Cost Of Romaine Lettuce Increases 61 Percent, Highest Of Any Food Item

As food prices continue to soar thanks to pandemic-related inflation, even a salad is now going to cost you more than it did pre-pandemic. The price for romaine lettuce has seen the most significant hike of any other food item, increasing 61 percent over last year’s price.

According to The New York Post, farmers are growing less lettuce because they don’t want to get stuck with excess crops. A combination of more expensive fertilizer and a shortage of truck drivers means the costs associated with shipping produce have increased. 

“If farmers are on the wrong side of the demand curve, they’re screwed,” Barry Friends Pentallect Inc., a food industry consulting company, said to Bloomberg. 

He added, “If I’ve got to plow it under or dump it on the market for cheap, I have no desire to lose that money. I’m just not going to grow it.”

Food prices have seen a sharp increase since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The nation is experienced the highest inflation in four decades, pushing the prices of produce and meat upward. The Department of Labor released a report earlier this week stating consumer goods have risen by seven percent over the last year ending in December. Automobiles, gas, and tobacco have also seen price hikes over the previous year.