Current Facts

Iceberg lettuce is one of six types of lettuce in the Lactuca sativa family. It is the only lettuce type that does not occur in red form as well as green. Iceberg is the given name to dozens of cultivars of lettuce, all of which are adapted to specific planting regions and time periods. These lettuce cultivars include Bay View, Beacon, Coyote, Crusader, Hallmark and Laguna Fresca to name but a few. Iceberg lettuce that is developed for supermarket standards is packed in the field into cartons and then immediately oxygen deprived and vacuum cooled in cold rooms to remove field heat. This eliminates the opportunity for the lettuce to quickly breakdown. For certain, Iceberg lettuce was developed for the long haul. It can be shipped globally and command a shelf life of three to four weeks.