The Greening of the Salad Bowl

How expensive has iceberg lettuce gotten? So expensive that Campanile’s Nancy Silverton, tired of paying the restaurant price of $60 a case (that’s more than $2.50 a head), banned it from staff meals. Let them eat arugula.

It’s getting almost spooky, watching the careening lettuce prices in the wake of the devastating March floods in the Salinas Valley. The cost of a 24-head case at the Los Angeles produce terminal swung from $36 to more than $50 before ending at $30 last week. Many more rides like that and Knott’s Berry Farms may be back in the produce business.

For a little perspective, a year ago, in a fairly typical market for this time of year, that same case (actually, the lettuce was almost certainly in much better shape), was selling for between $4 and $5 for a 24-head case. That means that even at it’s lowest price this year, iceberg lettuce has been trading at roughly six times its normal price.

But iceberg is only the most extreme example of what has happened on the farms. Almost every item in the produce section is markedly higher than in the past. A bunch of celery that was selling at wholesale last year for 16 cents to 19 cents is now going for $1.16. Dieters are indulging in some very luxurious snacks.

Rising prices for iceberg (always the leader because it is used in so many fast food operations) have also lifted the rest of the lettuce market. Romaine, for example, which was selling at wholesale for 23 cents a head last year, is now at $1.16.

Cauliflower and broccoli are both roughly four times as expensive as normal. Even asparagus and green beans are double what they usually are.

Expect these prices to continue at roughly these levels through late May--planting schedules in the Salinas area are way, off course.

“Salad days” is taking on a whole new meaning.