- £1, Homegrown, from Asda
What’s the story?
Last year Asda became the first UK supermarket to stock Homegrown, a range of bagged salad leaves from a vertical farm in Gloucestershire.
Why should I buy?
Grown and harvested indoors all year round, the salad crop is unaffected by the weather and seasons, and requires 90 per cent less water than conventional methods. By being farmed vertically it requires less land, too. At Homegrown, 15 layers of growing trays in a 70m x 10m space means each acre used is 15 times more efficient than with traditional farming.
Depending on the crop, the salad leaves take from eight to 20 days to grow and the energy needed is sourced renewably (from solar panels and renewable electricity through the national grid). Plus, as the farm is in the UK, the leaves reach customers without incurring air miles.
Mixed salad bag, Asda, £1
Why shouldn’t I buy?
The salad comes in a plastic bag, though this is recyclable in store and at collection points.
The extra mile
The growers cultivate crops, like these salad leaves, that are otherwise often imported and have a short shelf life.
Grown in
Gloucestershire.
Made using
Light, water, soil and seeds.
Journey
By road.
Our rating
★★★★★
