This lettuce is so local, they grow it right in the supermarket

At two Seattle-area locations of the supermarket chain QFC, some of their local produce isn’t growing at a farm nearby, or in a greenhouse on the roof. It’s growing directly inside the produce section. The chain, owned by Kroger, is the first in the U.S. to launch modular indoor “farming units” with greens that customers buy fresh. [Photo: Uwe Eichhorn/courtesy Infarm] “For the bulk of the last century, food has been produced far from where it is consumed, generating a supply chain that is environmentally unsustainable,” says Osnat Michaeli, cofounder of Infarm , the German startup that makes the indoor farming units. The company, which already supplies its tech to some European supermarkets, envisions building a global network of “truly local produce” that tastes better, since it’s fresher, and that eliminates emissions from transportation. Like other indoor agriculture, the system also uses 95% less water than growing outside. [Photo: courtesy Infarm] Each “farm” looks like a large refrigerator, with a controlled growing environment inside that adjusts lighting and other factors to create the best flavor in greens and herbs. “The individual farms are connected and remotely controlled by our central farming platform that learns, adjusts, and improves itself continuously, […]

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