Bad News for Avocado Lovers Everywhere

The price of this trendy fruit is soaring for more than one reason
By Gina Carey,  Newser Staff
Posted May 1, 2017 6:33 PM CDT
Updated May 6, 2017 10:35 AM CDT
Bad News for Avocado Lovers Everywhere
This photo shows avocados and limes, key ingredients for guacamole.   (AP Photo/Matthew Mead, File)

As avocado lovers prepare to ingest a massive amount of guacamole during the upcoming Cinco de Mayo holiday, Bloomberg explains why that guacamole will come at a heftier cost: The price of avocados has set a record, more than doubling since last year. This higher price tag will be reflected both at the grocery store and in US restaurants that are finding creative ways to serve the trendy fruit. We break down why you’ll be forking over a pretty penny for that tasty avocado toast:

  • US consumption of avocados has sky-rocketed. Mexico provides 82% of the avocados consumed in the United States. Since 2000, shipments have increased from 24 million pounds to a whopping 1.76 billion pounds in 2015. This astronomical rise has raised ethical questions around the crop’s environmental and social impact.
  • Worldwide demand is up, too. The avocado trend is going global, with European countries as well as China asking for more of the fruit. Shortages in New Zealand even sparked avocado thefts, reports the BBC, while Mexican exports to China are especially booming, growing at a rate of 250% per year.
  • Avocado growers had a bad year. Avocado crops tend to vary, yielding more growth one year, less growth the next. A smaller crop is expected this season in Mexico as well as California, where a 44% decrease has been predicted. And a growers strike in Mexico last year did not help matters.
(Here's why you might not want to eat an avocado when you're stressed.)

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