Fresh Care Convenience, the pre-packed salads division of Dutch supplier Staay Food Group, is pressing ahead with plans to develop a vertical farm next to its headquarters in Dronten, central Netherlands.
The company, which confirmed the plan with the launch of a new, dedicated website, is partnering with vegetable seed breeder Rijk Zwaan, greenhouse installation specialist Certhon, consultancy and engineering firm DON Bureau, Philips Lighting and the Aeres University of Applied Sciences to establish faster and pesticide-free production of a range of lettuce varieties in a closed-loop environment under LED lights.
The decision follows more than two years of trials on products such as lollo biondo, lollo rosso, frisee and rocket, using seeds supplied by Rijk Zwaan.
“Our plant specialists at the Philips GrowWise research centre have proven that it is possible to cultivate using only LED light,” commented Udo van Slooten, managing director at Philips Lighting Horticulture LED Solutions. “They are using a variety of seeds to test for the most suitable lettuce varieties.”
Staay said it saw many benefits of growing, harvesting and processing within a single building, enabling it to control as much of the pre-packed salad supply chain as possible from cultivation to production to processing.
“For instance, consumers receive extremely fresh products, which have a longer shelf-life because processing is accelerated and transport is eliminated,” it commented.
“In addition, there is no need to use pesticides because products are grown in an enclosed environment. Water is also used very efficiently during the cultivation process, which means the product is extremely sustainable from a variety of perspectives.”
Staay has apparently decided to develop the vertical farm as part of a consortium in order to ensure it secures all of the necessary expertise in areas like seed breeding, lighting and cultivation techniques.
“Together with our partners, we see the project in Dronten as a learning process that allows every member of the consortium to gain knowledge and experience,” the company added.
