On the fifth floor of Strijp-S in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, lettuce is growing. Under LED lighting, and completely circular. The fertilizer for the lettuce comes from fish, the roots of the lettuce are used to feed insects, and these insects feed the fish. The plants, meanwhile, have to do nothing else but hang in the water, according to Jos Hakkenes in a segment in Dutch TV show Binnenstebuiten about the 'vegetable garden', where people work who experience difficulty on the labor market.
The different lettuce varieties are being mostly supplied as mixed lettuce to restaurants. Not everything is a success, as the basil failed for example. The cultivation climate is still a compromise. Something to work on in the coming years. Jos in the broadcast: "It is not much yet, but sales are growing. I expect to place this kind of cultivation location at multiple locations in The Netherlands".