AGF Klasse 3

Renée Boute, an Utrecht-based graphic and product designer, strives to discover new properties of conventional materials. She collaborates with scientists, Buddhists and mothers as sources of material knowledge.

‘AGF’ – a Dutch acronym for potatoes, vegetables and fruit – denotes the industrial rejection of produce based on aesthetic deviations and represents a loss of produce that is deemed unsuitable for consumers. Part of AGF ‘Class 3’ is used in animal feed; most, however, is composted. Boute’s project AGF Klasse 3 aims to make clear to consumers that there is nothing wrong with these products. The product is a cookbook whose paper is actually made of rejected vegetables and fruit. The recipes, developed with chef Willem Versteeg, highlight the usability of straight-to-compost produce. Each page is made of a different type of rejected vegetable or fruit; furthermore, each recipe includes a wafer-thin piece of a dried and preserved vegetable that is used as a final garnish or flavoring. Cooks now have the tools to ensure that ‘ugly’ produce does not end up as waste.