How Does the Seasonal Transition Affect Produce Price and Availability?

3 Min Read By Andy Rosenbloom

This edition of MRM's "Ask the Expert” features advice from Buyers Edge Platform. Please send questions to Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine Executive Editor Barbara Castiglia at bcastiglia@modernrestaurantmanagement.com. 

Have you ever wondered how, despite changing climates and seasons, the same leafy greens you use in your menu items are available year-round?

In 2019, the U.S. harvested close to 260,000 acres of lettuce, be it iceberg, leaf, or romaine. Production lines then turned these greens into fresh cut salads, which captured the market share with a near 80 percent take. 

Two states in the nation are keeping up with this high demand: California and Arizona. 

These two states account for over 98 percent of the lettuce produced in the U.S, and most of this production occurs in just two cities: Yuma and Salinas. Salinas, Calif., also known as the "Salad Bowl of the World," produces lettuce from mid-March through October. Meanwhile, the desert town of…