We all know, organic is good for you. Free from pesticides and toxins, any organic food is (in theory) much better and much healthier than its usual average supermarket mass-produced alternative. Having said that, there are parts of the world where organic is not the most preferred, and questionably the healthiest option.
One such place is Fukushima, the location of the latest enormous nuclear disaster. There, Fujitsu, the Japanese tech giant, has turned its free rooms where once they made computer chips, into super clean gardens, where the control over microorganisms is extra strict. The guys are growing lettuce, here is the story.
It might be a bit difficult for the average Westerner to comprehend that a vegetable grown in a room is healthier than the one that is grown under regulated conditions that promote ecological balance and conserve biodiversity. But it does make sense. Currently, in Japan, farmers have to obtain a special certification in order to produce organic food, which is a lot tougher than anywhere else, and I guess it is even harder for farmers to maintain the imposed conditions.
Fujitsu, however, came up with a different idea. They are looking to grow clean vegetables, or Kirei Yasai, in extremely controlled environment- the rooms, previously used to generate computer parts (here is a video). Targeting medical centers, where people have strict food requirements, and any extra chemical intake might be fatal, the company is set to produce clean lettuce with a much smaller potassium content.
The clean lettuce, or as they refer to it, the Aizu-Wakamatsu plant, however, comes at quite a price. If a pound of its organic alternative costs between $3-4, this one comes at around $25 per pound. But ok, it is extremely healthy, and it might be the only type of fresh vegetable that patients with kidney problems can consume.
The guys at Fujitsu are convinced that it will be a huge success. By April 2017, they are looking to generate nearly $65 million in sales.
Image (c) Fujitsu
