Prices for iceberg lettuce were expected to climb this week in time for the weekend as supply tightened following weeks of poor trade.
An improvement in growing conditions in Spain this week have combined with bank holidays to bring on better quality product and limit availability.
“A couple of weeks ago we had a bit of a flush with some long counts of lightweight lettuce,” said Ian Dennis of importer Das International. “There was a lot of poor quality lettuce coming through and the market was a bit depressed, but that has all cleared now and the picture is brighter.”
Dennis explained that because of dry conditions in low-lying parts of Murica - the main iceberg growing area in the Spanish south-east - many growers planted on higher ground. But the cooler temperatures at higher altitudes meant that product grew more slowly and individual heads were much smaller in counts of 12s-15s.
“The market is picking up already this week with prices of 400-450p for 10s mid-week and expected to go to 500-550p by the weekend,” he said. This compared to lows of 175p for 9s to 12s on markets last week.
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