- President Donald Trump's threats to shut the US-Mexico border could result in food shortages across the United States.
- In the winter and spring, Mexico supplies about 60% of all US produce.
- Produce that would be hit hardest by a border shutdown includes bell peppers, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, mangoes, and avocados, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
President Donald Trump's threats to shut the US-Mexico border could result in more than just an avocado shortage.
The leading US vegetables imported from Mexico include tomatoes, onions, shallots, bell peppers, squash, chili peppers, and cucumbers, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
Leading fruit imports supplied by Mexico include avocados, watermelon, limes, mangoes, papayas, and strawberries.
In the case of a border shutdown, prices for these items would initially skyrocket, and they could start disappearing from store shelves within days, The New York Times reports.
"If we think about closing the border 100%, we're seeing prices go up immediately for fresh produce," Lance Jungmeyer, the president of Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, told KGUN TV.
Shoppers across the US would feel the impacts of these shortages.
Nearly half of all imported US vegetables and 40% of imported fruit are from Mexico, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture.
In the winter and spring, the share of produce supplied by Mexico is even higher, accounting for roughly 60% of all fruits and vegetables in the US, Jungmeyer told The New York Times.
