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There’s a lot to love about avocados, especially the many forms they can take.
It’s the prime ingredient in guacamole, a side dish that works for everything from Game Day at home to taco night at your favorite Mexican restaurant.
There’s avocado toast, a favorite entrée at many coffee shops and bistros. Sure, some may sneer at this menu item favored by hipsters, but others can’t get enough of the wonderful texture and taste combination of crisp bread and smooth avocado. Even sliced avocados can be tasty on a burger or in a salad.
The very versatile avocado is also popular because of its short shelf life: you should be considered a pro, or at least deserve a fist bump, if you can use one before it goes bad or gets too bruised.
It’s also popular for those interested in eating better – though it’s high in fat, avocados are considered a “good” unsaturated fat and are included in the acceptable fruit and vegetable choices for those who follow the keto diet. It also has more than 20 useful vitamins and nutrients, moving it into the “super food” category.
No wonder The Washington Post has declared it “America’s Favorite Fruit” in 2015.
Avocados are imported into the United States as well as grown domestically. It’s also a significant export from Mexico to much of the Western Hemisphere.
In terms of total consumption, the citizens of Mexico are the biggest fans of avocados, annually eating 1.3 million tons of this fruit.
The U.S. accounts for 80-81 percent of all avocados exported from Mexico, since there are so many fans north of the border.
So how many avocados is this? In 2021, Avocados from Mexico, a trade group, reported exporting 24 billion pounds to the U.S. Most came from a 275,000 square foot farm.
Per capita, the Dominican Republic also is the biggest consumer of avocados, eating 134 g of this fruit per day (almost 49 lbs per year), as of 2022. According to InspiraFarms, which grows avocados, the 7.5 or so pounds the U.S. consumes annually per capita is actually a decline from past years, including 4.1 kg in 2021, or just over 9 pounds.
Other countries that enjoy their avocados include Canada, which consumed almost 2.5 kg per person in 2022. The European Union as a whole consumed about 1.3 kg of avocados per capita in 2021.
Within the EU, Spain consumes the most, at 2.67 kg, followed by Norway with 2.6 kg and Portugal with 2.44 kg.