Head Lettuce Growth and Production in Australia (2020)

Overview

Head lettuce refers to all of those lettuce products that are mainly sold in a headed form. One of the most popular forms of this is iceberg lettuce. Moreover, these vegetables are often sold very close to the populated parts of the country.

Iceberg Lettuce

This is probably the most famous and recognizable form of head lettuce. Iceberg lettuce is also sometimes referred to as crisphead, and it is a pale green leafy vegetable that forms into a tight cabbage style head. Iceberg lettuce is typically defined by its mild flavour and crisp texture. It gets a bad reputation in the nutrition industry for not being as nutritious as, say, romaine. But that doesn’t mean iceberg is without its benefits.

Romaine Lettuce

Romaine can also be considered a head lettuce, but its head is long and in the shape of a loaf. Variations of romaine vary with some having an open head and others a more closed appearance. Romaine is very nutritious and is most commonly used in Caesar salads. The taste of romaine lettuce is strong, but it doesn’t overpower. The texture of this lettuce is very crisp and it is one of the more nutritious lettuces in existence.

Statistics of Head Lettuce

As of June 2020:

1. 136,937 tonnes of head lettuce was produced and later valued at $173 million.
2. 70% of Australian households ended up purchasing this vegetable. Hence, 757 grams of lettuce were bought per shopping trip.
3. The supply per capita was recorded at 5.4 kg, based on the volume that was supplied.

Major Head Lettuce Production Areas

As mentioned earlier, most of the head lettuce is grown close to the populated areas of the city. Furthermore, it is grown across almost all states in Australia, hence, it is widely available. Some of the major production areas include Lockyer Valley, the Sydney Basin in New South Wales and also the Gippsland region in Victoria.