Ugly fruit and veggies are making a comeback on US grocery shelves

Fresh fruits and vegetables are held to impossibly high aesthetic standards. Now, a number of US startups on both coasts are showing consumers that ugly is better

The diameter of each Brussels sprout shall not be less than one inch. The curd of the cauliflower must be white or cream - no matter that it yellows naturally when exposed to sunlight. For cucumbers, size does matter. They need to be longer than six inches, please.

If these standards seem superficial - it's because they are. But this is how fresh fruits and vegetables are graded in the US. The standards often have little relevance to nutrition or science.