California lettuce was not implicated in a sprawling cyclospora outbreak that sickened thousands of people and made frequent headlines this summer.
But farmers in the state—who produce most of the country’s lettuce—are shouldering much of the economic pain as wary consumers ditch lettuce and other fresh produce. Last month, lettuce prices declined 16.4%, the largest month-over-month drop on record, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meanwhile, market research firm NielsenIQ reported that from July 18 to Aug. 8, sales of iceberg lettuce fell 25.4% and prepacked salads dipped 34.2%.
Growers said they were left with little choice but to destroy about a third of their lettuce crops that were ready to harvest. “It’s been really bad,” said Ryan Kelly, vice president and general manager of Salinas-based Boutonnet Farms in Monterey County. Since mid-July, he said, the collapse in lettuce sales had erased the farm’s entire profit margin for the year.
