2016 has quite literally been the year of the avocado. The craze of the green fruit has grown from just the occasional scoop of guac on your burrito to burgers with avocado hamburger buns. While avocados are an excellent source of good fat and are relatively low in calories for a carb-packed snack, the demand for avocados has soared to astronomical heights.
Some possible reasons why the soft green fruit has been so popular may be because of the media attention it has been receiving. Every time you turn the TV on it seems like one commercial after another is telling you to put a sliced avocado on your morning toast and afternoon sandwich. But why, even then, are companies suddenly turning to this golden green super fruit?
Well, up until recently, restrictions between Mexico and the US regarding trade were pretty tight. The US supply of avocados was fulfilled by the crops produced by California and everything seemed to work out just fine. But Cali can’t produce avocados year round due to the climate (yes, even southern California gets cold in the winter time). But Mexico can. So restrictions were loosened and a free flow of ‘cado was let loose upon America.
Sales of Hass avocados, the leading producer of avocados in the U.S., increased from around 1 billion to over 4 billion avocados between 2000 to 2014. The combination of the California avocado and Mexican avocados seemed to be working out fine until drought struck SoCal.
Droughts on the United States west coast are not unheard of, but this past year was a bit of a doozy. California was hit hard with a heat wave reaching above 100 degrees, affecting all crops in the region. Farmers even say that next seasons avocados may be in danger as well... which is overall bad news for the American economy since we’re already 80% percent dependent on Mexico’s avocado imports and will be more so next year if farmer’s expectations are true. Other issues surrounding the avocado demand have also been occurring on the other side of the world.
In New Zealand, thefts have occurred on orchards and farms in the night stealing hundreds of avocados. New Zealand generally has a pretty steady supply of the fruit but thieves have noticed the recent surge in demand and have tried to take advantage of it. The only problem for the thieves is that they collect immature fruit that’s not ready to be eaten so it’s unlikely consumers will buy the stolen fruit any way. Sorry guys.
Petty thefts and droughts are not the only things that plague the avocado industry though. Deforestation is another consequence of the heavy demand of the guacamole component. Avocado trees grow in the same climate as pine trees and other coniferous trees. So it's only natural to realize that while pine trees don’t offer much in terms of produce, avocado trees do and replacing them only makes sense.
Hundreds of acres of pine trees in the mountains of Michoacan, Mexico have been illegally uprooted by farmers to grow more avocado crops. Exporting avocados is such a lucrative trade that it is difficult for authorities to stop the destruction. What is equally disturbing is that the illegal logging is destroying Monarch butterfly wintering grounds. Monarch butterflies use Mexico as a safe haven during the winter before returning to warmer climates. With increased logging, monarch numbers are expected to be affected after decades of work to get population numbers back to where they once were.
Grocery stores and restaurants are, for the moment, still going to be stocked to the ceiling with the green fruit so you might as well continue to eat your avocado and banana toast. But when you do, think of the butterflies.
