$2 billion worth of bagged salad was sold last year and a lot of it wasn’t hardy iceberg. With slim margins and highly perishable product, the baggers of baby lettuce hold onto their washing, spinning, and packaging trade secrets, knowing competitors are innovating as fast as they are themselves. The NY Times’ Amanda Hesser reports on the state of the art in bagged baby lettuce technology. How do they hold keep slimy leaves and browned edges at bay? It’s a precise cleaning and bagging system, computer controlled at many places. But their secrets may pale in comparison to the next trend: freshly cut fruit. I can imagine patents coming out of developments to keep those edges fresh, because it’s going to take more than a lemon juice bath. Maybe a low temperature and acid?