Promoting its leafy greens as cleaner and safer for the planet and people, Eden Green Technology has struck a deal with Walmart to market its produce, which is grown without soil in vertical racks in greenhouses.

“The produce is planted, picked and packed at the same facility, and kept in an unbroken cold chain to the retailer, decreasing the chances of contamination,” according to a Wednesday afternoon news release from the Dallas startup.

“The company’s technology encloses each plant in a medium less — no soil — microclimate bubble, which is monitored and optimized for growth and mitigating contamination.”

Although the greenhouse company did not provide any information about contamination rates comparing field-grown and greenhouse-grown produce, the high tech greenhouse industry has been promoting what it describes as safer food for a number of years.  

Most of those promotions cite the lack of soil, which can contain naturally occurring pathogens such as E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes, and the elimination of wildlife and bird incursions as the primary food safety problems solved by greenhouses.

In addition to their promises of clean produce without a complicated supply chain, Eden Green Technology’s CEO Trey Thomas and co-chairman Jaco Booyens say their produce has other benefits that some consumers define as safety issues for their families.

The Crisply brand produce from Eden Green Technology is non-GMO and pesticide-, herbicide- and chemical-free, according to the news release. The packaged produce that is expected to debut in Walmart stores in Texas next month includes multiple lettuces, greens and herbs.

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