holy guacamole how nafta drove americas avocado boom
Last Updated : GMT 09:40:38
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Last Updated : GMT 09:40:38
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

for ensuring its bountiful supply

Holy guacamole! How NAFTA drove America's avocado boom

Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicleHoly guacamole! How NAFTA drove America's avocado boom

Avocado consumption has tripled since 1994
Washington - Muslimchronicle

Love it or loathe it, America's avocado craze shows no sign of fizzling out, but fans of the Mexican staple may not realize they can thank the NAFTA trade deal for ensuring its bountiful supply.

In a little over two decades, American store shelves have been transformed as mounds of avocados, mangos, papayas and peppers stamped "Mexico" flooded over the border.

The year-round profusion of fresh fruits and vegetables is directly attributable to the North American Free Trade Agreement, which the United States, Canada and Mexico are renegotiating at the demand of President Donald Trump who dubbed it the "worst deal ever."

"I'm 49 years old and remember when I was little asking my mother in winter 'Where are the strawberries?' and my mother would say 'It is out of season,'" says Jaime Chamberlain, who runs JC Distributing, a family business that imports fruit and vegetables from Mexico.

Thanks to the 1994 trade deal, there is now a whole new generation of Americans who will never know such seasonal hardship.

While NAFTA was never intended as a vehicle to change the American diet, Steven Zahniser, economist and researcher at the US Agriculture Department (USDA), sees a correlation between the agreement and Americans eating more fresh fruits and vegetables.

- Cheaper produce -

Chamberlain notes that before the trade deal took effect in 1994, import duties on fresh produce were "astronomical." Melons were taxed at 30 percent, tomatoes at around 20 percent.

Pre-NAFTA conditions made it difficult to export to the US market, and for consumers to find fresh produce that was both varied and affordable. Only three or four Mexican states were exporting to the United States before the deal.

Today, all the states send their fresh produce to their neighbor, said Chamberlain, who took over the reins of the company in 1987.

"It has been a fantastic wave of agriculture growth that has been extremely beneficial to the final consumers both Canadian and American," he said.

The most dramatic example is the avocado.

Virtually banned from the United States until 1993 for phytosanitary reasons -- the technical term for rules on agriculture to protect health and prevent pests -- NAFTA opened the floodgates to imports of the green fruit that today is massively consumed across America.

Avocado consumption has tripled since 1994, according to the USDA, and the United States is now the largest importer of the fatty fruit in the world, totaling $1 billion a year.

- Super Bowl guacamole -

The presence of a large Mexican community in the United States helped popularize the use of the buttery, green topping in sandwiches and on salads -- with its biggest use in the form of guacamole.

The mashed avocado cream mixed with lime, onion and tomato, and consumed by the gallon with nachos, has become the most popular snack of the Super Bowl, the American football championship game that is biggest event of the year for US television.

But the past few years saw avocado's popularity escalate among health-conscious Americans into a national craze which has since gone global, to the point of a backlash.

There have been warnings the avocado boom is fuelling illegal deforestation in Mexico, while avocado toast became a standing joke after it was suggested the high-priced brunch staple was the reason millennials could not afford to buy homes.

USDA agricultural economist Agnes Perez, in a recent study on NAFTA, said the boom was partly attributable to "increasing awareness of the benefits of 'healthy fats,' like the mono-unsaturated fats found in avocados."

Campaigns to encourage Americans to eat a more healthy and balanced diet also have boosted appetite for other fruits.

Demand for Mexican strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries has been "overwhelming," Chamberlain said, noting that berries have been touted "as a super brain food" for the past 10 to 15 years.

"It is one of the greatest stories in the (Mexican) agricultural sector alongside the avocado industry."

In a country where nearly one in three adults is obese, the challenge, he says, is to provide Americans with beautiful fruits and vegetables that are appealing and tasty, to encourage them to try new flavors.

"As a chef, with the NAFTA agreement you have the confidence that you will find all the ingredients you need 365 days a year to make the meals you put on your menu," he said.

Still, he said, the choice of diet is up to the individual.

NAFTA "has made things more affordable but it is up to you to buy and eat them."

source: AFP

themuslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

holy guacamole how nafta drove americas avocado boom holy guacamole how nafta drove americas avocado boom

 



Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

GMT 06:29 2018 Sunday ,21 January

500 new trainees join US-backed Syria border force

GMT 10:31 2017 Sunday ,20 August

the history of solar eclipses

GMT 16:36 2017 Tuesday ,05 December

Gulf Air launches Bahrain Tourist Visa Service

GMT 03:19 2012 Saturday ,15 September

FREEDOM

GMT 06:56 2014 Friday ,12 September

No winners in Gaza

GMT 22:30 2012 Monday ,16 July

Sudan ruling party says protests \'ridiculous\'

GMT 07:09 2012 Wednesday ,20 June

Sudan and South Sudan border tensions

GMT 12:02 2012 Tuesday ,17 April

What the Living Do

GMT 17:33 2017 Saturday ,25 March

Caceres recalled to Paraguay squad for Brazil clash

GMT 17:18 2017 Tuesday ,19 December

Bahrain weather forecast

GMT 09:35 2017 Sunday ,29 October

Actress Annabella Sciorra accuses Weinstein of rape

GMT 13:43 2017 Thursday ,16 November

People Magazine names Blake Shelton 'sexiest man alive'

GMT 18:10 2017 Monday ,17 April

GCC Secretary-General Condemns Syria Blast

GMT 13:15 2017 Wednesday ,15 February

Inherited the talent to draw on glass

GMT 14:35 2017 Saturday ,25 March

Dar Essalam to Host Two Golf Competitions

GMT 07:22 2016 Saturday ,09 July

Gunfire near presidential palace in South Sudan

GMT 10:42 2017 Wednesday ,16 August

Chinese teen Internet addict dies

GMT 13:51 2017 Thursday ,21 September

King Salman meets with former Turkish president

GMT 09:31 2017 Wednesday ,29 March

NPRA holds training course

GMT 08:18 2017 Thursday ,14 December

Twitter makes 'tweetstorms' easier

GMT 17:19 2012 Thursday ,12 January

New electric-car racing championships
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
 
 Themuslimchronicle Facebook,themuslimchronicle facebook  Themuslimchronicle Twitter,themuslimchronicle twitter Themuslimchronicle Rss,themuslimchronicle rss  Themuslimchronicle Youtube,themuslimchronicle youtube  Themuslimchronicle Youtube,themuslimchronicle youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2023 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2023 ©

muslimchronicle muslimchronicle muslimchronicle muslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle themuslimchronicle themuslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle