1344: Avocados | Skeptical Sunday
The Jordan Harbinger Show

1344: Avocados | Skeptical Sunday

Jun 14, 2026 · 57 min

About this episode

<p><strong>Does your guac come with a body count? Jessica Wynn peels back blood avocados, cartel taxes, and deforestation on this week's Skeptical Sunday.</strong></p><p>Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of <em>The Jordan Harbinger Show</em> where <strong>Jordan</strong> and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we’re joined by writer and researcher <a href="https://jessicawynn.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Jessica Wynn</strong></a><strong>!</strong></p><p><strong>Full show notes and resources can be found here: </strong><a href="https://jordanharbinger.com/1344" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>jordanharbinger.com/1344</strong></a></p><p><strong>On This Week's Skeptical Sunday:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>How a Los Angeles mailman's single grafted tree became the Hass — now 95% of the world's avocados</strong> — and how decades of slick marketing rebranded a suspiciously oily fruit into the "healthy fats" superfood clogging your Instagram feed.</li><li><strong>Why drug cartels muscled into guacamole after NAFTA opened the border in 1997</strong> — discovering that "green gold" was safer than cocaine and nearly as profitable, then taxing every crate, shaking down farmers, and pioneering what economists call "narco-agriculture."</li><li><strong>How "blood avocados" hide their real cost</strong> — Michoacán's homicide rate more than doubling alongside soaring exports, journalists murdered for covering the trade, and indigenous families displaced while the violence stays invisible to anyone ordering a side of guac.</li><li><strong>What the environmental toll actually looks like</strong>: 700,000 acres of Michoacán forest cleared, arson weaponized as a legal loophole, monarch habitat collapsing, and roughly 300 liters of water drained for just two or three avocados — and the same pattern in Chile and Peru.</li><li><strong>Why the smartest move isn't a guilt-ridden boycott but better leverage — backing fair-trade and Pro-Forest certified growers, pushing retailers for real transparency, and remembering avocados swap easily for lentils, broccoli, and olive oil when you want a break.</strong></li><li><strong>Connect with Jordan</strong> on <a href="https://twitter.com/JordanHarbinger" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jordanharbinger" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/THEJORDANHARBINGERSHOW" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a>. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at <a href="mailto:jordan@jordanharbinger.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">jordan@jordanharbinger.com</a> and let him know!</li><li><strong>Connect with Jessica Wynn</strong> at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/iamjessicawynn/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> (and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/NeverMetJessicas" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>!), and subscribe to her newsletters:<strong><em> </em></strong><a href="https://jessicawynn.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>Between the Lines</em></strong></a><strong> and </strong><a href="https://storiesbywynn.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>Where the Shadows Linger</em></strong></a><strong>!</strong></li></ul><p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1344999619?mt=2&ls=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here</strong></a><strong> — even one sentence helps! </strong></p><ul><li><strong>Sign up for </strong><a href="https://jordanharbinger.com/course" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Six-Minute Networking</strong></a><strong> — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at </strong><a href="https://jordanharbinger.com/course" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>jordanharbinger.com/course</strong></a><strong>!</strong></li><li><strong>Subscribe to our once-a-week </strong><a href="https://www.jordanharbinger.com/news/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>Wee Bit Wiser</em></strong></a><strong> newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!</strong></li><li><strong>Do you even Reddit, bro? </strong><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/JordanHarbinger/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Join us at r/JordanHarbinger</strong></a><strong>!</strong></li></ul><p><strong>This Episode Is Brought To You By </strong><a href="https://www.jordanharbinger.com/deals/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Our Fine Sponsors</strong></a><strong>: </strong></p><ul><li><strong>SimpliSafe Home Security: </strong><a href="https://simplisafe.com/jordan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>50% off + 1st month free: simplisafe.com/jordan</strong></a></li><li><strong>The Perfect Jean: </strong><a href="https://theperfectjean.nyc/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>15% off first order: theperfectjean.nyc, code JORDAN15</strong></a></li><li><strong>ZipRecruiter: </strong><a href="https://www.ziprecruiter.com/jordan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Learn more at ziprecruiter.com/jordan</strong></a></li><li><strong>FlyKitt: </strong><a href="https://www.fount.bio/flykitt" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>15% off: flykitt.com, code JORDAN</strong></a></li></ul><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>