will need the supermarket specifications for potatoes and onions to be relaxed as they will be much smaller than normal.
"I would encourage consumers to keep buying our British produce. Vegetables may be wonkier or smaller than we are used to, but will still taste good."
The BBC reported Hannah Dougherty, Food Policy Advisor at the British Retail Consortium, saying that supermarkets already accepted odd-shaped vegetables. She said: "Retailers understand weather conditions have been a challenge and have taken steps to support their farmers. This includes expanding ranges of odd-size/shape fruit and veg when needed."
