The dark truth behind the avocado craze: Environmental and social impact

Although valued for its health benefits, Avocado also has a dark side. This fruit is highly resource-intensive, and its cultivation negatively impacts the natural environment. Furthermore, avocado production is often fraught with human tragedies and the involvement of drug cartels.

Few food products have achieved spectacular success, such as avocado, a fruit from an evergreen tree native to Mexico. Despite its popularity, more people and restaurants, especially in Western Europe, are choosing to stop consuming it. Why is this happening?

Despite its numerous advantages, avocados stir many controversies. There's even a movement called "avokadon't," whose members oppose consuming this fruit. The reason behind this is the horrifying reality of its cultivation.

The biggest problems occur with avocados from Mexico and Chile, the world's largest producers. As the demand for avocados increases, so does the interest in growing them. To meet global demand, forests are being destroyed and replaced by avocado plantations. This leads to the degradation of animal habitats and soil erosion. Additionally, large quantities of pesticides are used in the cultivation process, which negatively affects the flora, fauna, and health of farmers and residents when entering the soil, air, and water.

In recent years, growing avocados has become more profitable than producing cocaine. As a result, many avocado plantations in Mexico have been taken over by drug cartels, leading to numerous (sometimes fatal) casualties among farmers who didn't want to comply with the new owners. The working conditions on these plantations are often compared to slavery.

Avocado production is very resource-intensive. Producing 2 pounds of avocados requires as much as 158.5 gallons of water while producing 2 pounds of apples requires only about a quarter of a gallon. Consequently, the increasing number of avocado plantations is depleting natural water resources, particularly in Chile.

Therefore, when shopping, paying close attention to the fruit's origin is essential. We should opt for avocados from Spain or Israel and avoid those from Chile and Mexico. You can also look for products labeled as "Fair Trade."