The Cologne farmer Christian Fuchs, 43, dumped tons of sweet potatoes and pumpkins in a field near Cologne.

Up to 30 percent of his harvest does not meet the norm and can therefore not be sold.

Here everyone can pick up their portion of crooked vegetables - for free.

His farm has been disposing of surplus vegetables in the field for 15 years, but few people used to care.

Since the photos of the vegetable mountains were shared on social media, people have been coming in droves to take it away.

In an interview, he explains what else can be done about food waste.

David Lindenfeld

Volunteer.

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Mr. Fuchs, why do you dump tons of vegetables that could still be eaten in your field?

This is goods that are not suitable for trade.

The consumer would not buy this product if it were on the shelf.

For us, these are pumpkins or sweet potatoes that have not grown straight, that are too small or underweight, or that have small deformations.

We have to meet certain standards in some areas and classes of trade.

But pumpkins and sweet potatoes do not grow according to norms, but just as nature wants them to.

What do you think of these trade standards?

For one thing, you are not wrong.

We cannot ignore consumer protection.

But sometimes these trade norms don't make sense.

Trade standards for strawberries, asparagus or pumpkins, for example: If I have a fruit that is only slightly deformed and has not rotted, it says nothing about the taste or ingredients.

When did you start dumping your vegetables in the field?

We have been farming here for over 200 years.

It's a common practice.

In the past, when we still had animals, the surplus was fed to the pigs.

We are now a cattle-less business and therefore bring the food back into the cycle in this way.

Are there any other ways you can get rid of these still edible foods in any other way?

We sometimes have channels through which we can sell this.

These are customers who do not care what the pumpkin looks like because it is being processed: the main thing is that it is not rotten or moldy.

But they don't take enough either.

Why are you so crowded this year?

I'm wondering what.

I do not know that.

It may be that it was posted in the right group on social media and that it sparked off.

Or maybe it's because society is worse off and people are dependent on it.

A Russian said to me in the field today: It's like in the Soviet Union here.

Another said to me: If my father saw that, he would probably go along with it.

He's already experienced that in his childhood days.

Who is coming to you?

All.

Really all.

Across society.

How many people are there?

I just counted.

There were around 80 people in the field.

It's coming and going.

I don't know how many hundreds that are a day.

A WWF study comes to the conclusion that 40 percent of all food produced worldwide is either thrown away during production, processing or later.

How much food do you have to throw away because it is not up to the norm?

That is twenty to thirty percent current.

But that has partly to do with the very wet year.

For example, we have scabs on the pumpkins that can be attributed to the weather.

Here we are back to the topic: Inside, the fruit has absolutely no flaws.

It's a purely visual thing.

And because of the optics, consumers do not buy such goods ...

This is because there is always enough.

That's the problem.

As long as you can draw on the full, nothing will change.

Only when everything is a little tighter do we no longer have the problem.

Then a crooked or slightly deformed pumpkin is used, which is usually boiled into soup anyway.

A lot depends on the consumer and a lot has to do with the ignorance of the consumer.

I don't understand: Why should I buy a beautiful pumpkin if I can then shred it in the Thermomix for a lot of money?

Are you annoyed by consumer behavior?

Yes of course.

People can hardly cook either.

That is why we said: If someone here wants to donate something, then we will donate the money to a charitable organization near here.

This is a youth farm where children and young people are taught how to grow vegetables, how to handle products and how to make meals from them.

What needs to be done to ensure that we waste less food?

It starts at home.

It is important to teach children and young people how to handle food at an early age.

Buying behavior has to change.

So that the trade is ready to list this commodity.

The trade cannot help it.

He only sells what he can sell.