The ProduceIQ Index came in at $1.28 per pound for Week 39, down slightly week over week, but the calm headline number masks a chaotic underlying market. Iceberg lettuce prices surged 30% in a single week to a 10-year high, driven by disease and insect pressure in California's growing regions, with tight supply expected to linger through early October. Asparagus extended its record price streak to 12 consecutive weeks, with Peruvian supply extremely low and Hurricane Polo threatening to delay production in Baja California Sur.
Grape-type tomatoes are already sitting at a 10-year high, and Polo's landfall — bringing 4 to 12 inches of rain across Baja California and Sonora — is expected to push prices even higher in the coming weeks. Strawberries offered the one bright spot, with prices falling 28% week over week as California's late-season supply surge kicked in, though ProduceIQ notes that relief will likely be short-lived.
With multiple commodities simultaneously at or near record pricing levels, buyers across leafy greens, asparagus, and tomatoes should be watching for continued volatility through at least mid-October. Suppliers are already forecasting limited asparagus volume and elevated prices through November.