Alison McLean
Audio By Carbonatix
Crisis avoided. Your sushi rolls, smoothies, $17 avocado toast and lumpy mounds of guacamole will live on.
Last week, we reported that America’s $2.8 billion avocado-import industry came to a screeching halt south of the border after a USDA inspector in Mexico received a threatening phone call. On Feb. 11, just before the Super Bowl, the U.S. suspended all imports of avocados because of that call.
The avocado industry in Mexico has become ensnarled in organized crime turf wars. This shutdown didn’t come without warning. In 2019, it was reported that a team of inspectors was threatened in their vehicle at gunpoint. The USDA issued a warning at the time.
The U.S. only imports Hass avocados from the Mexican state of Michoacán. On Feb. 11, it was reported that an inspector found that some of the avocados he was examining for pests or diseases were another variety from the state of Puebla. That shipment was rejected, which is when the inspector received the threatening phone call.
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On Friday, Feb. 18, the USDA released a statement that imports have resumed.
“The safety of USDA employees simply doing their jobs is of paramount importance,” the USDA wrote in a statement. “USDA is appreciative of the positive, collaborative relationship between the United States and Mexico that made resolution of this issue possible in a timely manner.”
The U.S. imported $3 billion in avocados last year. Ninety-two percent, $2.8 billion, of those came from Mexico. Of all the avocados grown in Mexico, approximately 80% are sent to U.S. markets and the peak growing season is January through March.
Richard Torres owns Chef’s Produce, which supplies fruits and vegetables to local restaurants. He said his company brings in 20 to 25 pallets of avocados a week, with 80 cases per pallet. Each case has about 48 avocados. That is upwards of 80,000 avocados a week in Dallas. Seems about right.
Torres said he spoke with his growers in Mexico last week and they were expecting a swift resolution to the suspension, which is good news for the growers, pickers, packers and drivers who rely on the business. “A lot of people are involved in the avocado trade before that bowl of guacamole hits your table,” Torres said.
Even with the one-week suspension, Torres says there’s always a week or two of avocados in the pipeline. He explained that avocados are picked before they’re ripe and can be stored in temperature-controlled facilities that keep avocados at different levels of ripeness.
