Head of the World Avocado Organisation has called a bunch of British chefs ‘hypocrites” for taking the much-loved, millennial-like fruit off their menus and still using ingredients that are harmful to the environment.
Xavier Equihua, the CEO of the WAO said that trendy restaurants are ditching the once popular snack – a key indigent for guacamole – and making alternatives with the likes of fava beans, which he claims takes almost 10 times the water needed to produce per kilo.
It comes as Wahaca – the biggest Mexican chain in the UK – introduced a fava bean ‘Wahacamole’ on its menu. Thomasina Miers co-founded the dish in an effort to reduce the damage avocados could cause.
Fava beans require slightly more water to grow than avocados. However, the WAO asserts that modern farming techniques can decrease the water required per kilo for the production of the food by approximately 1,400 litres.
That said, fava beans can be grown in the UK, and therefore the carbon footprint from transporting them is less.
However, speaking to FEMAIL Dr Jim Scown, Farming Transition Lead for the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission said that it’s best to get locally-grown vegetables.
“Avocados” are an important part of the UK’s plant-based diets, though they are often grown hundreds of thousands of miles from home. Anyone who wants to live a sustainable lifestyle will find it difficult.
“There is no simple answer. It’s not about less meat and better meat. But it’s also about more and better UK-grown fruits and vegetables.
Head of the World Avocado Organisation Slammed British Chefs for Removing the Popular Millennial Fruit from Their Menus, while using other ingredients that are harmful to the Environment.
The government must help farmers and growers produce food that is more water-efficient, sustains more species and emits fewer greenhouse gases, while also helping to store and capture carbon.
“Farming for Change’s latest research has shown that everyone can afford healthy food in the UK.
Wahaca follows an independent group of cafes across the UK who have dropped avocados from their menus.
Femail was informed by Xavier that avocados are low in water consumption and that changing to meat would be a better choice for the planet.
He explained that it was funny to see a few London-based chefs suggest to substitute avocados for other products. This is what happened with fake guacamole, which is made from a product that uses almost 10x more water than it takes to make a kilo.
“It’s equally hard to comprehend how they could talk negatively regarding a product that has such a small footprint of water when their menus contain products that take thousands to thousands of litres water to produce one kilo.
“If they truly wanted to be friends of the environment, they would cease serving meat and milk products and limit their consumption to products that have a low water footprint such as avocados and other similar products.”
He added the ‘hypocrisy does not stop with the fake guacamole’ as the chefs also keep ‘dozens of ingredients on their menus with a much larger water footprint than the avocado’.
The avocado dip! Avocado dip
Xavier cited meat – claiming it requires up to 14,000 litres to produce one kilo – and livestock production being the main agricultural source of greenhouse gases in the world.
He said that avocados are made from trees, which are known as the “lungs” of the Earth because they produce clean oxygen.
Tincan Coffee Bristol changed ‘avos’ to pea-guacamole in last year’s coffee after being told they didn’t ‘fit’ within its ‘core beliefs. South London’s Wildflower Restaurant also followed this lead, citing violence in Mexico.
The hashtag “noavocado” has been used more than 3000 times on Instagram. Wild Strawberry Cafe, Buckinghamshire, substituted avocados for its most-popular item with garlic-sauteed mushroom toast.
According to its owner, it was due to the “demand on avocado farmers” which drove up the prices.
Gen Z have also ditched the fruit with foodies on TikTok making frozen pea guacamole in a move to lower their carbon footprints.
Established in 2016, the WAO represents all producers, importers, and exporters of avocados worldwide.
According to them, litre-for-litre, avocado production water results in the best nutritional returns. Furthermore, all avocados produced in Europe or the UK is GLOBALGAP certified, which means they comply with safe, responsible, and sustainable agricultural practices.
Recent years have witnessed a rapid increase in sales of avocados in US, UK and EU. Avocado is widely praised for its healing properties and good health.
However, there has been some backlash recently against the fruit for its negative environmental effects.
The labour to make avocados is very water intensive – with some studies stating a kilo of avocados requires 2000 litres of water to grow.
The global avocado industry is able to produce avocados using less water. This compares with the average 600 litres required for rice, pork and chicken. According to Water Footprint Network studies, these amounts rise to 4,000, 4,300, and 6,000 respectively.
Avocados are also criticized for being harmful to the environment. However, avocados’ popularity is gaining momentum. This can lead to Mexico’s water crisis, violations of human rights and ecosystem destruction as well as general environmental disaster in Mexico.
Geographical factors play a significant role in the problems caused by West’s obsession with avocados. Around 40% comes from Mexico. Most of this is grown in Michoacan, a rural western state.
Local British butchers thrive in spite of the increase in vegetarianism and veganism. This is because people want higher-quality meat without reducing their overall consumption. Stock image
Avocados are able to be harvested year-round due to their temperate climate and fertile volcanic soil. They can’t be harvested in other countries, which means they cannot be taken during summer. Avocado trees, which are notoriously thirsty due to their rich soil, only require a third of the water they need elsewhere.
The chemicals used to spray the avocado orchards in Mexico are also being accused of causing health problems for locals. Experts worry that fumigation may cause breathing problems and other health issues, as well as polluting the water supply.
According to a Mexican government report, avocado production is causing soil erosion and biodiversity loss. This has caused damage to the natural water cycle, and it is threatening the survival of the only animal species found in this area. Farmers exacerbate deforestation by using trees for avocado crates.
This is because local British butchers have been thriving, despite growing demand for high-quality meat from vegetarians and vegans.
Spending on beef, lamb and pork in British butchers jumped by 28 per cent to £338.5 million in 2020 and grew even more in 2021 where sales rose £438million, according to research from Kantar.
However, UK daily meat consumption has declined by 17% in the last 10 years. vegan meat imitations thriving at supermarkets and estimated to be worth £1billion to the UK economy.
Waitrose recently reported that middle-class Brits have switched to a “climatarian” diet in an effort to lower their carbon footprint.
This is the “new 5:2 diet” – an acronym for a popular method of losing weight where you eat two days per week. The eco-conscious Britons spend five days each week eating vegetables, and then treat themselves to meat weekends.
Waitrose customers are looking to reduce meat consumption, but also to save the environment. They’re also trying to find other eco-friendly ways of eating, such as donating food, and not purchasing groceries in excessive packaging.
Nearly 70% of Waitrose customers agreed that it was important to reduce their environmental footprint.
Meanwhile, Lifesum, the leading global nutrition app has launched a ‘climatarian’ diet for its users which focuses on reducing the carbon footprint with plant-based, locally sourced produce.
Although it is not vegan, the diet includes environmentally-friendly meats and poultry. However, it does not contain any plants that could be detrimental to the environment such as almonds.