Fields, farmers and... Salad growing. Immersion!
Do you want to know everything about salad and its journey from field to fourk? Rocket, lamb’s lettuce, mixed leaves, batavia… there is always one we love to crunch on. But between a market salad and a packaged one, what is different? Let’s check our prejudices at the door with Guillaume P., agronomist at Bonduelle.
Earth and humankind
To successfully grow salads all year long, as much in fields as in greenhouses, a serious know-how is required to make a fluid permanent exchange between farmer-partners. “The same kind of salad cannot grow the same way even a short 30km away: climate, soil… many factors have an impact” explains Guillaume P., agronomist. “The choice for the kind of salad is even more important as it allows to limit the use of crop protection products: by naturally selecting more aphid tolerant or mildew resistant types. We favour bio-control solution, that is natural ways to fight against parasites in salads”. By collaborating with different farmers and comparing their crops, solutions are drawn thank to a constant dialogue. As it is often the same kind of salad which we will find on market stalls and packages: “the only difference is the stage of maturity during which the salad is picked. It is different for chopped salad. For instance, at Blonduelle, we enjoy lettuces with a stronger apple-taste which have more lighter leaves from the heart when they are packaged. We also take into account local consumer preferences. Not all Europeans like the same salads: Germans eat a lot of Iceberg lettuce, the French prefer lettuce, the Italians love the bitterness of chicories… to each their own!”. Agronomic technicity is even greater when it comes to young sprouts. Nothing is random: “To successfully make a harmonious mix of red and green leaves, we sow the different coloured salads directly next to each other. The romaine lettuce are thus growing right next to batavia. But the difficulty is to adapt because it grows quickly in summer and some types will grow even quicker: seeds mixes change depending on the season and the speed of growth. »
Constant quality and commitment
Whichever the case, it is up to the farmer-partner to decide how to best lead his crops. They are guided by Bonduelle’s agronomic charter which goes well beyond legal obligations. This charter requires crop, direct seeding systems and the balanced management of water (drop by drop and water sensors). It relies on the safety and quality of the vegetables, respect for the environment and protection of human beings. Thus, 60% of salad producers who partner with Bonduelle are now LEAF certified (Linking Environment And Farming). That means they commit to only use pesticides and fertilizers when it is an absolute requirement. By leaving a land ridge between crops and hedging and taking care of the edges of their field, biodiversity wins! To allow to farm their fields the most naturally possible, Bonduelle is a source of proposals among its farmer-partners: by sharing good practices, actively searching for concrete solutions to limit some products. The relationship built between Bonduelle and farmers allows to maintain constant quality and commitment. This trust guarantees good farming practices… and can be found in your plate too. Salads from every farmer are also subject to agrochemical and microbiological analyses which allows to control – among other things – residual concentration of crop protection products as well as pathogenic bacteria (listeria, e-coli….) and the absence of forbidden products. Guarantees which cannot be met in unwashed and not packaged fresh salad. Once washed and packaged under modified atmosphere, the salad is ready for eating and can be kept longer than an open air salad: “in packaging, we only play with the proportion of gas already present in the air we breath: nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide… and nothing else”, specifies Guillaume P. What happens to leaves set aside during washing and packaging? “We work hard on reducing waste. Some leaves are put in a compost, others are taken by farmers to feed animals. Nothing is lost!” From field to fork, it comes full circle.