US pickle shortage tied to extreme weather in Mexico
The warnings from restaurants such as Firehouse Subs, local delis and others are generally bona fide, as both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and experts from North Carolina State University say that the combination of reliance on imports and extreme weather could impact supplies.
“There indeed has been a shortage in pickling cucumbers, and it has to do with reduced supply from Mexico,” Jonathan Schultheis, a professor in horticultural science at N.C. State University, told FOX Weather.
“In certain growing regions, it has been too hot (100 °F), which reduces yields. In other key production regions in Mexico, it has been too cold.
The crop has not suffered from freezes but temperatures that do not promote pickling cucumber growth.”
Every year, Americans consume more than 20 billion pickles, but recently, consumers have noticed some restaurants warning of a “national pickle shortage.”
Annually, the U.S. imports over a million tons of fresh cucumbers, with around 75% coming from Mexico, but imports may be off by at least 7%, according to USDA estimates.
A climate cycle known as El Niño has led to extreme weather across Mexico’s 31 states.
Generally, the warm water in the central and eastern Pacific causes increased rainfall and cooler conditions over the winter and warm, dry heat over the summer.
Pickling cucumbers grow best when temperatures are between 70 °F to 90 °F, but a constant has been relatively hard to find.
