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US suspends Mexican avocado imports on eve of Super Bowl

Mexico Avocado Violence
Posted at 10:37 AM, Feb 13, 2022
and last updated 2022-02-13 12:37:09-05

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. government has suspended imports of Mexican avocados, after a U.S. plant safety inspector in Mexico received a threat.

The surprise suspension came on the eve of the Super Bowl, the biggest sales opportunity of the year for Mexican avocado growers.

The move is the latest illustration of the dangers posed by drug cartel turf battles and the extortion of avocado growers in the western state of Michoacan, the only state in Mexico fully authorized to export to the U.S. market.

Because the United States also grows avocados, U.S. inspectors work in Mexico to ensure exported avocados don't carry diseases that could hurt U.S. crops.