Japanese vertical lettuce farmer harnesses AI and robotics for long-life produce

22 Dec 2023 --- Japanese company Spread has launched “Techno Fresh,” a processing method that prolongs the shelf life of lettuce. This innovation, combined with the initiation of an automated salad processing plant near Tokyo, will be used in combating food waste and enhancing food security.

Spread’s new technology combines vertically farmed lettuce with a processing design. The next-generation automated salad processing plant is said to leverage the latest advancements in AI and robotics.

Yurii Voronkov, manager of public relations at Spread, tells Food Ingredients First: “Techno Fresh Hadano is the first salad processing plant to employ this type of processing method. It will supply eight metric tons of long-life cut lettuce products per day to the consumers in the Greater Tokyo Area.” 

“Techno Fresh signifies Spread’s venture from being a vertical farming grower and developer to integrating food processing technology to supply a wider range of products for the customers.”

Addressing food waste

Food waste poses a considerable challenge in Japan, with the nation reportedly discarding in excess of 8 million metric tons on an annual basis.

“Food waste is a global problem which contributes to food insecurity. Furthermore, the connection between food waste and climate change through the greenhouse gas emissions it causes is increasingly recognized as important,” says Voronkov.

“One factor contributing to this is strict regulations in Japan concerning the shelf life of food products. Spread focused on developing fresh-cut products that would have a longer shelf life while retaining freshness, great taste, and quality, which was quite a challenge.”

“Typical fresh-cut lettuce product in Japan has a shelf life of three to four days, while with Techno Fresh, we managed to enhance this for up to six days, based on the microbiological evaluation.”

Cutting down water usage

The “Techno Fresh” method can reduce food waste while also cutting down water usage during processing.

Cut lettuce product produced through Techno Fresh method clears guidelines for viable bacterial count on fresh-cut vegetables (Image credit: Spread).“We managed to carry out the production without resorting to heavy washing, which may be damaging to the vegetables, by using clean vertically farmed produce and dedicated processing design from start to package,” Voronkov explains.

“By reducing the number and time of washing, we managed to reduce water usage during the processing as well.”

“This is on top of the fact that our vertically farmed produce is already produced with very little water compared to outdoor cultivation, which is an important contribution to sustainability given that 64% of water usage in Japan is agricultural use, according to the Ministry of the Environment.”

Agricultural advancements through AI

Japan is a front-runner in high-tech smart farming technologies. The digital transformation is gaining momentum in the agriculture sector across the region. 

Collaborating with partners, Spread endeavors to integrate the latest innovations, including electronics, robotics, engineering, bioscience and the food industry into the agricultural sector.

“Improving productivity and environmental sustainability in the food manufacturing industry in Japan is an important initiative promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Japan. We believe that Techno Fresh can make a significant contribution in this area,” Voronkov elaborates.

“Techno Fresh Hadano employs advanced robotics technology, automating 85% of the processes. One of the highlights is the AI-based lettuce core-removing robot, which is able to cut out the core as efficiently as a veteran employee. ”

“According to our calculations, it will be possible to reduce labor by as much as 57% and yield loss during processing by 63% at the Techno Fresh Hadano,” Voronkov concludes.

By Sichong Wang