Why Silicon Valley wants to hack the food industry

This article first appeared in Mother Jones magazineThe UK's top three food-tech startups Whereas America's food startups think big to secure investment,the UK's approach to food technology is much more about solving local problems with small and often ingenious ideas.GrowUpPossibly the most inventive of our three startups, GrowUp is an urban farm project that wants to provide city dwellers with farming space where land is in short supply. Funded via Kickstarter, the urban farm is built from a disused shipping container (popular in east London) and uses aquaponics to grow vegetables. The idea is to create swaths of Tetris-style allotments for people in the city.Casserole club This is a charitable service that connects people who have a cooked a little extra with those who are in need or unable to cook for themselves. It's a combination of a decentralised meals on wheels and a grassroots Come Dine With Me.Growington Essentially a social network for keen home fruit and vegetable growers. It allows people to swap and share produce that they don't need or are happy to exchange. Growington wants to break the UK's dependency on supermarkets by creating self-sustaining food networks.By Jay McGregorFood scienceFood & drink industryFood & drinkFoodNutritionFood securityResearch and developmentUnited StatesSydney Brownstonetheguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditi...
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