By Matt Hardy
The World Avocado Organisation has hit out at Wimbledon over its ban of the stoned fruit at this year鈥檚 Championships.
The All England Club removed the food type popular with millennials from its menus at this year鈥檚 tennis grand slam in a sustainability push. They鈥檝e been replaced by crushed English peas.
This has provoked a response from the World Avocado Organisation 鈥 global avocado grower representatives 鈥 which insists the fruit is 鈥渙ne of the most nutrient-dense and environmentally responsible fruits available today鈥, adding that the water footprint of foods such as nuts, olive oil and beef are much worse.
鈥淢isconceptions like these can have non-desired impacts and affect small farmers who rely on growing avocados to make a living,鈥 Zac Bard, chairman of the organisation, adds.
鈥淎vocados are too often made a scapegoat in the conversation around food sustainability.
鈥淲e must look at the full picture: from how they鈥檙e grown to how they鈥檙e transported, avocados are one of the more environmentally responsible choices in today鈥檚 global food system. They鈥檙e a smart, sustainable, and health-forward choice.鈥
The same study suggests that avocados generate an average greenhouse gas emission figure that is lower than even milk, rice and eggs, while it is significantly lower than coffee, chocolate, lamb, cheese and beef.
鈥淎s avocados are produced from large trees, those trees play a crucial role in carbon sequestration by capturing and storing CO2. A mature tree can absorb approximately 22 kg of CO2 per year,鈥 the World Avocado Organisation continued.
鈥淲ith similar or even lower water usage compared to other fruit crops, minimal pesticide exposure and environmentally friendly farming practices, avocados provide a sustainable and nutritious choice for consumers.鈥
In additional measures made by Wimbledon, 30 of the 42 kitchens on the grand slam site have scrapped gas power while showers will be solar heated.