Why Avocados Are So Freakin’ Expensive Right Now
If you’ve been wondering why the price on your beloved avocados has been creeping up at the grocery store, mystery solved: As the Wall Street Journal reports, some bad years for avocado harvests in both California and Mexico, paired with an increase in demand (Americans’ consumption of avocados has quadrupled since 2000), has led to a shortage that’s pushed avocado prices to record highs.
How high, exactly? Very. The average retail price for avocados rose 35 percent in the first half of this year, and based on the news we’re about to tell you, we’d guess that’s only going to go up. Wholesale prices have gone up by 75 percent since mid-July, with a single case of 48 Hass avocados (the kind you most likely eat) ringing in at $80.
The good news: Scientists are hard at work trying to figure out how to avoid crop issues. But until then, guess we’ll all have to start looking for ways to supplement our healthy fat intake — or become pros at rationing by learning how to best store avocado halves (the key is olive oil, apparently). Or start shopping at … Whole Foods? The unlikely spot for cheap produce actually just lowered its prices on a slew of items, including avocados.
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