Public reporting indicates that some portion of Albertsons’ avocados are sourced from illegally deforested land,[1] harming local communities and biodiversity and posing reputational and regulatory risk to the Company.

Mexico accounts for nearly 90 percent of avocado shipments into the United States.[2] For the past decade, over ten football fields of Mexican forests have been cleared daily for avocado orchards, most of which lack required permits.[3] Without action, by 2050, land used for avocado production is predicted to increase by over 70 percent.[4]

Over the past two decades, virtually all avocado-related deforestation in the states of Michoacán and Jalisco – the largest sources of avocados for the U.S. market – has violated Mexican federal law, which prohibits conversion of forested areas to agricultural production without government authorization. The additional crime of intentionally setting forest fires frequently facilitates deforestation in this region.[5]

Mexico’s main avocado-growing regions are currently in a severe drought.[6] Water used for avocado orchards is often obtained by illegally diverting streams, digging wells for irrigation, and replacing native forests with orchards, depleting water supplies for communities and making forests and farms more vulnerable to fires and disease.[7]

The burning and deforestation associated with conversion also releases greenhouse gases, reduces carbon storage, increases floods and landslides, undercuts biodiversity and the replenishment of aquifers,[8] and is destroying the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, further imperiling the endangered species.[9]

Albertsons states that it expects its vendors to “comply with all applicable environmental laws and regulations relevant to the vendor’s business practices.”[10] Yet, Mexican government records indicate orchards containing illegally deforested land are supplying avocados to Albertsons, calling into question the sufficiency of Albertsons’ due diligence protocols for its avocado suppliers.[11]

A certification program to help retailers and suppliers strengthen the sustainability of their avocado supply chains has been established. Under this program, packinghouses are certified under a satellite-based monitoring system to ensure that suppliers do not include avocados from orchards on land deforested since 2018. The certification program also ensures that orchard owners are not currently facing penalties for environmental crimes, including unauthorized water use.

Because many major U.S. avocado packers have adopted this certification system,[12] deforestation rates in the region are slowing and certification is becoming industry standard.[13]

Albertsons, however, has not made a commitment to require its suppliers to use the certification program, or any equivalent program, creating material reputational, brand, and supply chain risks for our company. Conducting an assessment of its due diligence policies, including use of certification systems, will help Albertsons reduce the likelihood of lawsuits associated with avocado deforestation and prevent greenwashing accusations, while protecting human rights and critical habitat.

[1] https://cri.org/reports/unholy-guacamole

[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33126191

[3] https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/mexicos-avocado-industry-harms-monarch-butterflies-but-will-u-s-officials-act-commentary

[4] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358551509

[5] https://cri.org/reports/unholy-guacamole

[6] https://smn.conagua.gob.mx/es/climatologia/monitor-de-sequia/monitor-de-sequia-en-mexico

[7] https://research.fs.usda.gov/pnw/forestplanthealth

[8] https://cri.org/reports/unholy-guacamole

[9] https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/1/4/23

[10] https://s29.q4cdn.com/239956855/files/doc_downloads/2024/FY24_Q2_VendorCOCandBE_fnl_Digital.pdf

[11] https://cri.org/reports/unholy-guacamole

[12] www.forestavo.com; https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/world/americas/mexico-avocados-deforestation.html

[13] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/world/americas/mexico-avocado-stop-deforestation-plan.html