You’ve likely heard of the controversy over avocado, and why some people say that we should not buy or eat it. It’s a delicious food, and very good nutritionally. But unless you’re buying from a local farmers’ market who knows where it comes from, it’s likely best to avoid avocado.
If used, buy Fair Trade organic avocados (and keep away from pets, as they are unsafe). Read more on food safety for people and pets.
Smashed peas on toast is the ideal answer, if you fancy a posh breakfast, but more local and season. When prepared and seasoned well, this is a delicious breakfast, and peas are also packed with protein, and help to support our local farmers.
What’s the Controversy with Avocado?
Avocados (the main ingredient in guacamole) is a ‘thirsty crop’ that also is not local. The issues with it are similar to the palm oil issues in Indonesia, in that it’s linked to deforestation of pine-oak forests in South America, along with land grabs and even organised crime.
Plus modern methods of massive agriculture have led to methods of farming that are killing native bee populations. So-called ‘migratory bee-keeping’ in a nutshell uses pesticides and methods to encourage pollination by bees, who then starve once the avocados are harvested, as they are relying on a mono-crop (no other food nearby to eat).
This is very different to organic farmers who leave wildlife corridors and grow crops that let bees pollinate food, and still thrive after harvesting. Other crops linked to migratory bee-keeping include almonds, and even apples.
To do the best thing, just think ‘local and organic’ and you won’t go far wrong. A smaller organic almond farmer in California is fine. But if you are buying almonds in a cheap supermarket, they are unlikely to come from said farmer.
Just like factory farms, bees are now being artificial bred abroad to create huge monocultures of crops (like avocado) to satisfy western appetites. There’s nothing wrong with locals in Mexico eating avocado from a local organic farm. And nothing wrong with us enjoying the odd one, if we knew where it was from. But it’s likely we don’t. Especially if it’s displayed on a supermarket shelf. And it’s a good bet that the supermarket is not going out of its way, to find out either.
Some plant-based recipes use hearts of palm (tins of a vegetable that is often used to replace fish in recipes). If used, choose multi-stemmed (these grow back, other types don’t). Or even better, sub with local canned artichokes.
