Health-conscious consumers are eating avocados like never before during the pandemic. After a brief drop in demand at the start of the Covid crisis, European and U.S. consumption are hitting record highs, according to Xavier Equihua, chief executive officer of the World Avocado Organization, a trade group. “Consumption is off the charts,” Equihua said in an interview from California. “People want to eat healthy. The new luxury post-pandemic is going to be eating healthy, and wellness. Even the fashion industry is saying that.”
Demand for the fruit has accelerated as more consumers eat at home. No longer just a component of guacamole for parties, its use has broadened to salads, burritos and, of course, the hipster cliche of avocado toast. Europe’s consumption will jump 12% this year to a record 1.48 billion pounds, according to import data, while U.S. demand will increase 7%, Equihua said, citing industry projections.
“It’s not only the millennials,”…