If the UK is to hit its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, our food supply chains will have to become much more sustainable, given global food systems now account for one-third of all greenhouse gases. Supermarkets have a key role to play in how those systems change, but it's a daunting task, especially when it comes to ensuring the fresh produce we expect stays on our shelves all year round.
One way involves supporting innovation among its suppliers, such as Wicks Farm, one of a handful of growers using vertical farms to supply Tesco with some of the British strawberries it sells year-round.
This high-density approach – which, sees the crop being grown in stacked layers, in a controlled, indoor environment, instead of being grown on tabletops in polytunnels – reduces carbon emissions and requires 50% less water than conventional growing methods, while also delivering three and a half times more fruit per square meter.
It's just one of the strategies Tesco is employing in partnership with British suppliers to farm more sustainably and reduce the carbon footprint of our food.
Read more at The Guardian