It could be the beginning of the end for trendy ‘super-food’ avocado breakfasts as the ingredient might soon be a lot harder to get hold of in the UK

They’re healthy source of fat, a brunch staple, and, apparently, the reason millennials will never get on the property ladder, but avocados are now causing controversy due to fears surrounding their impact on the environment.

According to a food mileage calculator, the average avocado travels 4,402 miles before it reaches our plates here in England, which, at a time when climate change concerns are so prevalent, has lead some chefs and cafes across the country to believe transporting ingredients all the way from central and south America and Africa just to satisfy our whim for the latest food trend is wrong – especially when we have so many delicious, nutritious foods being grown on our very doorsteps.

Due to their popularity in the western world, avocado farmers have to increase their production and as a result, more and more forests are being thinned out to make way for avocado plantations. Intensive farming on this scale can contribute to greenhouse emissions and places pressure on local water supplies due to the vast amount required to farm the fruit on such a huge scale.

Not only might avocado production be damaging land, it would be harmful to people – a claim that was made back in 2016, when Greenpeace Mexico said people were likely to suffer too due to the “high use of agricultural chemicals and the large volumes of wood needed to pack and ship avocados”.

Furthermore, as more and more of the fruit is demanded, farmers are said to be struggling to keep up, pushing up prices to the point where there are even reports of Mexican drug cartels controlling lucrative exports.

While there have been no reports of cafes scrapping the fleshy fruits from their menus in Suffolk just yet, with many jumping on the bandwagon in other parts of the UK, including Buckinghamshire, London and Bristol, the trend to boycott avocados could soon become as popular as the fruit itself.

Are you a Suffolk or Norfolk chef, or café or restaurant owner, and have got rid of avocados from your menu for similar reasons? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Get in touch by emailing emily.cotton@archant.co.uk