Infarm’s technology is first hydroponic farming system worldwide to recieve UL certification
The new generation of Infarm’s in-store vertical farms for retailers and restaurants is now UL certified for the United States and Canada.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, January 19, 2022 -- Infarm, the rapidly growing urban farming company with global and North American presence, is the first hydroponic farming system that is now listed and certified by UL, the global safety science leader. Infarm’s in-store vertical farming units designed for growing herbs, salads and other leafy greens directly in stores or restaurants are now certified under CAN/UL 8800, the Standard for Horticultural Lighting Equipment and Systems, demonstrating that the farming units are constructed to ensure highest safety.
“Technology is at the heart of our business. With our data-driven and cloud-connected modular vertical farms, both in-store and large-scale farming units, we reshape the way our food is produced. It enables us to grow close to where consumers are, using minimum natural resources such as water and land space and without chemical pesticides. By collecting millions of data points from the plants in the whole network we always know what the plants need to grow in the best way. Our farming method minimizes climate and supply chain risks to grow food every single day of the year as we do that in a closed environment. Having our own high standards for quality assurance in hardware and software in place, the UL certification proves our commitment to food and operational safety and quality and we are proud to be the first hydroponic system worldwide certified by UL”, states Guy Galonska, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Infarm.
“Horticultural lighting is one of the fastest growing segments for the lighting industry worldwide,” noted Dr. Hans Laschefski, UL’s business development manager for the lighting industry in Europe. He identified factors such as climate change and a rapidly growing population as crucial drivers of the need for standards in this area of the lighting market. “We are proud to support InFarm with the required Safety Certificate for this new horticultural lighting system … and look forward to continuing our work to find new solutions for new horticultural technology.”
Each in-store farming unit requires less than 2 square metersor less than 20 square feet of space. The new generation uses even less water and less energy and has a higher plant output than the previous model: up to 760 plants per month from up to 8 different varieties which can be grown in one farm. Infarm’s farming-as-a-service model includes that field growers visit the stores frequently to harvest mature plants, plant new seedlings and maintain the farming units. In addition, Infarm delivers fresh sustainably grown produce from the nearby Growing Centers directly to the supermarkets or their distribution centers.
The certification is listed with file number E519218 for both the U.S. and Canada. Besides the UL certification for North America, the new generation of in-store farms is also certified with CE and CB for European markets and Japan. The current in-store farming system is certified with QPS Field Evaluation for the U.S. and Canada and CE certified for Europe and Japan.
Infarm has long-term agreements with major North American retailers Kroger, Sobeys, Safeway and Thrifty Foods since 2019 and 2020 respectively. In Canada, Infarm announced extending the existing partnership with retail giant Sobeys this summer.
In the future, consumers can expect to select from a range of new Infarm produce including tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, mushrooms, convenient cut salads and even potted plants which will be added to the current selection of herbs, salads, leafy greens and microgreens.
---------
About Infarm
Infarm was founded in Berlin in 2013 by Osnat Michaeli and the brothers Erez and Guy Galonska. Passionate to become self-sufficient and eat better, they were growing their own food, enjoying all the flavor and nutrients, without the chemical pesticides and transport kilometers. With the aim to share the goodness of self-grown produce with everyone, they developed a smart modular farming system that allows distribution of vertical farms throughout the urban environment, growing fresh produce in practically any available space and fulfilling practically any market demand. Today, with cutting edge R&D, patented technologies and a leading multi-disciplinary team, Infarm is growing a worldwide farming network helping cities become self-sufficient in their food production, while significantly improving the safety, quality, and environmental footprint of our food.
With a multinational team of more than 1,000 people globally, Infarm has partnered with more than 30 major food retailers including Aldi Süd, Amazon Fresh, Auchan, Carrefour, Casino, E.Leclerc, Edeka, Empire Company Ltd (Safeway, Sobeys, ThriftyFoods), Farmdrop, Intermarché, Irma, Kaufland, Kinokuniya, Kroger, Marks & Spencer, Metro, Migros, Selfridges, Selgros and Whole Foods Market in Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States and Switzerland, deployed more than 1,400 farms in stores and Infarm Growing Centers, saved more than 16,000,000 gallons of water and 600,000 square feet of land, while harvesting 1,000,000+ plants monthly and growing.
About UL
As the global safety science leader, UL helps companies to demonstrate safety, enhance sustainability, strengthen security, deliver quality, manage risk and achieve regulatory compliance. UL’s experts are pioneering analysis for emerging agricultural and horticultural technologies, such as LED lighting, luminaries, components and systems.
Press contact
Janina Baldin
Senior Media Relations Manager Infarm
Contact UL
For more information, please visit UL Horticultural Lighting Testing and Certification at https://www.ul.com/services/horticultural-lighting.