Retailers growing produce in automated farms
A plug-and-play method to grow clean, healthy food
GP Solutions, a developer of modular, automated micro-farms, announced it is developing systems for major retailers.
Throughout the world, companies are embracing the concept of growing clean food onsite in easy-to-operate, automated growing pods. Ikea, for instance, is now growing lettuce at its stores and serves the greens to customers at its onsite restaurants.
For many companies, it's a step toward more environmental sustainability.
"There is a need to find better solutions to produce more healthy food using less land and water," Catarina Englund, Innovation and Development Leader at Ingka Group – an Ikea franchisee that operates 367 Ikea stores, told Fast Company. "Urban farming has the potential to transform the global food value chain, as it aims to produce local fresh food within close proximity to meet demand, all while using less natural resources."
Unlike other growers on the market that used fixed, larger greenhouses, GrowPod is a modular, scalable indoor micro-farm with a perfectly controlled environment.
The system is easily transported, allowing cultivation to take place virtually anywhere. GrowPod farmers are provided with data, insights and other tools to grow non-GMO, pesticide-free produce year round.
"GrowPod is the perfect solution for any business that wants to provide clean, fresh food," said George Natzic, President of GP Solutions. "Using significantly less space and water than conventional agriculture, our proprietary plug-and-play growing pods allow any business to have a sustainable, efficient, and environmentally-friendly farm just a few feet away."
channels: food retail, food technology
