The pregnant Duchess of Sussex is a so-called “avocado on toast whisperer”

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The pregnant Duchess of Sussex and so-called “avocado on toast whisperer” is wolfing down a fruit linked to water shortages, illegal deforestation and all round general environmental devastation. The trendy fruit has proved so lucrative they have been nicknamed “green gold” in Mexico. It has soared in popularity in the last decade, with hipsters flooding Instagram with photographs of their fashionable food. Avocados have been grown in Mexico for more than 9,000 years and have come a long way since 16th century Spanish conquistadors called them ahuacatl, which means ‘testicle’ in Aztec.

Between 2000 to 2015, avocado consumption in the US tripled, with the avocado market in the UK estimated to be worth £200million a year. Ethical restaurants have since removed it from menus amid concerns about the super food’s social and environmental impact. Michelin-starred chef JP McMahon has even called them the “blood diamonds of Mexico”.

The region’s trees need so much water to constantly produce the avocados that their production has resulted in numerous droughts. And as Mexico now makes more money exporting the fruit compared to oil, some areas are home to violent cartels. These include La Familia Michoacana, who famously tossed five of their rivals’ severed heads onto a dance floor in 2006 and the religious death cult the Knights Templar. As avocado farmers can make a huge £115,000 a year from their trade, this often results in the extortion and kidnapping of pickers.

Between 2000 to 2015, avocado consumption in the US tripled