This Harsh Truth About Avocados Is Being Completely Ignored

Soaring avocado demand raises environmental and ethical concerns

The soaring demand for avocados in Europe and North America has led to a trebling of global production in just over 20 years. However, this popular fruit is increasingly controversial because of the environmental impacts of farming and distributing them around the world.

These issues are not inherent to avocados themselves, which could still be a part of a sustainable, healthy diet. But rather they reflect some of the deep-rooted problems associated with their production.

Avocados are native to Central and South America, where the warm, temperate climate provides ideal growing conditions. There are hundreds of varieties. However, the one that most of us are familiar with today is the Hass variety, which can be traced back to a single tree planted almost 100 years ago.

Part of the avocado’s rise in popularity over recent decades has come from its marketing as a “superfood”. While some health claims may have been overstated, they are indeed a good source of vitamins, minerals and unsaturated fats, which give them their satisfying, creamy texture.

So why have avocados become so controversial? Like a lot of modern agriculture, most avocado plantations rely heavily on fertiliser and fossil fuels, contributing to rising greenhouse gas emissions. They have smaller yields than a lot of other crops and so have a higher carbon footprint per kilogram of fruit.