The cost of guacamole is going up as the US nears the Super Bowl. The average price of avocados in the country's South Central region, which includes Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, was $1.61 the first two weeks of 2022, up from $1.03 for the same period in 2021 and $1.04 in 2020.
According to Melissa Reeves of the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service ‘the problem is truck and labor shortages’. She added: "The prices are higher due to standard supply and demand issues. None of the quirky factors [like agricultural cartels or the weather, ed.] seem to be at play right now.”
“Retailer gouging does not seem to be an issue at this time, the price hike is a legitimate response to open market conditions," Reeves added.
Source: axios.com