Saudi agtech Red Sea Farms signs MoU with Saudia, to supply locally grown produce

Red Sea Farms has signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudia – the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia. The new partnership will see the airline’s passengers enjoy sustainable, high-quality, locally-sourced meal options, both in-flight and at airport lounges, while also lowering food miles by replacing imports.

Simon Roopchand, CEO of Red Sea Farms Middle East, said: “Our new partnership with Saudia is another step to introduce our unrivalled fresh produce to a wider and discerning public, while significantly scaling our business. As a proudly Saudi-made company contributing to the country’s 2030 goals – including achieving an environmentally sustainable society and the recent extension to net zero by 2060 – we are delighted to partner with the national flag carrier and aim to be the country’s flag carrier for sustainable foods.”

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The global airline alliance, SkyTeam, via its ‘Sustainable Flight Challenge’, encourages its member airlines to deliver locally sourced sustainable produce in their catering. Last month, Saudia won SkyTeam’s ‘Best Customer Engagement’ award and was a finalist in the ‘Greatest CO2 reduction’ and ‘Best in-flight innovation’ categories. Red Sea Farms’ produce was a key element of the airline’s in-flight passenger experience. Red Sea Farms also assisted the airline with menu development and video content, informing flyers of the health and sustainability benefits of the company’s produce.

Captain Ibrahim Koshy, CEO of Saudia, added: “We are incredibly honoured that our sustainability efforts have been recognised with two awards recently. The Sustainable Flight Challenge has been a unique and noteworthy challenge for our team, who utilised this experience as a springboard for new sustainable initiatives to come.”

With the new partnership with Red Sea Farms, Saudia will serve the agtech’s produce such as snack tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers to its passengers, supporting the alliance’s initiative, and meeting customer demand and its own sustainability goals.

Roopchand added: “Sourcing from sustainable fruit and vegetables makes a significant environmental impact. If all tomatoes consumed annually in Saudi Arabia were grown with Red Sea Farms’ cooling technology, 80,500 tons of CO2 emissions would be saved; the equivalent of over 3,000 flights from Riyadh to Dubai.

“Red Sea Farms is reducing the carbon and freshwater footprint of Saudi Arabia’s food sector by designing, developing, and delivering innovative technologies for sustainable agriculture in the kingdom and other harsh environments globally.”