Lettuce Prices On The Rise As California's Wet Winter Prevents Planting

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Eating healthy is about to take a bigger bite out of your budget, thanks to California's wet winter.

You might have noticed your local grocery store lacking in lettuce, and the drought-busting winter is to blame.

If you're a big fan of salads, BLTs or anything avocado, you're not going to be a fan of the latest news on produce prices.

"Prices right here right now, you are going to start seeing sticker shock," said produce expert Michael Marks. "More than twice the price as what you should be seeing this time of year."

Row crop vegetables like iceberg lettuce took a hard hit, and that will hit restaurants. Customers may not see price increases on the menu, but it will take a bit out of their bottom line.

"It is all because of the rain. The rain not last week, not last month, but the rain three months ago. Three months ago we should have been planting crops that we should be harvesting now. We can't harvest those crops because they weren't planted," Marks said.

Not only might you be paying double, but what you're getting might not even be that good, warns Marks.

"When you find really. high prices, a farmer out there - they're gonna put any lettuce they see in that box. Even if it looks like a head of lettuce they're going to put it in that box," he says. "So you're seeing really low quality when you see these high prices."

Experts say the price surge could continue for the next six to eight weeks.