There's a new salad brand that's available. It's called Unbeleafable and it will be available to buy in selected Tesco stores from tomorrow, 26 July, as recent research has learned that a worrying 98% of consumers say they have thrown away bagged salads.
However, that's all set to change. Because Unbeleafable say they can help salad buying consumers reduce food waste that's linked to bagged salads, as it stays fresher and crisper for longer than any other ready-to-eat salads available in the UK.
Unbeleafable is grown by GrowUp Farms (a B Corp) in its vertical farm, Pepperness, in Kent. A vertical farm creates the perfect growing conditions for plants, which means Unbeleafable salad leaves are grown at Pepperness all year-round.
Unbeleafable will also be grown using 94% less water than bagged salads that are produced in fields or greenhouses. Because the salad doesn't need to be grown with pesticides or washed through with chlorine to be ready-to-eat, the leaves are tastier, crispier and stay fresher for longer than other ready-to-eat bagged salads sold in UK supermarkets. As a result, this means it's less likely to be thrown away. So it's better for salad eaters as it tastes better and is better value, too and better for the environment.
Kate Hofman, who is the founder of GrowUp Farms, says: "At GrowUp Farms we've been growing unbelievably good leaves for inh excess of a decade. When people taste our salad, they tell us they didn't know lettuce could taste this good or last all week! That's not a surprise when our research shows that 98% of shoppers said they throw away bagged salad. What a waste!"
"It's not surprising that the vast majority of shoppers (61%) say the thing that bothers them most about bagged salad is that the leaves simply don't last long enough. This is why we're so excited about the launch of our Unbeleafable salads. They're crisp and delicious to begin with, and they stay fresher in your fridge, too!"
It must be pointed out that GrowUp Farms is also helping UK food and farming to become more resilient, sustainable and self-sufficient.
"The UK relies on importing 67% of the salad we eat each year and more than 90% in the winter," points out Kate.
"We create the perfect growing conditions for our leaves. So it's like a Mediterranean spring day every day. We grow year-round in Kent and on a vertical farm where it all happens indoors, in a specially controlled environment. We're not dependent on unpredictable weather, and we don't have to use pesticides or chlorine washing, both of which, obviously, compromise the quality of salad leaves."
GrowUp Farms also combines its innovative farming technology with renewable energy - using electricity and waste heat from the bioenergy plant next door. This is cheaper and more efficient than being connected to the grid, and the farm isn't impacted by labour shortages and gas prices squeezing greenhouse and conventional farms in the UK.
"All great farming uses innovation and technology, vertical farming is one type of sustainable production that will help make the UK more self-sufficient and build a resilient food and farming system," Kate went on to say.
"With Unbeleafable, we're doing something that's brilliantly innovative and making it mainstream. Businesses like ours are needed more than ever to deliver food security and create sustainable supply chains."
Alex Edwards, who is the Category Buying Manager - Horticulture and Prepared Produce for Tesco said: "We're committed to giving our customers the greatest choice of fresh produce, at affordable prices. We know bagged salads are incredibly popular, not only during the summertime, but all year round, too.
"Obviously, we're very excited to offer Tesco shoppers Unbeleafable, an innovative new range of branded bagged salads that stay fresher for longer and are grown sustainably, which is something we know our customers are increasingly passionate about."
Unbeleafable salad also doesn't cost the earth, retailing at just £1.50 for a 90g bag.
There are three salads in the Unbeleafable range at Tesco. These are:
Crisp green leaves - a mild salad containing a mix of green baby lettuce and frilly green baby lettuce (RRP £1.50).
Mixed baby leaves - a mild salad containing a mix of green baby lettuce and red baby lettuce (RRP £1.50).
Rocket & baby Leaves - a stronger flavour, containing a mix of green baby lettuce, red baby lettuce and rocket (RRP £1. 50).
The research undertaken for GrowUp Farms also found that:
66% of people have bought bagged salad in the past year.
38% of people buy bagged salad because it is convenient.
45% of people say they are frustrated that they have to throw bagged salad away.
98% of people admit to throwing bagged salad away.
39% of people do this regularly, or all the time.
My wife and I love salads and find bagged salads very convenient but the truth is they don't last very long and can go off quite quickly. We're looking forward to trying Unbeleafable bagged salads from tomorrow onwards.
