A Dietitian’s Review of Misfits Market: An Affordable Way to Reduce Food Waste

Misfits Market is a grocery delivery service that sources specialty groceries, sustainably raised meats, and organic fruits and vegetables that can’t be sold at stores or farms for various reasons.

For example, produce items may have slight imperfections, such as cosmetic blemishes or other alterations in size or appearance. Other items may be available as a result of excess inventory, packaging changes, or being near the sell-by date.

As a result, the selection of items changes weekly.

Share on Pinterest

Misfits Market currently delivers to 44 states across the United States. The service isn’t available in Hawaii, Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.

You can find out whether Misfits Market delivers to your area by entering your zip code on the company’s website.

Prices vary widely for Misfits Market products.

Some products, like herbs or single fruits, may sell for less than $1 each, while meats and cheeses can go for upward of $10 per pound.

Just keep in mind that your cart must contain at least $30 worth of food in order to check out.

Additionally, to receive foods that require a cold pack, like meat or cheese, you’ll need to order at least $30 worth of these cold pack items.

Shipping is a flat $5.50 per box.

Is Misfits Market really cheaper than the grocery store?

I found that some, though not all, of Misfits Markets prices were less expensive than my normal grocery store located in the outskirts of Little Rock, Arkansas.

In fact, many of the prices were comparable to what I’m used to paying, though some were slightly more expensive.

If Misfits Market were to replace your regular grocery shopping (at least, if you live in a low cost-of-living area like I do), you would likely break even.

Here are a few price comparisons of items available at both Misfit Market and the Walmart where I do most of my shopping:

Misfits Market offers hundreds of products each week, including a variety of fresh organic produce, sustainably raised meats, and specialty groceries, like gluten-free, vegan, keto, and paleo-friendly foods.

The website is even set up similar to a grocery store, with food categories referred to as “aisles.”

Here are the aisles you can shop on Misfits Market:

• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Meat & Seafood
• Deli
• Pantry
• Beverages
• Dairy & Alternatives
• Bakery
• Gluten-Free Shop
• Pet
• Household
• Misfits Merch
• Cold Pack

Misfits Market sources ingredients from partnering farms and food hubs across the Americas.

Typically, the company buys foods that would have otherwise been discarded as a result of oversupply, packaging updates, approaching best-by dates, or other similar reasons.

Most of the produce from Misfits Market is certified organic and free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), though the service occasionally offers conventionally grown produce, too.

If you prefer to only buy organic, the company clearly labels organic produce as such, making it easy to select these items.

Misfits Market also offers sustainably caught seafood, grass-fed beef, and free-range non-GMO chicken.

While the meats aren’t organic, Misfits Market does include information on the farms and companies that the meat is sourced from, as well as the practices used at these farms.

You can read more about the quality of animal and plant-based proteins that Misfit Market offers on the website.

Misfits Market provides a wide assortment of fruits, vegetables, and other groceries.

Because the service now requires a minimum order amount, rather than curated subscription boxes, you’re able to choose the foods that best fit your dietary needs and preferences.

While not all of the grocery items are organic, there are options to suit nearly any diet, including vegan, vegetarian, paleo, and Mediterranean diet plans.

You can also opt for low carb produce and groceries if you’re following a low carb or ketogenic diet.

However, keep in mind that Misfits Market can’t guarantee that all of the foods are allergen-free, as items are typically processed and packaged in facilities that may also handle common allergens.

Therefore, the service isn’t suitable for people with severe food allergies or intolerances.

Misfits Market offers a similar shopping experience to other grocery delivery services, like Amazon Fresh and Walmart.

Instead of the previous subscription-based model, Misfits Market only requires that you purchase at least $30 of food to place an order.

To get started, you’ll first create an account and be assigned a weekly delivery day based on your location.

This delivery day is important, as it determines your shopping deadline and billing days.

For example, in my area, the shopping deadline is Thursday, orders are shipped out and billed on Friday, and boxes are delivered on Monday.

After you create your account, you can start adding products to your cart. Once you’re done shopping, you can still edit your cart up until your weekly shopping deadline.

Keep in mind that your order will only process once you’ve reached the $30 minimum. Similarly, if you have $30 worth of food, your cart will automatically process on the shopping deadline day, even if you didn’t intend to place an order that week.

Delivery and packaging

My box shipped on a Friday and was delivered on Monday morning, my assigned delivery day.

I thought the packaging was excellent. All of the meats I ordered were kept in a separate insulated bag (containing additional ice packs) away from the produce and pantry items, and the glass jars were wrapped in paper.

Even after being in transit for 3 days, the meat and ice packs inside the cold pack were still frozen.

Everything was contained inside of an insulated liner within the shipping box, and the top and bottom of the box was layered with ice packs.

Despite being placed in the box without additional packaging, the produce arrive in good condition. Though, everything was covered in fennel fronds, but no harm done there.

Although my order was in excellent shape, according to Misfits Market, if items arrive damaged you can submit a request for a full refund. If your request is approved, the company assures that you’ll get your money back within 5 days.

Taste and freshness

Here’s the produce that I ordered in my first box:

• organic baby broccoli
• organic zucchini
• organic Napa cabbage
• organic bunched rainbow carrots
• organic fennel
• organic mixed oyster mushrooms
• organic royal trumpet mushrooms

All of the items arrived in immaculate condition and looked similar in quality to food I’d buy at the grocery store.

What’s more, with the exception of zucchini and Napa cabbage, most of the produce I received isn’t available at my local supermarket.

Everything tasted excellent, too. My family loves mushrooms, so it was nice to try varieties other than the portobellos and baby bellas that our grocery store typically carries.

It was also fun to cook with fennel for the first time.

In addition to produce, I ordered several meats and pantry items, all of which arrived in good condition.

I can definitely see how Misfits Market could replace a trip to the grocery store, especially if you’re already well-stocked on basics like salt, pepper, and cooking oil or butter.

My order, which included the produce listed above, several pounds of meats, several types of breads, and a few miscellaneous pantry times, cost just under $100, including shipping and taxes.

Misfits Market is a great way to incorporate more produce in your weekly menu while also helping combat food waste. Plus, it may help save time, and possibly money, compared with shopping at the grocery store.

As my family discovered, the service can also add more diversity to your diet by allowing you to experiment with new fruits and vegetables.

In particular, I think it could be useful for people within the service area who live in more rural areas and have limited access to the types of foods sold by Misfits Market.

The service is also suitable for people following certain diets, such as gluten-free, keto, paleo, and vegan.

With that said, as items are processed in facilities that handle common allergens, it’s not a good fit if you have severe food allergies or intolerances.

Misfits Market isn’t the only delivery service aimed at reducing food waste.

For instance, Imperfect Foods is a similar service that also delivers produce with cosmetic blemishes or imperfections.

The service provides both conventional and organic produce and offers other types of food as well, including meat, fish, grains, dairy products, and snacks. Though, unlike Misfits Market, Imperfect Foods is a subscription-based service.

Hungry Harvest is another alternative that offers “rejected” produce.

The service provides conventional and organic produce subscription boxes, and also allows for add-ons from a small selection of pantry staples, dairy products, and plant-based dairy alternatives.

However, compared with Misfits Market, Imperfect Foods and Hungry Harvest offer fewer grocery and pantry items, making Misfits Market the best option if you’re hoping to order most of your groceries from one place.

Here’s a quick look at how these three services compare:

Keep in mind there are also several other produce delivery services, including Farm Fresh to You, Farmbox Direct, and Farm to People.

However, these services are not available in all areas, nor do they necessarily offer the same variety as Misfits Market.