International. Philips Lighting announced the results of testing of growing lettuce and herbs harvested from two vertical japanese customer farms equipped with horticultural LED lighting. Consumers in Tokyo welcomed the pesticide-free and wash-free lettuce grown by Innovatus Inc. with horticultural LED lighting, one of the world's largest vertical farms.
Likewise, convenience stores in the Kanto area — which comprises about a third of Japan's population — can now buy processed foods with fresher, tastier vegetables and herbs grown with horticultural LED light from Delicious Cook Co., Ltd. This process meets the respective 14- and 10-month tests at Innovatus Inc. and Delicious Cook Co., Ltd.
Fresh, safe, locally grown produce from the countryside
A vertical farm is a fully controlled facility where vegetables and herbs are grown in stacked layers without the use of natural light. Conditions are carefully controlled using custom-made growing recipes.
They provide everything you need to harvest high-quality plants: the right light recipe, the ideal temperature, the amount of water, CO2 and the best growing medium. This method of farming results in cleaner, pesticide-free harvests with great flavor and consistent maximum nutrition. Growers achieve higher yields and less waste thanks to the strictly controlled growing environment.
Fast-growing market in Japan
"Increasingly, Japanese consumers are interested in a diverse variety of foods that taste higher quality, healthy and nutritious, and are also offered at a reasonable price," said Udo van Slooten, business leader for Philips Lighting's horticulture business.
He added that "Vertical farms are an ideal way to meet this growing demand for safe and fresh food, especially in a country with highly urbanized areas where space is in high demand. Philips' first commercial vertical farm project opened at Osaka University in Japan in 2014. Now, Japan is one of the fastest growing markets for our LED horticultural systems. Our collaboration with Japanese producers and partners has helped us further refine our LED installations and light recipes to better meet the requirements of the Japanese market."
