Fresh Direct partners with vertical farming firm to launch British produce

Fresh Direct – part of Sysco Speciality Group – has partnered with vertical farming business Fischer Farms to launch a range of British-grown herbs and leafy greens for foodservice customers.

Fresh Direct will sell vertically farmed fresh produce, including basil and watercress, grown in Fischer Farms’ biosecure vertical farm in Norwich.

The four-acre farm, which is one of the largest vertical farms in the world, can produce the same amount of food as 1,000 acres of conventional farmland.

Powered by renewable energy, Fischer Farms’ processes use less land and water, and no pesticides, herbicides or insecticides due to the controlled cultivation process. The produce is grown all year round, completely independent of extreme external weather conditions, which have caused shortages of some imported crops this year.

Fresh Direct points out that vertical farming can help to address some of the logistical issues currently facing the food industry, including crop quality and availability, and environmental concerns around air freight and food miles.

Tom Bartlett, trading manager at Fresh Direct, said: “The partnership with Fischer Farms will lead the way in the foodservice industry. It will help to deliver year-round quality and consistency. And, importantly for chefs, the product will be high quality and look and taste fresher as it will not have to stand up to the rigours of a very difficult supply chain.”