Belgian retailer Delhaize is testing a new 'urban farm' initiative on the roof of one of its stores in the Brussels area.
The farm consists of a garden and a greenhouse, and will grow a selection of vegetables that will be available for customers to buy in the store below.
This year, Delhaize will be growing five different kinds of lettuce, including baby leaf and watercress, with the aim of having 5,200 plants by the end of the season.
Next year, the retailer plans to add a range of vegetables, such as tomatoes, courgette, and aubergine.
The 360 square metre farm, located at Delhaize's Boondael store in Elsene, has been created in collaboration with gardeners and other business partners.
Sustainability
Delhaize says that this initiative is part of the retailer's long-term commitment to provide local, sustainable products, while lowering CO2 emissions from the supply chain.
It also plans to extend the rooftop farm concept to more stores if the test in Elsene is successful.
"Developing a healthy and high-quality nutritional patter is one of the challenges of the Brussels region," said Céline Fremault, Brussels minister for environment and energy.
"This first city farm of Delhaize is therefore an excellent initiative, which fully fits into one of Brussels' ambitions: to increase local production."
Delhaize says that it is the first supermarket in Belgium to to grow vegetables on top of its stores, however, Carrefour unveiled a similar urban agriculture initiative in France earlier this year.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
