It doesn’t get any fresher than this, the salads are grown next to the store using a revolutionary method!

By: STA Date: 2022. 09. 09. 09:32

BILLA became the first food retailer to test vertical farming in Austria. In collaboration with the Israeli agricultural technology company Vertical Field, the herbs and salads are grown in the tank and sold directly to the market after harvest.

As soon as the crop can be picked, customers can take it (Photo: Pixabay)

The container is located in the 10th district of Vienna, in front of the BILLA Plus store, and plans for the construction of the second one are already underway. Each container can produce between 2,000 and 3,000 units per month, so the market is supplied with fresh products almost daily. – Vertical farming is a pioneering idea, so that we can offer the freshest food possible. At BILLA, we increasingly deal with alternative concepts and ideas to support sustainable ways of food production, or – as in this case – to follow them ourselves. Vertical farming means optimal yields in the smallest areas and only a few meters from the shelves. This increases the security of supply and our customers can look forward to the local product selection: year-round and literally grown on our doorstep. – said Eric Scharnitz, BILLA’s sales director.

Vertical farming is made possible by 16-hour LED lights, air conditioning technology, and separate water and nutrient supply lines. It requires 90 percent less water, 30 times less space, and 50 percent less carbon emissions than tillage.

I think we all need to think about how we can ensure that the world’s growing population is fed in the future as crop yields decline due to land cover, monocultures, chemical use and the consequences of climate change. Developing new agricultural areas at the expense of our ecosystem and climate cannot be a solution, but vertical farming is – especially in urban areas. said Ronen Redel, Vice President of Business Development at Vertical Field.

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