• MSNBC/AP, Wednesday, June 13, 2007 11:32 AM

Iceberg remains the nation's most popular lettuce, but consumers, chefs and nutritionists are increasingly favoring salad greens such as romaine, arugula and mache that have benefited from faster shipping, better packing and a growing taste for nutrients. To lure back buyers, Tanimura and Antle--the world's largest lettuce grower--is packaging its iceberg lettuce in baseball-themed wrapping and linking it to Father's Day in advertising.

Grocers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Supervalu Inc.'s Albertsons, Shaw's and Jewel will be supplied with signs and banners promoting what the company hopes will become an annual link between iceberg lettuce and Father's Day.

But consumers are discovering that greener lettuces are healthier--and often better-tasting--than pale spheres of iceberg, says industry observer Phil Lempert. Romaine lettuce, for example, has six times as much vitamin C as iceberg--and is richer in most other vitamins and minerals, as well as having higher protein and fiber value, according to Texas A&M University figures.

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