Lettuce sales down after salmonella scare

Many shoppers are too scared to buy packaged lettuce after the salmonella outbreak and it's hurting the industry nationwide, a Tasmanian lettuce grower says.

Houston's Farm says sales are down 40 per cent, even though the scare was linked only to business in Victoria.

"If one farm falls over in Australia it affects everyone," Anthony Houston said on Saturday.

"We're just one of the many farms around Australia that is feeling the pinch."

Leaves in stores are now safe and have labels saying they are not linked to the salmonella scare, but consumer confidence remains low.

Houston's Farm says producers need to work together to build confidence in their products and to ensure such a scare does not happen again.

Victoria's Department of Health and Human Services is investigating the source of the salmonella contamination, which has been linked to salad leaf products from Tripod Farmers at Bacchus Marsh, west of Melbourne.

It recalled a variety of its products, sold through Coles and Woolworths supermarkets and with a best-before date of February 14.