Global avocado sales are expected to double this year, boosted by growing demand in China, according to the world's largest distributor of the fruit.
"It appears to just double every year, from what we've seen," Steve Barnard, president of California-based Mission Produce told CNBC. "It could maybe more than double this year."
Demand for the fruit has been growing across the US, Europe, and now Asia, due its health benefits and popularity among young consumers.
"Between the nutrition and the health benefits and the versatility of use, avocado is obviously one of the fastest-growing produce items in the world, as far as consumption," added Barnard.
"As someone right in the middle of it, we're continuing to increase supply because we don't see this thing slowing down," he said.
On average, consumption of avocados in the US is currently around seven pounds per person, according to the US Department of Agriculture, which is more than double the amount a decade earlier.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
