Mexico Gets Super Bowl Headache: US Suspends Import of Avocados Amid Threat to Inspector

Mexico announced that the U.S. government had suspended all imports of Mexican avocados on the eve of the Super Bowl after drug cartels threatened an American plant safety inspector working in that country.

According to Bloomberg, the Mexican government on late Saturday acknowledged the U.S.' move after one of its officers tasked to carry out inspection received a "threatening call."

The temporary suspension issued by the United States will affect the import of avocados from Mexico's Michoacan state, the Associated Press reported.

Michoacan is the only Mexican state dully authorized to export avocados in the U.S. market.

"U.S. health authorities... made the decision after one of their officials, who was carrying out an inspection in Uruapan, Michoacan, received a threatening message on his official cellphone," Mexico's Agriculture Department said in a statement.

The department did not provide additional details on the nature of the threat that the official received. But it noted that the U.S. government suspended all imports of Mexican avocados "until further notice."

Threat Connected Between Mexican Drug Cartels and Avocados in Mexico Being Investigated

In response to the threat received by the U.S. official, Mexico's Agriculture Department said the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts a probe in connection to the incident.

The inspector works for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services.

"An investigation is currently being carried out to assess the threat and determine the necessary mitigation measures to guarantee the physical integrity of all of its personnel working in Michoacan," the agency said.

The import ban came on the day when the largest association of avocado farmers in Mexico unveiled its ad campaign that would feature their produce during Superbowl Sunday.

However, the suspension would not affect game-day consumption since the avocados had already been shipped weeks before the event.

According to Bloomberg, Michoacan exported more than 135,000 tons of avocados to the U.S. in the last six weeks alone. The number of avocados that arrived was expected, as Mexico's annual export is known to amount to around $3 billion every year.

It was not the first time that avocados in Michoacan had been threatened as the state is currently being fought over by Mexican drug cartels.

The Jalisco cartel in Michoacan is fighting turf wars against an alliance of smaller cartels known as the United Cartels, which had the support of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Many avocado growers in Michoacan say drug cartels threaten them or their family members with kidnapping and death unless they pay protection money.

In August 2019, a U.S. Department of Agriculture team was "directly threatened" in Ziracuaretiro. Authorities did not specify what happened, but local authorities say a gang robbed the truck inspectors were traveling in at gunpoint.

The avocado ban was the latest threat to Mexico's export trade, stemming from the government's inability to curb illegal activities.

Mexico Avocado Imports and Super Bowl 56

The suspension of Avocado import in the U.S. came a day after Mexican avocado growers and the packers association unveiled its Super Bowl 56 ad. This year's advertisement shows Julius Caesar and a bunch of rough gladiator fans enjoying guacamole and avocados outside the coliseum.

It is known that Guacamole and Avocados are traditionally present during Super Bowl celebrations. According to author and times Columnist Gustavo Arellano, the famous dip became a Super bowl tradition in the 1960s.

"Guacamole doesn't take off until chip takes off, and chips don't take off until Doritos take off, and that's the late 1960s... Guess what's starting to blow up at that time as well? The Super Bowl," Arellano said via the Los Angeles Times.

Hass Avocado Board spokesperson, Vicki Fite, predicted that the NFL fans might consume about 124 million pounds of avocados in the week of Super Bowl 56.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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