Ocado’s ‘vertical farm’ plan for indoor crops

oNLiNe grocery giant ocado is to invest millions of pounds building indoor ‘vertical farms’.

These vast new buildings would house fresh produce, such as salads, tomatoes, herbs and strawberries, grown using ‘sunlight’ from Led bulbs and oxygen-enriched water.

The vertical farms, where produce is grown in tall stacks without soil, would allow ocado to pick items and send them to customers within hours.

The move is part of a wider trend that could see vast quantities of food grown in urban locations rather than on traditional farms, where crops are exposed to the elements.

The vertical farms do not use chemical fertilisers or pesticides. Because there are no natural seasonal changes, Britain would be able to grow fresh produce throughout the winter months – reducing our global imports.

running the vertical farms requires a lot of energy, but the increasing use of solar and wind power means it can be a relatively green form of food production. ocado is ploughing £17million into the emerging vertical farming industry in partnership with UK experts and others from the Us and Holland.

earlier this year, the company signed a £1.5billion partnership with Marks & spencer to give the high street favourite its first home delivery service.

ocado has also acquired a 58 per cent stake in Jones Food company (JFc), based in scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, which covers 5,000 square metres and is already europe’s largest operational vertical farm.

JFc’s plant produces leafy greens and herbs for British customers with its capacity expected to grow to 420 tons a year. ocado said: ‘We foresee a day where customers’ vegetables are harvested hours before they are packed, metres from where they are shipped.’

ocado’s chief executive officer, Tim steiner, said: ‘We believe that our investments today in vertical farming will allow us to address fundamental consumer concerns on freshness and sustainability and build on new technologies that will revolutionise the way customers access fresh produce.’

He added that it hopes to offer fresh produce, ‘delivered to a customer’s kitchen within an hour of it being picked’. James LloydJones, chief executive at JFc, said the company was delighted ocado had chosen to partner with them.

He added that he was ‘certain’ the two companies would work together to ‘transform the way customers experience fresh produce.’