Marks and Spencer launches three robotics grown vertically farmed salads across retailer's stores
M&S has brought three new salad products to stores, grown indoors using vertical farming, where temperature, light and water are optimised to create consistent growing conditions year round.
Robotics are used to plant the seeds, which are grown with a growing substrate instead of soil to direct the exact nutrients needed to grow the perfect leaf. UV lights in the vertical farm maintain the perfect conditions for the leaves to grow.
M&S says that this approach not only enhances product quality and customer convenience - as the salads require no washing before consumption, but also supports more sustainable agriculture using 96% less water and eliminating the need for pesticides. Fertiliser use is also reduced by around 97%, and crops are grown without the use of pesticides.
The three salad varieties grown in this way - Citrus Sorrel Baby Leaves, Spicy Baby Leaves and Baby Garlic Kale - are exclusive to M&S Food stores. As the leaves are grown in a controlled environment and harvested without soil, they can be picked at the optimal moment for consistent quality and flavour and packed within 60 seconds of harvest. This results in salads that stay fresher for up to five days longer than an average bag of salad.
Andrew Clappen, Director of Technical for M&S Food, says: “The future of food is about finding new and innovative methods which put less pressure on the environment while delivering the best in market flavour and quality. These Collection salads are vertically grown exclusively for M&S and bring new flavours to our customers with a dramatically reduced water consumption - supporting our Plan A goal to reach net zero by 2040 across our supply chain.”
Daniele, Co-Founder and CEO at Planet Farms, says: "Today marks a major milestone for Planet Farms and for the future of fresh produce in the UK and Ireland. After years of close collaboration and joint development with M&S, we are incredibly proud to launch four M&S own label products nationwide and deliver the UK’s first own label vertically farmed salad range. This achievement reflects the uncompromising approach to quality and innovation and the passion for exceptional produce that brought Planet Farms and M&S together in the first place. We are excited to bring these new products to customers across the country."
The vertical farming products sit alongside M&S’s Plan A for Farming, a five‑year commitment launched last year to help deliver a more sustainable future for food. Through the programme, M&S is also working with conventional farmers to adopt regenerative practices that improve soil health and boost biodiversity, including planting cover crops and herbal leys, reducing tillage, and establishing hedgerows and trees.
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Robotics will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
