Shortage of Limes Worsened by Mexico Drug Cartel: Expensive Fruit's Prices Soar, Restaurants Switch to Prepackaged Lime Juice

An understated fruit, always present when most wanted, will be in short supply in the foreseeable future. The dwindling number of limes available has led to companies changing menus and recipes shining light on the drug war in Mexico. How companies will cope remains up in the air.

How can a geopolitical issue affect lime harvest? More than 95 percent of the United States' limes come from Mexico. Unrest in the central state of Michoacan stems from armed exchanges between vigilante groups, government security forces and the Knights Templar drug cartel, according to the New York Daily News.

Aside from disrupting local commerce and output, the cartels hijack trucks, including those that carry limes, says the Daily News. Farmers also refuse to pay extortion money guised as a protection fee from the cartel destabilizing the harvest and trade.

Yet, man is not the only source of Mexico's troubles. Nature has also played a role.

"Mexico received some heavy rains that destroyed a large amount of the lime crop, so with limited supplies we are seeing lime prices skyrocket," said Bryan Black, spokesman for the Texas Department of Agriculture to the Daily News.

Due to the shifting sands in Mexico, lime prices have steadily risen. The price of a case of lime has skyrocketed from $14 to $100 a case. This increase has affected both the restaurant and airline industries, prompting changes in menus and services.

Bars and restaurants all over the country will feel the pinch if they have not already. According to the Sacramento Bee, restaurants and bars are switching to prepackaged lime juice rather than using the real stuff. Owners are aggravated by the rising costs of limes and for now prefer to use the cheaper option.

Airlines have also felt the impact of the lime shortage. The Christian Science Monitor reports that some airlines have switched to prepackaged lime juice as well and have stopped, for the most part, offering the fruit as garnish. US Airlines switched to lemons, since it could not find enough limes to use thanks to the California drought.

Some carriers, like Delta and American Airlines, have not changed their menus.