Shoppers who frequently pop avocados into their baskets at Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, and Sainsbury’s might soon be seeing fewer of these green favourites on the shelves. Experts have warned that climate change could lead to future scarcities of the fruit, causing potential disruption for British buyers.
Issues with transport as well as difficulties in storage of this favoured breakfast staple are also contributing factors to the predicted shortage, reports Birmingham Live.
The sustainability experts at SaveMoneyCutCarbon noted: “Our demand for avocado can be a benefit for the economies of the producer countries and the people who work in the sector but the rapid growth of the market also puts greater strain on the local ecologies, not least the increased pressure on water resources and on forest land.”
They highlighted the challenges facing avocado production saying, “In the past decade, we have all been waking up to the fact that water is a precious and finite resource that we need to manage very carefully. Being aware of the water consumption footprint of the things we eat is one way to make good choices that help the planet in balance with sound economic management.”
Furthermore, they commented on the environmental impact of avocado transportation: “Due to the production of avocados in Central and South America, the fruit travels long distances in order to reach consumers in the Global North. A Mexican avocado would have to travel 5555 miles to reach the UK.”
The spokesperson highlighted the environmental toll of the UK’s favourite superfood, saying: “Given the distances, fruit is picked before it’s ripe and shipped in temperature-controlled storage, which is energy intensive. The UK’s imports of avocados contain over 25 million cubic metres annually of virtual water – equivalent to 10,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.”
They continued: “With global temperatures rising and water becoming scarce, this has serious impacts on local communities who do not have access to drinking water. This means that despite bold claims that avocados are a clean and sustainable superfood, the reality is that avocados have serious environmental consequences.”