Hold onto your guacamole-loving butts, people: Avocado prices are on the way up, mostly because we just can’t get enough of them.
Whether it’s on toast, in tacos, or tossed in a salad, Americans have pushed avocado demand to record heights recently, reports Bloomberg: Our per-capita consumption in 2015 was 6.9 pounds, compared to 3.5 pounds in 2006.
But at the same time, crops are smaller in both Mexico and California, meaning supply isn’t keeping up with the demand.
As a result, you’ll have to dig deeper into your pockets if you want guacamole on the table this Cinco de Mayo: A 22-pound box of Hass avocados from Mexico is at its highest price in 19 years, costing more than double what it did a year ago.
It’s not just the U.S. riding the current avocado wave; consumption is also up in China and Europe, one analyst tells Bloomberg.
“They’re pulling a lot more of the Mexican crop, so there’s less available for the U.S.,” he explains.
It might take a while for prices to settle down as well — perhaps all the way through the summer, the analyst notes.
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist