Game-Time Guacamole May Get Harder to Make as Climate Reduces Avocado Shipments From Mexico

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Guacamole, a favored game-time snack in the United States, may be getting harder to make because a lack of rain and warmer temperatures have resulted in fewer avocados being shipped from Mexico.

The western state of Michoacan, which supplies almost 90% of the creamy textured fruit used in the Super Bowl snack, has suffered a hotter, drier climate that has led to a lack of water in growing areas.

Lakes in the state are drying up: Desperate avocado growers send tanker trucks down to suck up the last water, or divert streams, to feed their thirsty orchards, sparking conflicts. The state received about half the rain it normally gets last year, and reservoirs are at about 40% of capacity, with no rain in sight for months.

Meanwhile, some growers are illegally cutting down pine forests that feed the water system to plant more avocados. To top it all off, another American obsession — tequila — is starting to cause problems too.