RIP Aero Farms: it just went bankrupt - Food Politics by Marion Nestle
▻https://www.foodpolitics.com/2023/06/rip-aero-farms-it-just-went-bankrupt
– The kinds of plants that can be grown in vertical farms are limited to those that need relatively low light (e.g. lettuce); even the best LED lights are not strong enough for more profitable vegetables.
– Lettuce from California costs half as much to produce as lettuce from East Cost vertical farms.
– The Achilles heel of indoor farming is the cost of all those lights. Energy from the sun is free. Electricity from the grid is anything but.
AeroFarms reported $35 million in losses in 2021, but predicted profitability by 2024. Vertical farming is in trouble unless it can solve the light problem.