The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Show

The Shocking Truth About Produce Waste In America & Fixing The Broken Food Supply Chain Ft. Melissa Ackerman of Planet Harvest

March 6, 2026

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  • Approximately 30% of produce in the U.S. is left in the fields because it does not meet the specific size requirements of grocery stores and the food service industry. 
  • The supply chain is a major bottleneck preventing excess, perfectly edible produce from easily reaching food banks and communities in need. 
  • Consumers should stop 'eating with their eyes' and embrace imperfectly sized produce to support farmers and significantly reduce food waste. 

Segments

Produce Waste Shocking Truths
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(00:00:59)
  • Key Takeaway: 30% of U.S. produce is left in fields due to cosmetic rejections by buyers.
  • Summary: A shocking amount of produce, like 400 million pounds of strawberries annually, is left unpicked because it doesn’t meet specific size standards for grocery stores. The broken supply chain prevents this excess food from easily reaching those who need it most. Farmers often leave produce in the field if the cost to pick, pack, and ship exceeds the potential revenue.
Farmer Perception and Business
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(00:03:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Large-scale farming is a commodity business often backed by private equity and venture capital.
  • Summary: The romanticized view of farming often overlooks that large-scale operations (1 to 3,000 acres) function as commodity businesses. Farmers value appreciation for their work, which is a core mission of Planet Harvest. The industry involves massive logistical operations, moving product down coasts depending on the season.
Consumer Shopping Habits
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(00:04:45)
  • Key Takeaway: Consumers should buy produce in stages to avoid household waste and support non-uniform products.
  • Summary: The guest buys produce in different stages of ripeness (e.g., bananas) to match consumption rates and minimize personal waste. The blue ocean opportunity lies in changing consumer perception to accept produce that tastes delicious but isn’t cosmetically uniform, similar to European markets. Consumers currently favor perfectly uniform, large produce, often overlooking ‘Charlie Brown’ quality items.
Global Waste and U.S. Sourcing
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(00:06:29)
  • Key Takeaway: U.S. peach growers are losing 20% of their harvest due to competition from imported canned and frozen peaches.
  • Summary: Produce waste is a global issue, but Planet Harvest focuses on bringing more product back to the U.S. market to support domestic growers. U.S. peach growers are discarding significant volume because demand is being met by imports from Spain and Greece. A perfect solution involves creating dedicated sections in grocery stores, like Australia’s ‘Odd Bunch,’ for excess, available product.
Founding Planet Harvest Story
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(00:08:43)
  • Key Takeaway: The Farmers to Family Food Box Program during the pandemic was crucial for saving distributors and farmers.
  • Summary: Melissa Ackerman’s prior company managed produce distribution for large chains like Panera and Starbucks, which shut down overnight during the pandemic. She secured a large contract for the USDA’s Farmers to Family Food Box Program, championed by Ivanka Trump, moving 9.2 million boxes in four months. This program saved many family businesses and distributors who had nowhere else to move their product.
Ivanka Trump’s Business Influence
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(00:12:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Ivanka Trump prioritizes impact metrics—farmers impacted and pounds moved—over purely financial forecasting in business planning.
  • Summary: Ivanka’s advice helped the founder stay focused while scaling the new venture from a large established business to an early-stage entrepreneurship. She possesses a visionary sense for scaling operations to hundreds of cities quickly. Her primary focus in monthly meetings is on impact numbers: how many farmers are being helped and how much fresh food is being distributed.
Sponsor Reads and Product Plugs
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(00:14:13)
  • Key Takeaway: LTK offers a comprehensive, free platform for creators to link shoppable content and for brands to manage influencer marketing.
  • Summary: The Skinny Confidential brand utilizes LTK to link products like the Ice Roller, allowing creators to earn commissions. For brands, LTK provides an integrated platform for discovery, social listing, gifting, and campaign tracking with transparent data. The redesigned Ice Roller features a silver roller and softer pink aesthetic, continuing its mission to de-puff and sculpt skin.
Risks of Supply Chain Failure
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(00:20:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Disruption to the food supply chain risks reducing the variety of nutritious food available to the public.
  • Summary: If farmers cannot afford input costs or face international competition, they stop producing, which limits food options for Americans who rely on this abundance. Food is medicine, and losing production capacity means losing access to essential, nutrient-dense options. Farmers stop picking if the cost of labor and logistics exceeds the price they receive for the product.
PLU Codes and Traceability
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(00:22:46)
  • Key Takeaway: PLU stickers on produce are essential for tracking and tracing the product’s origin farm for safety recalls.
  • Summary: PLU codes allow the industry to trace produce back to the farm that grew it, which is critical for efficient product recalls. The industry needs to be able to pinpoint the source quickly if an issue arises. This traceability is a key component of managing the fresh produce supply chain.
Work-Life Balance and Leadership
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(00:23:15)
  • Key Takeaway: Effective balance is achieved through rigorous weekly organization and trusting a skilled, passionate team.
  • Summary: The founder maintains organization by holding a mandatory Sunday night meeting to plan meals, tasks, and schedules for the entire family. Leadership involves building an incredible team of passionate, skilled individuals and trusting them to accomplish their goals. Being present in the moment and not pretending to be in two places at once is key to managing the workload.
Final Message to Audience
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(00:24:48)
  • Key Takeaway: Consumers must stop judging produce solely on appearance and appreciate the complex journey food takes to reach their plate.
  • Summary: The audience is urged to eat and love all produce, moving past superficial judgments based on size or shape. Consumers should consider the route and effort required from the farm gate to their plate, which takes significant time and labor. Supporting the full harvest approach helps farmers and ensures access to nutrient-dense food.
Farmer Emotional Response
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(00:30:55)
  • Key Takeaway: Farmers expressed deep emotion upon hearing about long-term purchasing contracts that guaranteed harvest sales.
  • Summary: Strawberry growers cried when presented with the idea of three-year contracts guaranteeing the purchase of their harvest, as no one had previously asked them about their needs. The lack of inquiry into their stories and struggles was a major source of pain for the farmers. Feeling respected through direct engagement in the fields is as important as financial stability.
World Wildlife Fund Partnership
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(00:32:16)
  • Key Takeaway: WWF partnership uses tools to measure unharvested product, testing ways to integrate ’number two’ strawberries into food service.
  • Summary: Planet Harvest partners with the WWF to measure the exact volume of product left in the field, allowing for targeted intervention. A pilot program involved chefs tasting strawberries that wouldn’t meet the U.S. ’number one’ market standard for use in salads and desserts. The goal is to mainstream the use of non-perfect produce in cafeterias and restaurants to maximize farmer revenue while keeping food fresh.
California Lettuce Concentration Risk
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(00:42:35)
  • Key Takeaway: The concentration of 60% of U.S. lettuce production in California creates a significant supply chain vulnerability.
  • Summary: If input costs make it unsustainable for California farmers to produce lettuce, the entire U.S. supply chain for that product is at risk. The industry lobbies to keep input costs manageable to maintain domestic production against international competition, which benefits from government subsidies and lower labor costs. Breaking the larger system risks losing the variety and nutrient density the population relies on.
Emergency Relief Efforts
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(00:44:37)
  • Key Takeaway: Planet Harvest’s emergency relief capability allows them to deploy 10-12 pounds of fresh produce boxes within two days of a disaster.
  • Summary: The business model includes an emergency relief component, enabling rapid response to events like fires in Maui and California. Boxes are built to be culturally relevant and often contain items that require no cooking, suitable for areas without electricity. They partner with 501c3 organizations like World Vision to ensure quick and appropriate distribution of aid.
Instagram Frustrations
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(00:46:15)
  • Key Takeaway: The guest is frustrated by the idyllic, unrealistic portrayal of local-only eating that ignores the necessity of large-scale supply chains.
  • Summary: The guest dislikes the narrative suggesting consumers should only shop at small local farmers’ markets, as this is unrealistic for the entire population year-round, especially in places like Chicago. Large-scale farming is necessary to mass-produce the volume required by the current supply chain. Breaking the larger system would lead to less variety and fewer nutrient-dense options for everyone.