ABSTRACT
The NAFTA permanently and irrevocably changed the Mexican avocado. Before 1993, avocados had been a traditional food that was primarily grown by subsistence farmers, alongside the three sisters of corn, beans, and squash. After the 1993 Agreement and the associated expansion of the export market that NAFTA ushered in, the fruit turned into a commodity crop. However, while this meant opportunity for one group of farmers, it spelt the end to another group: the small-scale subsistence farmers of Puebla. However, NAFTA also allowed US goods into Mexico, and food from the United States started flooding south of the border. This food was predominantly highly processed and led to an obesity crisis (and associated non-communicable diseases) with which Mexico still trying to grapple via a range of policy mechanisms.
