Yahoo Finance Why the price of your summer lettuce is set to rocket
British shoppers could face significant price increases for their salads this summer after a sharp frost hit key growers in Spain.
A January cold snap has seen crops fail and sent wholesale prices of iceberg lettuce soaring.
This year, the freeze has hit the Spanish regions of Almeria, Murcia and Alicante, where much of Britain’s imported icebergs, broccoli and artichokes are sourced.
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Yields for all three crops are down by about 25%. The situation has been made worse by the fact the south of Spain has also been experiencing a major drought that had seen 1,000 hectares of growing land lost.
Trade magazine The Grocer reported that wholesale prices were up 20% on last year.
“But from our side, there is resistance from buyers to paying the higher prices so we have had to reduce the volumes were are bringing in,” Jonathan Olins, managing director of Poupart Imports, told the magazine.
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Some companies are sourcing alternative supplies of lettuce from north Africa, southern France and northern Spain.
Andy Weir, marketing director of fruit and veg supplier Reynolds, said: “Market prices are high and overall availability is reduced.
“It is quite likely as we approach the end of the Spanish leaf season that, if rainfall levels do not improve, availability will tighten even further.”
Commodity analysts Mintec reported wholesale prices of iceberg lettuce from Alicante, Murcia and Algeria had climbed 50% between December and January.
The majority of those costs could be swallowed by importers and/or, further down the line, supermarkets but it’s likely shoppers will find it harder to get their hands on certain summer vegetables and at a higher price.
