BrightFarms sells locally grown salads in Ohio Valley Walmart stores

BrightFarms has introduced locally grown packaged salads at select Walmart stores in stores in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Grown in BrightFarms’ Wilmington, Ohio greenhouse, the packaged salads will be available to Walmart shoppers starting this October. The 120,000 square-foot commercial greenhouse opened earlier this year and is BrightFarms’ fourth across the country.

As consumer demand for local produced has increased, BrightFarms has played a key role for national retailers that are looking to source from farms closer to their stores, according to the company.

“The heart of our mission is to provide more of the population with access to fresh, delicious and nutrient-rich local produce. By partnering with Walmart, the largest retailer in the world, we’re able to provide a wider portion of consumers with year-round local produce that was grown by farmers in their own community,” Paul Lightfoot, CEO of BrightFarms, said.

BrightFarms’ hydroponic greenhouses use 80 percent less water, 90 percent less land and 90 percent less shipping fuel when compared to long distance salad growers that are typically located in California or Arizona, the company claims. In addition to its Ohio location, BrightFarms operates greenhouses in Rochelle, Illinois; Culpeper, Virginia, and Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Around the country, BrightFarms’ salad greens are sold in leading retailers such as Kroger, Ahold-Delhaize and Albertsons.