Delhaize sells self-grown vegetables

Five kinds of lettuce
This garden can be found on the roof of the Delhaize in the Boondaal neighbourhood. It is 360 square metres, and was laid with the help of landscapers and specialists in rooftop vegetables gardens. Five varieties of lettuce are grown, mainly lamb's lettuce, but also purslane lettuce, and watercress. There are also more exotic varieties such as baby leaf and asian mix. There are 5,200 plants in total. In order to lengthen the season, half are planted outside, and the other half in a greenhouse.

With this, Delhaize is following a trend. Earlier this month, a vegetable garden was presented on the roof of the Foodmet. This site in Anderlecht, also in Brussels, used to be a butchers. 

Next season, other vegetables will also be cultivated on the roof. These include tomatoes, aubergines, and courgettes. In the long term, Delhaize wants to expand the concept to its other supermarkets as well.

Priced as organic
It will be an experimental garden, the supermarket said earlier. "A shorter chain is almost not possible," they found. "We started this initiative, in the first place, to investigate the possibilities of urban farming. But, this project is more than just a rooftop garden for vegetables. It was also the intention to involve the employees, and the neighbourhood directly, in the management of this city garden", said the supermarket earlier.

It was too soon, then, to estimate the volumes. The produce will be sold, loose, in the shop in Boondael. Delhaize will base their prices on organic products. "The sales price will be somewhat lower than the products' organic counterparts. In principle, the vegetables can be categorised as organic. However, since they are not grown in full soil, but on a roof, we cannot label them as such."