BrightFarms Builds Hydroponic Technology On Grocery Stores

We all want to eat healthy and the cost of shipping our fresh fruits and vegetables from the farm to our plates is a huge deterrent from eating healthy all the time. Transportation is where the majority of the cost comes from. New York City based BrightFarms is trying to cut out the truck drivers and grow our food in the city using hydroponic technologies. Even better, they want to do this where we shop, on top of our grocery stores! Hydroponic technology is great for growing year-round in doors and also on sight.

We are spending our hard earned coin on (surprise, surprise) oil and transportation costs rather than the food itself. The East Coast relies heavily on produce grown on the West Coast and foreign countries due to our seasonal weather conditions. Unfortunately some of our produce is shipped year round. During the transportation time and weeks between being picked and put in our mouths, much of the nutritional value is lost in the process, due to refrigerated trucks.

We all know that transportation also creates increased emissions and New York is not an easy location for sustaining our basic food needs. BrightFarms is developing ways to solve, the major problems with hydroponic greenhouses (Energy consumption, water, and space) that can grow all types of produce including tomatoes, string beans, lettuce, herbs, cucumbers, and strawberries. Because of these new developments hydroponic farming can now yield up to eight times larger a harvest than traditional farming, use less water, no transportation, reduced carbon footprint, no chemicals, no agricultural runoff, and the season rarely ends, making the process cost effective in comparison.

Whole Foods Supermarkets are the first to install BrightFarms pilot project, starting in New Jersey and then in New York City. This venture will establish 10-year contracts with the organic stores, providing cheaper produce year round. The produce will be fresher, healthier, and taste better. Isn’t nice when common sense helps everybody, the farmers, the grocery stores, the consumer, and the planet? It just tastes sweeter. For more information visit brightfarms.com.

brightfarms.com.