The renowned Irish chef JP McMahon, awarded with a Michelin star, will stop serving avocados in his dishes to avoid contributing to the violence in Mexico. This is one of the reasons why restaurateurs in Dublin, Ireland, will stop including the popular fruit in their menus.
"I do not use them because of the impact they have in the countries they come from: deforestation in Chile, violence in Mexico," said McMahon in an interview with the Independent newspaper.
"I think that Irish restaurants should make a conscious effort not to consume avocados or at least reduce the amount they use. They should try to obtain fair trade avocados, which are not as commonly burdened by such issues," he added.
Like the chef, other restaurateurs in the area are considering not including avocados in their menus because they cannot be considered a sustainable product in northern Europe.
The Mexican context
Mexico is the world's largest producer of avocados, with 1,600,000 tons per year, which represent about 45% of the global production.
In recent years, the avocado fever has caused a growth in the income generated by the cultivation of so-called "green gold", which has even generated more foreign currency for Mexico than oil.
Most of the avocado production in Mexico takes place in Michoacán, which accounts for 84.9% of the total national production.
In the state's avocado producing regions, including municipalities such as Uruapan and Tancítaro, there are plenty of organized crime groups who extort fruit producers under the threat of violence; a situation that earned the fruits produced in this western region of Mexico the designation of "blood avocados."
