Vertically farmed leafy salads now available in Tesco
GrowUp Farms, has launched Unbeleafable, the first range of ready-to-eat salads grown in a vertical farm to be sold in a major UK supermarket. Three products from the range will be available in selected Tesco stores from 26 July.
The Unbeleafable range of salads is grown at GrowUp Farms’ vertical farm, Pepperness, in Kent. The farm says it creates the perfect growing conditions for salad leaves. Unbeleafable salads are grown without pesticides and do not require washing in chlorine to make them ready to eat. Unbeleafable believe its leaves are also tastier and stay fresher for longer than other ready-to-eat bagged salads sold in UK supermarkets.
With research conducted by Unbeleafable finding that 98% of consumers say they throw away bagged salad (survey conducted by Attest into shopping habits and consumer attitudes on 12 July 2023 with 1,000 respondents), the brand is confident its salads stay fresher for longer, so they are less likely to be thrown away.
Unbeleafable is keen to promote its sustainability credentials through the fact that it grows, harvests and packs year-round in the UK at GrowUp’s Kent vertical farm against a background of the UK importing 67% of salads eaten each year and over 90% in the winter (source: DEFRA Horticultural Statistics (2022).
Pepperness has been producing ready-to-eat salads for UK retail and wholesale customers since February. The farm uses 100% renewable energy from a bioenergy plant next door and says once complete, will use 94% less water than ready-to-eat salads grown in a field or greenhouse.
Kate Hofman, founder of GrowUp Farms, who was the only vertical farming industry representative to attend Rishi Sunak’s Farm to Fork Summit earlier this year, says: “At GrowUp Farms, we’ve been growing unbelievably good leaves for over a decade. At Pepperness, our latest farm, we’re producing ready-to-eat salads for major UK supermarkets, demonstrating the commercial viability of vertical farming and its role in sustainable UK food production.
“When people taste our salad, they tell us they didn’t know lettuce could taste this good or last all week! That’s not a surprise when our research shows that 98% of shoppers said they throw away bagged salad. What a waste! We’re incredibly proud that Unbeleafable can help consumers reduce food waste.
“Unsurprisingly, the majority of shoppers (61%) say the thing that bothers them most about bagged salad is that the leaves don’t last long enough. This is why we’re so excited to launch our Unbeleafable salads – they’re crisp and delicious, and they stay fresher in y’fridge! Unbeleafable offers consumers a range of tasty salads – from mild to strong – that have the freshest, crispest, longer-lasting leaves in the UK.
“Unbeleafable and its longer-lasting leaves are here to shake up the bagged salad category. We’re thrilled to be working with Tesco to get salads from our vertical farm onto the plates of more British consumers. It is great that Tesco is backing our sustainable approach to farming to make the UK more self-sufficient and to build a more resilient food and farming system” adds Hofman.
Alex Edwards, category buying manager for horticulture and prepared produce for Tesco said: “We are very excited to be offering Tesco shoppers Unbeleafable, an innovative new range of branded bagged salads that stays fresh for longer and is grown sustainably, which is something we know our customers are increasingly passionate about.”
Unbeleafable salads retail at £1.50 for a 90g bag.
