According to Waitrose’s annual report, sales of emergency avocados from Waitrose on Deliveroo have increased by over 80% in the past year.
According to the report, avocados were among Waitrose’s top five most-requested items via the delivery app in every UK city. They were also the most in-demand in Oxford Cambridge and Brighton.
Avocados were also popular in northern regions, with the fourth-place avocado in Newcastle, and second in Glasgow and Birmingham.
A Waitrose spokesperson suggested that the ’emergency avocado’ trend was driven by people who want to enjoy brunch on Saturdays or Sundays.
However, the report also found that nearly 70 per cent of Waitrose customers said reducing their climate footprint was either ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ important, despite growing concern about the environmental damage caused by intensive farming of avocados.

Deliveroo found avocados to be one of the top five most popular items by Waitrose in every UK city.

A Waitrose spokesperson suggested that the ’emergency avocado’ trend was driven by people who want to enjoy brunch on Saturdays or Sundays.

Pictured: The most-requested Waitrose items for Deliveroo in cities across Britain, as revealed by the supermarket’s annual report
Avocados require a lot of water to make. Each kilo requires 2000 litres to grow.
And this, coupled with the Western fascination with the fruit, has led to avocados being linked with water shortages, human rights abuses, illegal deforestation, ecosystem destruction and general environmental devastation in Mexico.
Countryfile’s Adam Henson, a Countryfile presenter, warned earlier this year of the harmful effects of fruit on the environment.
He said, “Avocados and almond butter are terrible for the environment.” It’s not an easy argument.
“Beef, sheep, and dairy farmers are being pointed at a lot about climate change and health, but the industries are doing a lot about it.
“So, I would encourage people to eat British cuisine and not buy cheap food imported from abroad.
The problems that come from the West’s fascination with avocados have a lot to do with geography. Around 40% of the fruit comes directly from Mexico. Most of it is grown in Michoacan, a rural western state.
The region’s fertile volcanic soil and temperate climate allow avocados to be harvested all year round, as opposed to other countries where they can only be harvested in summer.
Avocado trees, which are notoriously thirsty, require only a third of the water they need elsewhere because of their rich soil.
However, Mexico’s avocado industry is accused of damaging the health of locals with the chemicals sprayed on the orchards.
Experts worry that fumigation of trees may cause breathing problems and stomach problems, as well as polluting water supplies.
According to a Mexican government study, the rising avocado production has led to a loss in biodiversity, environmental pollution, and soil erosion.
It has also caused disruption to the natural water cycle and endangered the survival of local animal species. Farmers exacerbate deforestation by using trees for avocado crates.
The shocking human rights abuses committed by the avocado industry have been linked elsewhere.
Earlier this year, the Kent-based owner of a massive Kenyan avocado farm which supplied British supermarkets settled claims of human rights abuses with 85 alleged victims for up to £4.6million.
Kakuzi is a 54-square-mile farm located north of Nairobi. It was home to security guards who were accused in committing abuses between 2009 & January 2020.
The allegations state that farm guards beat a 28 year-old man accused of stealing avocados, raping 10 women, and committing dozens of other brutal attacks on people living in nearby villages.
Camellia, which is valued at £180million and has a majority stake in Kakuzi, will spend up to £4.6million on the settlement, including compensation, legal costs and funding schemes for the community.
Leigh Day believes guards deliberately and systematically mistreated residents of surrounding communities. They also physically punished members of the local community for crossing Kakuzi land.
In an effort to reduce carbon emissions, the Waitrose annual report also revealed that middle class Brits are moving away from meat and adopting a climatarian diet’.
The “new 5:2 diet” is a term for a popular weight loss technique where people eat only two days per week. Eco-conscious Britons spend five days a year eating vegetables and then treat themselves to meat on weekends.
Waitrose shoppers are looking for ways to be greener than just reducing meat consumption. They also want to reduce food waste by donating excess food or not buying packaged groceries.
The report also found Britain has become a nation of homebodies, as we have fallen back in love with our homes and rediscovered the joy of intimate dinner parties.
Champagne sales are up 40% year-on-year, as customers spend more on small treats as the pandemic ends.
Over the year, we also brought our kitchens outdoors – one in five of those surveyed said they’d invested in a new barbecue while one in ten said they’d installed an outdoor bar.
The report on how our eating and drinking habits changed over the past 12months also highlights how social networking has influenced our shopping lists.
Due to viral food trends, platforms like Instagram and TikTok have facilitated sales of everything from feta to tortillas to pesto to potatoes through platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
John Lewis saw a 400% increase in sales of its air fryers after the TikTok trend to make pasta chips at home.
The way Brits shop has changed, with a quarter buying groceries online in 2021. Meanwhile, the number of people who buy food daily has doubled in the past year.
These shopping trends – increased frequency and the continued growth of online – will only accelerate in the future.
A third of those polled used on-demand food delivery apps during pandemic.
We have increased our partnership with Deliveroo from 150 locations to 150 over the past year. Our Deliveroo Map report reveals the most popular products in the country for home delivery within a short time.
FEMAIL was told by James Bailey, Waitrose’s Executive Director: “The past 19 months have been a time when we fell back in love with our houses.”
“We’ve rediscovered how food can bring joy, creativity, and a sense of belonging to our families. Many have also embraced the inspiration we get from walking to the shops to pick our groceries up.
“The majority of people we interviewed said that the pandemic had fundamentally changed their outlook. They are more aware of their mental and bodily health, they enjoy the simple pleasures of life, and they value family and friends.