Vertical agriculture company Plenty Inc. has an unusual selling point: Its crops of arugula, kale and microgreens are grown in an indoor farm run by robots .

“What people seem to be wanting is they want to know their food is safe,” said Chief Executive Officer Matt Barnard.

“Our goal is for the person eating the food to be the first one who has touched it,” he said.Before the pandemic, robot-prepared food companies were a hit with investors, but ambitious sales goals didn’t materialize.

Last year, robot coffee maker Cafe X shuttered locations, and pseudo-robot café Eatsa and robotic pizza-chef Zume pivoted to different businesses.

But until it can reopen, Farid will have to wait.The complexity of building robotic systems could keep more restaurants from embracing the technology. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1592050559.238749/Robot-food-startups-have-a-new-pitch:-No-humans-touch-your-lunch?ref=audio_experience