Urban farming company Infarm has become the first hydroponic farming system that is now listed and certified by UL, the global safety science leader.
Infarm’s in-store vertical farming units designed for growing herbs, salads and other leafy greens directly in stores or restaurants are now certified under CAN/UL 8800, the Standard for Horticultural Lighting Equipment and Systems, demonstrating that the farming units are constructed to ensure highest safety.
“Technology is at the heart of our business,' said Guy Galonska, co-founder and chief technology officer at Infarm. 'With our data-driven and cloud-connected modular vertical farms, both in-store and large-scale farming units, we reshape the way our food is produced.
'It enables us to grow close to where consumers are, using minimum natural resources such as water and land space and without chemical pesticides,' he continued. 'Our farming method minimises climate and supply chain risks to grow food every single day of the year as we do that in a closed environment.
'Having our own high standards for quality assurance in hardware and software in place, the UL certification proves our commitment to food and operational safety and quality and we are proud to be the first hydroponic system worldwide certified by UL.'
Dr Hans Laschefski, UL’s business development manager for the lighting industry in Europe, explained that Horticultural lighting was one of the fastest growing segments for the lighting industry worldwide.
He identified factors such as climate change and a rapidly growing population as crucial drivers of the need for standards in this area of the lighting market.
“We are proud to support InFarm with the required safety certificate for this new horticultural lighting system …and look forward to continuing our work to find new solutions for new horticultural technology,' Laschefski said.
The certification is listed with file number E519218 for both the US and Canada. Besides the UL certification for North America, the new generation of in-store farms is also certified with CE and CB for European markets and Japan.
The current in-store farming system is certified with QPS Field Evaluation for the US and Canada and CE certified for Europe and Japan.
Infarm has long-term agreements with major North American retailers Kroger, Sobeys, Safeway and Thrifty Foods since 2019 and 2020 respectively. In Canada, Infarm announced extending the existing partnership with retail giant Sobeys this summer.
'In the future, consumers can expect to select from a range of new Infarm produce including tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, mushrooms, convenient cut salads and even potted plants which will be added to the current selection of herbs, salads, leafy greens and microgreens,' the group added.
