On Saturday, Mexico said that the United States has chosen to temporarily halt avocado imports from the western state of Michoacan, a major producing region that has long been plagued by gang violence.
The decision was communicated to Mexico by US health authorities after one of its officials, who was conducting inspection work in the city of Uruapan, Michoacan, received a threatening call to their mobile phone.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is conducting an inquiry to analyse the hazard and determine what actions are required to ensure the safety of its workers operating in Michoacan, according to the ministry.
The revelation is a blow for President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s administration, as the United States is the largest consumer of Mexican avocados, buying tens of thousands of tonnes each year to manufacture guacamole, a popular Super Bowl snack.
On Sunday, the Super Bowl will be conducted.
The announcement came just hours after the US government expressed its displeasure with violence against journalists in Mexico, following the latest in a string of killings of journalists.
Michoacan has traditionally been one of Mexico’s most violent states, and Lopez Obrador has battled to assert himself against gangs who have continued bloodshed at near-record levels under his presidency.
The state has been wracked by turf warfare between gangs, particularly the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the country’s most powerful groups.
The Mexican Army announced earlier this week that it had infiltrated a section of Michoacan recognised by security analysts as a CJNG stronghold and restored order in 43 towns.
Michoacan has shipped nearly 135,000 tonnes of avocado to the United States in the last six weeks, according to the ministry.