embracing pesticide-free, wash-free lettuce”
- Hitoshi Wada, Director of management and general affairs
Japanese consumers have become increasingly concerned about food safety. People worry about pesticide-treated vegetables cultivated outdoors and the effects of fine particle pollutants that are a serious health risk. Therefore Innovatus’ guiding mission was to “reliably supply safe and secure food and contribute to a sustainable Japan and planet”.
In March 2015 Innovatus, one of the world’s largest completely closed-environment vertical farms, began operating the Fuji Farm using LED lighting. The factory grows five varieties of lettuces, mainly frilled lettuce, green leaf and romaine, and has advanced, automatically-controlled equipment that monitors everything from air temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration to nutrient liquid.
“The Philips LED modules allow us to create consistent quality locally, using only a fraction of the water and electricity compared to open field lettuce or fluorescent lighting,” says cultivation management group team leader Shinichi Kitamura. Innovatus coordinates LED exposure time with shipping times so that even lettuce picked in the afternoon has the same quality as lettuce picked in the morning. Innovatus can also get lettuce into Tokyo supermarkets just two hours after shipment and consumers have praised the lettuce for being both extremely fresh and flavorful without the inconsistencies of lettuce cultivated outdoors.
To produce even more of this fast-selling lettuce, construction plans for a new factory are already underway.
Creating a recipe for growth for indoor farming
At the Philips GrowWise Center we focus on making indoor farming successful. Founded in 2015 to prove the concept of indoor farming, GrowWise has since grown into a research power house.
Green Sense Farms
Green Sense Farms is providing a consistently fresh supply of food for consumers of the Midwest all-year-round.
BrightBox
BrightBox, an expertise center for daylight-free cultivation, makes it easier to go from research to practice.
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Learn more about LED lighting in horticulture by reading our latest articles and case studies.
