Posted on 06/05/2009 2:55:15 AM PDT by Schnucki
They look more like the brightly lit shelves of a chemists shop than the rows of a vegetable garden.
But according to their creators, these perfect looking vegetables could be the future of food.
In a perfectly controlled and totally sterile environment - uncontaminated by dirt, insects or fresh air - Japanese scientists are developing a new way of growing vegetables.
Called plant factories, these anonymous looking warehouses have sprung up across the country and can churn out immaculate looking lettuces and green leaves 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Every part of the plant's environment is controlled - from the lighting and temperature, to the humidity and water. Even the levels of carbon dioxide can be minutely altered.
Rather than the conventional scruffy clothes and dirty fingernails of vegetable growers, the producers wear gloves, surgical masks and sort of dust proof protective suits normally seen in chemical plants.
The vegetables from plant factories - which include green leaf, romaine lettuce and garland chrysanthemum - are sold at a premium to Japanese shoppers. No pesticides are used - and there is no risk of contamination with food poisoning bugs.
Because the plants are grown in a clean room, they can be eaten safely without washing. Lettuce grown in the factories can be cropped up to 20 times a year.
Some factories are vast - and can produce three million vegetables a year.
The results are hygienic, but it's about as far from real food as you can possibly get.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
They invented a hydroponics facility?
And - “... are sold at a premium to Japanese shoppers.”
They not only “invented a hydroponics facility” they’re able to charge even more than organic farmers!
Thanks for posting! What a cool article!
>> The results are hygienic, but it’s about as far from real food as you can possibly get. <<
Uh, compared to a Twinkie? Seriously: what’s not “real food” about this? (The right balance of micronutrients is a concern, but should be able to be handled by the watering process... if someone keeps an eye on it.)
The comment about it not being “real food” is ridiculous. The fact that it is grown indoors in a controlled environment does not make lettuce any less of a lettuce. Growing like this is certainly efficient space-wise. Whether the cost of these facilities is economical I don’t know, but I would imagine the cost savings regards growth, harvesting and packaging would be big- no chemicals/pesticides, no wasted water, no losses to insects, no variable growth due to weather conditions. The greens look awesome and tasty.
space is at a premium in Japan. Also, their labor force is rapidly shrinking due to an aging population without significant replacement people. I predict that such facilities could show up in Europe soon as well...
B...b...but we were told carbon dioxide is a global warming gas! A pollutant! Why would you pump carbon dioxide into a greenhouse! The horror!
no thanks. I’ll stick to eating my veggies wrapped in teen’s used panties that I get at the japanese vending machine in the Toyko subway. /s
That’s great.
I support this. In an urban environment like Japan this is a perfect solution. Certainly I would rather eat veggies from a factory like this than chemically tainted food from China.
No pesticides, no bugs...whats not to love?
I wonder what the “premium” is. It sounds great, but I wonder how economical it is compared to farm grown food. Of course, some Eco-Nazi will probably label if a Frankenfood.
And as prices of electricity and heating/cooling go up, so too does the price of the product. This is not a process for inexpensive food. This is for the elite.
IT’S PEOPLE!
It wold beat diseased Mexican vegetables and bananas with poisonous spiders.
This already goes on in the US (in a less sterile environment).
http://wisconsinfoodie.com/2008/11/30/growing-power/
bmflr
From what I’ve seen here, people spend a high premium for “organic grown” veggies. The premium for hydroponic, never touched by dirt or human hands veggies would have a lot of people lining up to buy - no matter what the price.
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