[Weekend Quiz] Check your knowledge on the theme of 'Plant Factories and Food Supply Preparedness'!

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This is 'Zawa 4 Channel,' bringing you daily insights and learning!

The weekend quiz is here again.
This time, we are bringing you a quiz based on selected topics from this week's article, themed 'Plant Factories and Food Supply Preparedness'.

When you hear 'plant factory,' you might think of:
'The future of agriculture, unaffected by weather'
'Technology to save us from food crises'
'Stable and cheaper prices because they are made in a factory'
Many people might have images like these.

However, what became clear in this week's article is a slightly more complex reality.
Why were plant factories that failed in Japan valued as unicorns only in the US? The answer is hidden within these three options.

Now, can you get the right answer?

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Question

'Which of the following is incorrect regarding plant factories?'

1️⃣ Oishii Farm, which raised approximately 24 billion yen in the US, was valued for its high-unit-price strawberry brand strategy rather than cheap commodities.

2️⃣ Many plant factories in Japan have fallen into price competition with commodity items like lettuce, with about 70% operating at a loss or breaking even.

3️⃣ Plant factories are a universal solution for food crises because they can mass-produce staple foods like rice, wheat, and potatoes at a low cost.

So, which one do you think is the correct answer?
Take a moment to think about it!

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Hint

'Plant factories are more of a technology to increase 'food options' rather than a savior for food crises.'

To give you another hint, the point of this article is that 'food items' and 'food staples' are different.
High-value-added crops like strawberries, tomatoes, and herbs are completely different in their compatibility with plant factories compared to staple foods that provide calories, such as rice, wheat, and potatoes.

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Original article here

👉 Why were plant factories that failed in Japan valued like unicorns in the US?

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Weekend Trivia

Sharing some trivia related to the theme!

• ✅ Did you know that strawberries are actually classified as 'vegetables' (fruit vegetables) rather than fruits? Because they are perennial herbaceous plants, they are categorized as vegetables by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

• ✅ The term 'unicorn company' was coined in 2013 by American venture capitalist Aileen Lee. It was named this because unlisted startups with a valuation of over $1 billion were as rare as the mythical unicorn.

• ✅ Plant factories are closer to 'infrastructure industries' than 'agriculture.' With light, air conditioning, water, nutrient solutions, equipment, and labor costs—it's a system for growing crops using electricity and equipment rather than a field.

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Word explanations from this article

Plant Factory
A facility that grows crops indoors while managing light, temperature, humidity, water, and nutrients. While less susceptible to weather, it is characterized by a heavy cost structure due to high electricity bills and capital investment burdens.

Oishii Farm
An agricultural startup founded by Japanese individuals in New Jersey, USA, in 2017. They grow Japanese-variety strawberries called 'Omakase Berry' in fully closed-type factories, and in May 2026, they raised approximately 24 billion yen, reaching a corporate valuation of about $1 billion.

Unicorn Company
An unlisted startup valued at $1 billion (approx. 150 billion yen) or more. However, note that the 'valuation' is a figure that incorporates future expectations and does not necessarily mean it is currently generating stable profits.

Food (Shokuhin) and Foodstuffs (Shokuryo)
This is a particularly important distinction in this article.

• Food (Shokuhin): High-value-added vegetables that brighten up one's diet, such as strawberries, tomatoes, and herbs.

• Foodstuffs (Shokuryo): Staple foods that provide calories, such as rice, wheat, and potatoes.

While plant factories are suitable for food (shokuhin), there are still major barriers to producing foodstuffs (shokuryo) in large quantities at a low cost.

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The correct answer is...

The correct answer was...
3. 'Plant factories are a universal solution to food crises because they can mass-produce staple foods like rice, wheat, and potatoes at a low cost.'!

Wow, I bet quite a few people got tripped up by this, didn't they?
The thought that 'if we have plant factories, food problems will be solved' is exactly where the pitfall lies.

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Explanation

The strength of a plant factory is indeed that it is 'less susceptible to weather.' By reducing natural risks such as extreme heat, typhoons, long rains, and cold waves, crops can be grown with consistent quality. This is of great value.

However, plant factories do not 'eliminate' risks.

【リスクの場所が変わる】

露地栽培（自然依存型）         植物工場（インフラ依存型）
🌧 天候・台風・猛暑     →    ⚡ 電力価格・停電
🌱 害虫・土壌・肥料      →    🏭 設備故障・減価償却
🌾 季節変動              →    💰 金利・資本コスト

As natural risks decrease, power risks, equipment risks, and financial risks increase. Risks do not disappear; they just shift to a different place.

And what is particularly important in this article is that plant factories are not a 'panacea for food crises'.

If it is a high-value-added 'food' product like strawberries or tomatoes, there is value in it being 'consistent in quality and delicious all year round.' That is why Oishii Farm was able to succeed by building a brand as a luxury strawberry in the U.S., using a strategy of cascading down the market hierarchy from Michelin-starred restaurants to high-end supermarkets (Whole Foods) and then to the mass market. They started at $50 per pack at the time of founding and have gradually lowered it to $7.99 over 10 years.

On the other hand, producing **'staple foods'** like rice, wheat, and potatoes cheaply and in large quantities in plant factories is quite difficult. This is because the required area, electricity, and costs become too high.

By the way, about 70% of plant factories in Japan are in the red or breaking even, and only about 35% are profitable. In the U.S., 14 fully closed-type agricultural startups have gone bankrupt. 'Unicorns' and '14 industry bankruptcies' exist simultaneously—that is the current state of plant factories.

In other words, it is realistic to think of plant factories not as a 'technology to replace food entirely,' but as a technology to increase food supply options.

What is important here is not to bet on just one thing.

• Open-field cultivation is vulnerable to weather, fertilizer, and fuel costs

• Plant factories are vulnerable to power, equipment, and capital costs

• Imports are vulnerable to geopolitics and exchange rates

• Stockpiling is vulnerable to freshness and storage costs

None of these is perfect; rather, one must understand the weaknesses of each and stand on multiple legs. This is the essence of 'preparedness' as referred to in this article.

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Summary

So, this time, I have explained 'Plant Factories and Food Supply Preparedness' in a fun quiz format!

Here are the three key points from this time.

✅ Plant factories can reduce weather risks but depend on power, equipment, and capital costs (risks do not disappear, they just change location) ✅ Oishii Farm was valued in the U.S. largely due to its market selection and brand strategy, not just its technology ✅ It is realistic to view plant factories not as a panacea for food crises, but as one of several options for preparedness

When we hear the term unicorn company, we tend to just think, 'Wow, an amazing company has emerged!' But what's important is that valuation and actual on-site profits are two different things. And perhaps preparedness isn't about jumping to a single correct answer, but rather combining systems with different weaknesses.

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Well then, see you in the next weekend quiz!

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