Why America now eats a crazy number of avocados

Perception of the article and promotion

• Several commenters say the piece reads like marketing, pointing to language like “voracious appetite” and “crazy number,” and the prominence of the Hass Avocado Board.
• The cited consumption figure (about 9 lbs or ~1 avocado every 2 weeks per person) is viewed as less “crazy” than the headline suggests.

Trade, tariffs, and domestic vs Mexican production

• One camp sees Mexican avocados as a textbook “healthy trade” case: Mexico has suitable climate and labor costs, the U.S. gets year‑round supply, and California land can be used for other crops.
• Others note California is having a strong crop year and question the need for heavy imports, especially if tariffs rise.
• Some argue tariffs could incentivize domestic planting (4–5 year lead time to fruit), but doubt the policy consistency or whether a 25% tariff is enough to shift production.
• NAFTA is described both as a win‑win that expanded access and as a cause of U.S. avocado farm closures and land conversion to housing.

Cartels, violence, and environmental impact

• Links are shared about cartels’ involvement in Mexico’s avocado boom, including kidnapping, extortion, and deforestation.
• One view: avocados are just another commodity; powerful criminal groups would exploit something else if not avocados.
• Others stress that environmental damage and human rights abuses are real, even if sometimes instrumentalized by the EU as protectionism.
• There’s pushback against rich countries criticizing deforestation after having cleared most of their own forests.

Government programs and “avocado cartel”

• The federal Hass avocado assessment (a few cents per pound on fresh fruit, domestic and imported) is criticized as inappropriate government promotion of a specific product.
• Some frame this board‑backed system as a government‑enabled commercial cartel.

Economic logic and causality

• Multiple comments attack the article’s core claim that consumption “exploded” because avocados are no longer grown mostly in the U.S., arguing the real drivers are price, availability, and marketing.
• Others respond with standard supply–demand reasoning: removing import barriers shifts supply rightward, lowers prices, and then demand grows; later, demand is further boosted by coordinated advertising.

Varieties, quality, and regional experiences

• Hass is widely praised as creamier and tastier than many regional varieties (e.g., in Vietnam or Guatemala), and seen as better for export.
• In parts of Europe (especially Denmark, Ireland) commenters report chronically poor quality or inconsistent ripeness; others counter that excellent Hass from Chile/Peru/Spain/Israel are also common.
• Some regions (e.g., Brazil, Guatemala) have many local avocado types, often grown informally in yards and parks, with different uses (savory vs sweet, higher/lower fat).

Cultural and marketing influences

• Commenters note parallels to other food marketing successes (Norwegian salmon in sushi).
• Avocado toast is cited as predating its recent “fad” status, with people recalling it in California decades ago; one person jokes that a specific Sydney café popularized the modern version.
• Enthusiasts share breakfast combinations (toast, avocado, goat cheese, mushrooms, chili, eggs), while others stick to simpler staples, framing elaborate avocado breakfasts as a bit indulgent.