Lower-carbon broccoli hits Tesco shelves

Tesco has unveiled a home-grown range of broccoli produced using low-carbon techniques.

Up to 50 tonnes of the crop, cultivated at a Lincolnshire farm, hit shelves this week.

The farm, which Tesco said had been developed in partnership with some of its established vegetable suppliers, is exploring innovations including low-carbon fertilisers, alternative fuels, state-of-the-art cold storage, and carbon removal techniques.

Both the broccoli and purple sprouting broccoli were produced by Tesco supplier TH Clements. It is said to have performed as well as broccoli grown using conventional methods. 

It was grown using several different sustainable agriculture methods, including cover cropping, which locks nutrients into the soil and improves drainage.

It was also nurtured in peat-free soil in glasshouses before being transferred to the farm, with the aim of reducing the crop’s carbon footprint, Tesco said.

The farm is one of two set up by the retailer to help drive carbon emission-reduction, improve efficiencies, and encourage nature protection and restoration.

They were launched in response to recommendations in Tesco’s Greenprint for UK Farming report, which was informed by the views of farmers, and published at the start of the year.

“It’s great to see the first fresh vegetables from our low-carbon concept farm now being stocked in Tesco stores across the UK,” said Natalie Smith, Tesco’s head of sustainable agriculture and fisheries.

“One of the aims of the farm is to test and learn from a variety of low-carbon approaches, which in turn can de-risk the process for other farms in our supply chain and further afield.” 

Increasing funding for innovation in UK agriculture was one of the key recommendations in Tesco’s Greenprint for UK Farming report.

“It’s vital farmers have the ability to invest in new technology and approaches, if we’re to tackle the challenges caused by climate change and nature loss,” Smith added.

Peter Taylor, TH Clements agricultural director, added: “We’re thrilled the first broccoli grown on the low-carbon concept farm is now available in Tesco stores. As well as testing and scaling a number of different techniques, we want to ensure other farms in the Tesco supply chain can benefit from the work we’re doing, so it’s great to see the quality of the crop now being harvested. It’s performed just as well as crops grown using conventional methods, so there is real potential for these techniques to be used more widely.”

Greener potatoes to come

Branston, Tesco’s potato supplier, is leading the project and is due to start its own potato harvest later this month.

With 20 acres of potatoes grown on the farm using low-carbon methods, Branston will harvest 520 tonnes from next week, which will be stored for later in the year.

The potatoes grown at the farm are said to have benefited from a variety of growing techniques to reduce their environmental impact.

These include using a combination of low-carbon fertilisers, with validated carbon reduction benefits and using a reduced cultivation system which involves fewer tractor passes, minimising soil disturbance and reducing the amount of fuel needed.  

Growers have also deployed drones for early disease identification and targeted applications, and trickle irrigation to help save water and improve efficiency. 

“Our ‘recipe’ for growing low carbon potatoes has really moved on this year and we’re delighted that customers will soon be able to buy these in store for the first time,” said Mark Willcox, agronomy director at Branston.

“We’ve been really pleased with this year’s crop, with quality and yield being at least as good as crop grown in the conventional way. We already have exciting plans to work with Tesco next season to lower the carbon footprint further.”