Consumers pick fruits in supermarkets

In about 10 years, supermarkets will be able to plant trees on shelves so that customers can disconnect their favorite vegetables and fruits.

Instead of buying available packages of tomatoes or strawberries, consumers will have the opportunity to 'harvest' things they like right from the tree. This idea was proposed by Futurelab - a company that predicts UK-based business trends - and Sainsbury's supermarket chain.

Lucy MacLennan, technical director of Sainsbury, said: 'Growing plants in supermarkets will completely change the way we sell agricultural products to consumers. It will give customers the opportunity to buy the freshest, best products'.

In an industrialized country like England, it takes 3-4 days to bring agricultural products from fields to supermarkets. Under Sainsbury's plan, trees will be planted in water tanks. They are miniature greenhouses, allowing plants to grow without soil. People use a nutrient-rich solution to grow plants, thereby eliminating the use of pesticides.

The tanks are very light so farmers can transport them from the farm to the supermarket while the tree continues to grow. Ms. MacLennan commented that the prospect of consumers self-harvesting vegetables in supermarkets will only happen for at least the next 10 years.

'It will help supermarkets eliminate packaging and reduce waste. The new way of selling agricultural products is not only meaningful for the environment, but also allows us to reduce costs because we do not have to buy wrapping paper. So we're seriously considering it, ' MacLennan said.

Agricultural products that can be sold in this way must be light enough, such as strawberries, grapes, tomatoes, mushrooms, apples, soybeans.