Nearly all of the 71 million pounds of avocados consumed at Super Bowl parties this weekend were probably grown somewhere else. San Diego County Farm Bureau president Eric Larson says the avocado market has changed dramatically over the past decade.
"It was the only game in town," said Eric Larson, President of the San Diego County Farm Bureau. "But Mexico, particularly in the state of Michoacan, they planted a lot of acreage. They probably have 10 times the acreage down there than what we have in San Diego County."
And with so many imported avocados entering the U.S. market, the San Diego share of the season has shrunk to April, May and June. In past years it used to start in January and last through September.
"The big change is the vast majority of the fruit sold in this country comes from foreign countries. We no longer dominate our own marketplace," said Larson.
Super Bowl Sunday is also a big day for tortilla chips, chicken wings, and beer. Baby carrots and yogurt are also hoping to score some attention from partiers enjoying the big game.
