Lettuce Prices Tumble 16.4% in July as Cyclospora Outbreak Chokes Demand
Updated
Updated · Quartz · Aug 13
Lettuce Prices Tumble 16.4% in July as Cyclospora Outbreak Chokes Demand
3 articles · Updated · Quartz · Aug 13
Summary
A record 16.4% monthly drop made lettuce the steepest decliner in July’s CPI food basket, even as overall food prices still edged up 0.1%.
Federal regulators traced the multistate Cyclospora outbreak to iceberg lettuce handled at a Taylor Farms facility in central Mexico, prompting a voluntary recall and pushing consumers to avoid the product despite lower prices.
NielsenIQ data showed prepackaged salad dollar sales fell 14% in the four weeks through July 25 from a year earlier, underscoring how the outbreak hit demand beyond grocery shelves.
Chipotle said cyclospora cut sales by about 2 percentage points in late July, while Yum Brands reported a meaningful near-term hit tied to Taco Bell; Sweetgreen and Cava have also flagged produce-related demand pressure.
Even after July’s plunge, lettuce prices remained 7.5% above a year earlier, showing the outbreak reversed earlier summer price peaks rather than fully erasing them.