M&S launches futuristic salad leaves using 96% less water

Tender Baby Garlic Kale - one of a new range of vertically farmed leaves launched by M&S in the UK

Marks & Spencer has launched a new range of vertically farmed salad leaves that use 96% less water than traditional farming methods while staying fresh for up to five days longer.

The retailer says the new products represent a major shift in how fresh food could be grown in the future, combining robotics, controlled indoor farming and pesticide-free production to create salad leaves with a smaller environmental footprint and a longer shelf life.

The three exclusive products are now available in M&S Food stores across the UK and Ireland, including Northern Ireland, giving shoppers access to a new generation of salads designed to reduce waste while improving flavour and freshness.

Robot-grown salads arrive in M&S stores

The salads are grown indoors using vertical farming technology, where crops are stacked in layers inside fully controlled growing environments instead of traditional outdoor fields.

Temperature, humidity, lighting and nutrients are carefully managed throughout the growing process, while advanced robotics are used to plant and cultivate the crops.

Rather than being grown in soil, the salad leaves are produced using a specialist growing substrate that delivers nutrients directly to the roots. UV lighting systems then maintain ideal growing conditions year-round.

According to M&S, the process uses around 97% less fertiliser than conventional field-grown salad crops and removes the need for pesticides altogether.

The retailer says the method also significantly cuts water consumption, with up to 96% less water required compared with traditional salad farming.

Exclusive new flavours developed for M&S customers

Three new salad varieties have been developed exclusively for M&S Food stores:

• Citrus Sorrel Baby Leaves

• Spicy Baby Leaves

• Baby Garlic Kale

M&S says the controlled growing conditions allow the leaves to be harvested at the perfect moment for flavour, texture and consistency.

Because the crops are grown without soil and processed immediately after harvesting, the leaves can also be packed within 60 seconds of being picked.

The retailer claims this rapid packing process helps the salads stay fresher for up to five days longer than the average bag of salad sold in supermarkets.

That could have a significant impact on reducing household food waste, particularly as rising grocery costs continue to place pressure on family budgets.

M&S says innovation is key to future food production

Andrew Clappen, Director of Technical for M&S Food, said the project reflects growing pressure on the food industry to produce high-quality food while reducing environmental impact.

He said:

“The future of food is about finding new and innovative methods which put less pressure on the environment while delivering the best in market flavour and quality.

“These Collection salads are vertically grown exclusively for M&S and bring new flavours to our customers with a dramatically reduced water consumption – supporting our Plan A goal to reach net zero by 2040 across our supply chain.”

The salads have been developed in partnership with Planet Farms, a company specialising in vertical farming technology.

Daniele Benatoff, Co-Founder and CEO of Planet Farms, described the launch as a major milestone for fresh food production in the UK and Ireland.

He said the launch followed years of collaboration with M&S and marked the arrival of the UK’s first own-label vertically farmed salad range.

Part of wider sustainability drive

The launch forms part of M&S’s wider “Plan A for Farming” programme — a five-year sustainability strategy aimed at reshaping food production and reducing environmental pressures across its supply chain.

Alongside investment in vertical farming, the retailer says it is also working with conventional farmers to improve soil health and biodiversity through regenerative farming methods.

These measures include:

• planting cover crops

• reducing soil tillage

• using herbal leys

• increasing hedgerows and tree planting

M&S says combining improvements in traditional farming with investment in new technologies will be essential if supermarkets are to continue supplying fresh food year-round while meeting future environmental challenges.

The move comes amid increasing scrutiny over water use, pesticide reliance and food waste within the global food industry, with retailers under growing pressure to show how products are being produced sustainably.

For shoppers, however, the immediate appeal may simply be fresher salad leaves that last longer in the fridge — and a glimpse into what the supermarket shelves of the future could look like.