IAG and HiFe Plants Show 25g of Engineered Pea Leaves Can Meet a Woman’s Full Daily Iron Requirement

Key Takeaways

• Research conducted by Innovation Agritech Group (IAG) and HiFe Plants has shown that just 25 grams of HiFe1 pea leaves can deliver 100% of a woman’s recommended daily iron intake (RDA).
• HiFe Plants’ HiFe1 pea variety has been shown to accumulate up to 40 times more iron in its leaves than standard pea varieties when grown under optimised conditions.
• The trials were conducted using IAG’s advanced aeroponic controlled environment growing systems at its R&D Centre in Berkshire, UK, validating both yield and iron concentration at commercially relevant levels.
• In the UK, approximately one-third of women aged 16–49 fail to meet their daily iron requirements; conventional over-the-counter supplements are commonly associated with gastrointestinal side effects.
• The research raises broader questions about using controlled environment agriculture (CEA) to optimise other nutrients in crops as a food-based alternative to supplementation.

IAG and HiFe Plants Demonstrate 100% Daily Iron RDA from 25g of Engineered Pea Leaves

Innovation Agritech Group (IAG) and HiFe Plants have published results from a collaborative research trial showing that 25 grams of leaves from the HiFe1 pea variety can provide 100% of a woman’s recommended daily iron intake. The findings position the HiFe1 variety as a potential food-based intervention for iron deficiency, one of the most prevalent nutritional deficiencies globally.

Iron deficiency has particular relevance in the UK, where approximately one-third of women between the ages of 16 and 49 fail to meet their daily iron requirements. While fortified foods and over-the-counter supplements exist, supplements are widely associated with gastrointestinal side effects, and the bioavailability of iron from fortified foods can be limited. HiFe Plants is pursuing a different route: developing naturally high-iron crop varieties through traditional plant breeding.

How the HiFe1 Pea Achieves Its Iron Density

The HiFe1 variety has been shown to accumulate up to 40 times more iron in its leaves than standard pea varieties when cultivated under optimised growing conditions. To validate this performance at scale and identify the environmental parameters that maximise iron concentration, HiFe Plants partnered with IAG and its aeroponic controlled environment agriculture (CEA) systems at its R&D Centre in Berkshire.

The trials confirmed three key outcomes: successful cultivation of HiFe pea shoots under aeroponic CEA conditions; identification of optimal environmental parameters for maximising iron content; and commercially relevant yields suitable for vertical farming and other controlled production systems.

“IAG’s R&D Centre is designed to support innovation at the intersection of science and commercialisation. Our controlled environment agriculture systems enable precise management of key growing variables, from nutrients and light to humidity, allowing collaborators like HiFe Plants to optimise crop traits, validate performance, and accelerate the journey from research to market-ready products. If we can enhance iron to this extent, it raises an important question: what other nutrients can we optimise in the same way? This could enable more natural, food-based approaches to addressing nutrient deficiencies,” said Laura Nelson, Commercial and Research Manager at IAG.

From R&D Trial to Commercial Pathway

The trial results have already generated interest from commercial pea breeders, and the collaboration is expected to continue. HiFe Plants notes that the iron enrichment was achieved without compromising the taste profile of the pea shoots — a practical consideration for consumer acceptance in the salad leaf market.

“When people think of pea shoots, they don’t think of iron — our trial with IAG shows that maybe they should. The data from our partnership with IAG has impressed pea breeders, and demonstrated that commercial HiFe pea shoots can be a source of iron without compromising on the great taste that people want from their salad leaves,” said Jacob Pullin, CEO of HiFe Plants.

Broader Implications for Nutritional CEA

The collaboration points toward a wider opportunity for controlled environment growing systems to serve as platforms for nutritional enhancement across crop types. By enabling precise control over the variables that influence nutrient accumulation — including light spectra, nutrient solutions, humidity, and temperature — CEA infrastructure allows plant breeders to test and unlock traits that are difficult or impossible to replicate in open-field conditions.