"City Farming" system from the Netherlands wins FLIA 2013

The FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award 2013 (FLIA) goes to the "City Farming" system from the Staay Food Group , the Netherlands. Custom greenhouses with specialised LED lighting allow seeds to be cultivated into young plants within 35 days independently of their natural season. Optimum growing conditions make pesticides completely unnecessary. Temperature, irrigation and fertilizing are controlled automatically. City Farming offers a sustainable, environmentally-friendly method of producing healthy food for a rapidly growing global population. "We are very proud of our FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award 2013. The development of the City Farming system wouldn't have been possible without our partners. I would like to thank the jury for their appreciation of our work," said Hans de Groot of the Staay Food Group at the award ceremony. Trade visitors at the world's leading fresh produce trade fair voted "Apfel-Schiffchen®" into second place. These ship-shaped apple slices were developed by Elbe-Obst Vertriebs GmbH , Germany. A new drying technique guarantees crispness and prevents browning. Third place went to Tozer Seeds Ltd. , of the UK for "Flower Sprout TM" , a cross between Brussels sprouts and kale with green and purple leaves. FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award (FLIA)The FLIA is awarded for outstanding innovations in the fruit and vegetable sector. It honours new products and services that have set new trends in the marketplace. A panel of experts selected ten outstanding innovations introduced over the past year. The FLIA nominations were prominently displayed in a special exhibit at FRUIT LOGISTICA. Trade visitors had two days in which to select their favourites. Previous FLIA winners include "Salanova" lettuce from Rijk Zwaan (2006), "Vitamini's" vegetable snack from FresQ/Rainbow Growers Group (2007), "Intense" beef tomato from Nunhems Netherlands BV (2008), "Sweet Green Pepper" from Enza Zaden (2009), the "Arils Removal Tool" (ART) from Mehadrin Tnuport Export (2010), "Limeburst Fingerlimes" from Australia (2011), and "Angelo" baby sweet peppers from Syngenta Seeds B.V. (2012). The second picture belongs to the award ceremony. Robert Broadfoot, General Manager, FRUCHTHANDEL MAGAZINE (left) and Gérald Lamusse, Global Brand Manager of FRUIT LOGISTICA, Messe Berlin GmbH (right) hand Hans de Groot the Innovation Award 2013.