How Oddbox is rescuing fruit and veg from growers, one box at a time
With as much as 40 percent of food being wasted across the globe, food waste is one of the biggest challenges currently faced by the food industry. The challenge of food waste isn’t just about wasting precious food; it’s a climate issue. Every carrot, apple, or tomato thrown away means the water and energy used to grow it is wasted too. With around 2.5 billion tons wasted globally each year, food waste is responsible for up to ten percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, Project Drawdown, the world’s leading guide to science-based climate solutions, has identified ‘reducing food waste’ as one of the top actions to ease climate change.
Focused on tackling food waste on farms, Oddbox is a weekly rescue mission and a certified B Corp business that’s dedicated to fostering conscious consumerism in the UK. Unlike supermarkets, Oddbox doesn’t tell farmers what to grow, instead it listens to what has already been grown and is at risk of going to waste, sometimes due to strict cosmetic standards or because the weather has altered and crops have grown faster than planned. As 70 percent of food waste happens at home, Oddbox also helps the community make the most of what’s in the box through recipes, tips, or inspiring people to try something new. 
Established by Emilie Vanpoperinghe and her partner Deepak in 2016, the couple launched Oddbox to a small pool of London-based customers, initially handling distribution and logistics in-house. The operation quickly grew to cover 70 percent of the UK, serving more than 50,000 subscribers. Since its inception, Oddbox has distributed over ten million boxes, which means it has rescued more than 50,000 tons of fruit and veg, equivalent in weight to 9000 elephants!
We sit down with Emilie, Co-Founder and CEO, to learn more about the company’s impressive growth over the last nine years. “When we started Oddbox, we didn’t have a grand vision; we just wanted to do something that made a positive difference,” Emilie opens. “The story starts in Portugal, when I came across some amazingly tasty but seriously ugly tomatoes, and that made me wonder why I never found tomatoes like these in the UK. I started doing some research on the UK’s food system and I was shocked to learn how much food never even leaves the farm, not because it’s bad quality, but because it’s the ‘wrong’ shape, size, or surplus to requirements.
“We started small, delivering boxes of odd and surplus produce to around 20 neighbors and friends in Balham, London. This simple mission has evolved significantly, and we no longer see ourselves as just rescuers of food but as enablers of more conscious eating. Our longer-term vision is to reconnect people with nature and the food system to help them eat better for the benefit of both themselves and the planet.
“Staying true to this vision is central to every decision we make, embedding sustainability and impact into our strategic growth and product innovation,” she states. “Our B Corp certification ensures we uphold this vision, guiding all our strategic decisions as we scale. B Corp isn’t just a badge but a framework we use to keep ourselves accountable and continuously look to improve our operation. There were already lots of things we were doing right, but there were some other areas to focus on, and the B Corp framework has shaped our culture and policies, as well as how we source and work with our partners.”
Elaborating on Oddbox’s products, Emilie continues: “Our core offering is a subscription-based fruit and vegetable box service, with flexible customization options. We recently expanded to include ‘The Market,’ offering rescued ambient products, eco-friendly household items, and refillable pantry staples. Soon, we will further evolve into a full nature-led meal solution service, aimed at making sustainable eating easier and more accessible.
“Our supplier-led model means that none of the growers we work with grow exclusively for Oddbox – we only take produce at risk of going to waste. We’ve rescued more than 50,000 tons of food, saving billions of liters of water and significant carbon emissions. Since the beginning, we’ve partnered with charities like FareShare, to donate any extra fruit and veg at the end of each week, which then redistributes the surplus produce to charities and community groups to provide nutritious meals to those who need them. So far, we’ve donated the equivalent of 1,967,526 meals, saving a further 820 kilograms of fruit and veg.”
Having reached the milestone of distributing ten million boxes, we ask Emilie her thoughts on this achievement. “It’s a powerful reminder of the impact a single idea can have,” she reflects. “Every box represents rescued produce, carbon saved, and people doing good with their food choices. We’re reimagining what sustainable eating can look like, putting rescued veg at the center of meals and helping people eat well with less waste.
“However, it’s also a sobering reminder of the scale of the challenge our growers face on the farm. We’re really proud of the impact we’ve been able to have, providing a reliable outlet for growers’ surplus and odd produce while also taking our customers on a journey to rethink the way they view food.”
For the remainder of 2025 and as we look to 2026, Oddbox is focusing on expanding ‘The Market’, improving user experience, and launching an early version of its meal solution. “We aim to significantly increase customer engagement, deepen our impact on reducing food waste, and enhance our customer experience across all channels,” Emilie elaborates. “In five years, we envision Oddbox as the UK’s leading climate-conscious meal solutions provider. We aim to triple our current impact, rescuing over 150,000 tons of food, and becoming a household name synonymous with sustainability, convenience, and quality. Ultimately, our goal is not just to reduce waste but to inspire systemic change within the food industry.
“We’re committed to collaborating widely and transparently, ensuring our impact reaches well beyond our immediate customers and partners,” she concludes. “Food waste isn’t just about leftovers, as it happens much earlier in the chain. We all have a role to play and small changes to add up. It’s not about guilt, but about agency, and the more we reconnect with where things come from, the more conscious we become. At Oddbox, we’re passionate about enabling everyone to take small, meaningful steps towards a better planet through their everyday food choices.”