Some Nova Scotia restaurants chopping out lettuce as shortage spikes prices

Spiking lettuce prices amid a shortage are hitting some Nova Scotia restaurants hard.

Bill Pratt, the owner of several businesses including Habaneros and Cheese Curds, said the cost of a box of lettuce has skyrocketed in Nova Scotia.

“It’s horrific because the price of lettuce has tripled and almost quadrupled what it normally is,” he said. “Like today the price of lettuce is $144 for a case when normally it should be $38 to $45 a case.”

Pratt said he’s weathering the storm by cutting down on the number of leafy greens dished out for each meal.

“We’re a lettuce and tomato-centric business,” he said. “It’s not like we can just take it off and it’s not like we can jack the price of our burrito or burger by a dollar just to cover the lettuce.”

The vice-president Atlantic with Restaurants Canada, Richard Alexander, said he’s heard from many across the country about how the lettuce shortage is especially tough as businesses try to recuperate from hard pandemic years. He said some are pivoting and opting to use other greens like spinach and kale instead.

“The reality is the recovery for the industry has just started,” Alexander said. “About half of table service restaurants in Canada right now are operating at a loss or break even because of labour market challenges and the price of lettuce, beef, chicken, everything has gone up.”

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Pratt said he wants the government to step in to aid businesses as many are trying to figure out how they’ll pay back the loans they received to help cover costs during pandemic restrictions.

“We’re trying to save money to pay back our CEBA loans that are due next December,” he said. “This is just kicking us in the shins.”

Sylvain Charlebois with Dalhousie University said the higher prices stem from a drought in a major lettuce-growing region.

“California is drying up and so farmers were having a hard time getting water for their crops this fall,” he said. “So plants were weak and a virus came in and destroyed a big portion of the crop there. So many farmers saw their entire crops destroyed.”

Charlebois said the higher costs could also hit other produce items as California offers a range of products. They’re adjusted almost like menu prices: when one item goes up the rest follow, he explained.

Lettuce prices are expected to fall in December when produce shipments start coming from Arizona