Emirates Flight Catering, based in the United Arab Emirates, has fully acquired Emirates Bustanica, formerly Emirates Crop One, and its consumer brand Bustanica, the world's largest indoor vertical farm.
Located near Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, Bustanica's 330,000-square-foot facility can grow more than 1 million kilograms of leafy greens annually, equivalent to 3 tons daily, while using 95 percent less water compared to conventional agriculture.
Bustanica launched in July 2022 and its range of leafy greens, herbs and microgreens are made to be eaten right out of the box; says that even tap water can contaminate the product. It grows a variety of lettuces, spinach, parsley and kale, and all produce on the premises is grown without pesticides or herbicides.
The facility is based on the use of technology including machine learning, artificial intelligence and other proprietary technologies. It has an in-house team of agronomy experts, engineers, horticulturists and plant scientists.
Emirates Air Catering Opens World's Largest Vertical Farm
Operating under the Bustanica brand, the product is available at all major retailers in the UAE including Spinney's, Waitrose, Carrefour and Choithrams.
Additionally, customers of Emirates and other airlines also receive these farm-fresh products in their salads and meals.
Emirates Flight Catering operates the world's largest catering centre, located at Dubai International Airport.
Earlier this month, Emirates revealed some of the figures involved in its catering operations. It said it serves 490 flights daily and 149 meals per minute (or 215,000 meals per day) are served worldwide. 1,400 dedicated chefs are needed to prepare these meals at their catering facilities in Dubai and other parts of the world.
Over the course of a year, Emirates said it served 6 million kilograms of fresh chicken, 350,000 kilograms of beef, 266,000 kilograms of Atlantic salmon fillets, 2.2 million kilograms of whole potatoes, 1.7 million kilograms of pasteurized eggs and 3.1 million kilograms of fresh fish. baked breads and pastries, as well as thousands of vegan and vegetarian meals.
emirates.com
