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photo of spring mix salad

Spring Mix

Spring mix is the term given to a variety of different packaged salad products. In general, spring mix usually contains tender baby lettuce, spinach, and other edible leaves. It may also include red and green romaine, red and green oak leaf, chard, arugula, spinach, endive, radicchio, and other heirloom lettuces. The exact content of the mix will impact its flavor profile.

Nutrition Profile

  • Spring Mix provides an:
  • Excellent source of vitamin K
  • Folate
Nutrition label for spring mix
spring mix growing in a field

Growing Information

Spring mix is normally harvested mechanically at a very young age, before they reach five inches in height. It’s often harvested at night when temperatures are cooler, the air is still and there is less humidity, which allows the greens to stand up making them easier to cut. The mechanical harvesting equipment uses a horizontal saw blade that cuts the leaves at the base. The height of the blade is adjustable. The cut leaves are carried on a conveyor belt to an air gap, where heavier contaminants such as weeds or debris will fall through. The young spring mix leaves fall onto a secondary conveyor belt and are transferred into a bulk harvest bin.

Usage Ideas

Salad is the perfect thing for Spring Mix since it already has a variety of greens and is normally sold pre-washed and packaged

Spring Mix Salad

Simply dump the package in a bowl, add sliced strawberries or cranberries and chopped chicken. Toss with your favorite dressing and you have an easy, tasty and nutritious meal in minutes.

Did You Know? California Lettuce Farmers Are Required to Have Traceback Systems in Place

If a lettuce or leafy greens product is suspected of causing people to become ill, it may be necessary to remove it from marketing channels. Lettuce farmers in California and Arizona ship approximately 130 million servings of leafy greens every day to stores and restaurants throughout the U.S. and Canada.  This makes it a very large undertaking to trace and recall products when there is a need. 

That’s why lettuce farmers who are members of the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) are required to have a traceback system in place. Under the LGMA food safety program, farmers must keep track of the exact field where all the lettuce they ship was grown and then be able to trace it to the first customer who receives it. 

In a 2020 survey, LGMA members reported they are able to track product from the field where it was grown to this first customer in less than 2 hours. This is a critically important step in the supply chain. But unfortunately, it’s not always possible to track product all the way to the consumer who eventually eats it because the U.S. produce industry is complicated and involves many handlers, wholesalers, brokers, stores and restaurants before it gets to your table.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has emphasized that improved traceback efficiencies within the produce industry could greatly enhance outbreak investigations. An ongoing project is currently being coordinated by several food industry associations to examine and test traceback capabilities throughout the supply chain. Insights from this project will aid in more quickly and effectively locating the source of contamination during an actual outbreak.