Safeway sources from vertical farms

US retailer Safeway is making healthy greens more accessible to smaller communities by welcoming produce from vertical farming company Plenty to 17 more stores across Northern California — bringing the total number of stores carrying Plenty products in the region to 53, according to Progressive Grocer. The additional Albertsons-owned stores, which include Safeway and Vons, are part of a multiyear agreement between the two companies to expand Plenty produce into more than 430 Albertsons-owned stores across the state of California. The new store locations are primarily in smaller communities, making Plenty the first indoor vertically farmed produce available to these shoppers.

Plenty’s plant scientists, engineers and farmers have developed its indoor vertical-farming technology to grow nutrient-rich and pesticide-free plants year-round. Using data analytics, machine learning and customized lighting, the farming tech company is able to coax the natural flavours and nutrients from the plants. Plenty grows multiple crops in a building the size of a retail box store, yielding hundreds of acres using a fraction of the water and other precious resources.

In addition to debuting in more store locations, Plenty is debuting a first-of-its-kind Text-a-Farmer feature, on display next to its greens in stores. In the age of COVID, when human contact has been limited and in-person sampling restricted, Plenty’s texting feature connects with shoppers directly to answer questions and share information. Text-a-Farmer lets shoppers text questions while shopping and receive an answer directly from a Plenty farmer. Questions can cover anything related to Plenty and its produce, including “Do you use pesticides on your leafy greens,” “Is your packaging recyclable,” and “How do I keep my greens fresh longer?”