How One Company Saves "Ugly" Food from Waste

Uglies Kettle Chips has reached a milestone of rescuing 25 million lb. of "ugly potatoes" that have gone into making the brand's upcycled kettle chips, since its inception in 2017. The 25 millionth pound was rescued at Long Farms in Coudersport, PA.

Uglies is a division of Dieffenbach's Potato Chips Inc. based in Womelsdorf, PA. The upcycled potato chip maker's mission is to reduce waste, support farmers, and fight hunger by using imperfect potatoes, which would otherwise go to waste, to craft delicious kettle-cooked potato chips.

These chips are created from upcycled potatoes with slight imperfections — potatoes that are the wrong size or shape, have varied colors or the wrong sugar content for some manufacturers. Flavor varieties include Sea Salt, Salt & Vinegar, Buffalo Ranch, Bar-B-Que, Cheddar & Sour Cream, Jalapeño, and Sweets which are sweet potato chips. All are Gluten Free, Kosher, and Non-GMO.

Uglies Kettle Chips also fights hunger by donating 10% of profits to VivaKids, a Pennsylvania charitable organization dedicated to fighting hunger globally.

Check out this video that gives a little history, the potato process at Long Farms, the pickup for the 25 millionth lb of Uglies — and what happens to the crop if Uglies doesn't help.