Where good food doesn’t cost the earth
PRODUCING SUSTAINABLE FOOD NEEDN’T PUT IT OUT OF REACH OF ORDINARY SHOPPERS, AS CHRIS BALDWIN, WHO SUPPLIES TOMATOES TO LIDL, CAN SHOW
GROWING FRESH fruit and veg for Lidl means embracing sustainability, and producing food where the focus is on quality.
For Chris Baldwin, who supplies the supermarket chain with piccolo and vine tomatoes from the Kent farm where he is operations director, the process involves a clever balance of technology and human expertise. “Data and science help determine how much we grow, but our skilled pickers hand select only the best tomatoes to go in every pack,” he explains.
It’s a passion for the scientific side of things that has taken Chris to where he is today. Not a born son of the soil, his interest was sparked by a holiday job picking tomatoes aged 16; after finishing school he went back to the farm and learned all aspects of the business.
A REAL MIX
“What kept me here is the mix of science, engineering, technology and mathematics with the physical side of things.” he says.
Much of that technology goes towards improving the quality of the tomatoes in preference to higher yields. “We put a lot of time into getting the right density of plants,” Chris explains. “Overcrowding can result in tomatoes that are too small. A vine might deliver up to 18 fruits, but we can reduce that to 14 or so to maximise the energy, we cut down on waste.
“Light levels here are good and this is key for growing all crops, including tomatoes. It boosts the rate
“Piccolo seems to be our most consistently popular variety. That’s cherry on the vine, with a really nice balance between acidity and flavour. Half the site will be dedicated to those.”
When it comes to sustainability, as much material as possible is recycled or composted. But that’s not all, as Chris explains: “Heat coming off the farm’s electricity generators is diverted to the glasshouses, as is the CO2 run-off; the crops are hungry for CO2, so it’s better than putting it into the atmosphere.
“In fact, the power we generate is far greater than we need, so it gets exported to the grid for local homes to use.”
COMMITMENT
Demonstrating Lidl’s own ongoing commitment to sustainability, by 2023 all its non-organic British fruit and veg farms will be LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) Marque certified.
It’s an initiative that our farming industry. To that end it has pledged to invest £15billion in British food and farming (see box).
Lidl also looks out for those who work picking, packing and delivering the produce it sells. Chris’s business is very much in step with this: “Fortunately it’s becoming more common across the industry to think about staff. We have very transparent ways of working, and encourage staff to feed back on what could be improved. Happy staff are really key.”
The good news for Britain’s shoppers is that, despite growing these tomatoes sustainably and looking after all those involved in the production process, Lidl is still able sell them at its famously competitive prices. Sounds like a win-win.
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Piccolos have a great balance of acidity and flavour. Half the site is dedicated to those” Chris Baldwin, operations director