TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity joined more than 50 environmental and food groups and community leaders today to urge U.S. grocery chains to offer only certified avocados to help curtail deforestation of Mexico’s Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. Purchasing avocados from certified suppliers would protect monarch butterflies, local forests and communities in Michoacán.

“Most of the avocados we eat in the U.S. come from Mexico, where forest-clearing for avocado production has taken a major toll on natural areas, wildlife and communities,” said Jennifer Molidor, senior food campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversity. “The Pro-Forest Agriculture certification program has blocked nearly 3,000 orchards tied to recent deforestation. Until all U.S. grocers refuse to accept deforestation in their supply chains, non-certified avocados can still reach our shopping carts. We’ve got to stop decimating monarch habitat and ignoring the violence against forest protectors.”

In a letter to leaders of some of the largest U.S. grocery chains, the groups said the grocers should require their suppliers to use the Pro-Forest Agriculture certification program from Guardián Forestal. This independent Mexican nonprofit uses satellite imagery to screen avocado orchards for recent deforestation and environmental violations.

The certification program is heralded by environmental advocates as a lifeline for monarch butterflies. In addition to deforestation, the program addresses other environmental harms from the orchards and supports long-established, legal orchards operated by farmers whose livelihoods the program is designed to protect.

The groups are asking companies to commit to the program before monarchs travel thousands of miles to overwintering grounds. Letters were sent today to Kroger, Albertsons, Aldi, Food Lion, Giant, Hannaford, Safeway, Sprouts, Stop & Shop, Target, Trader Joe's, Walmart, Whole Foods and other major retailers that have not publicly adopted a commitment to PFA certification.

Monarch numbers have fallen 90% over the last few decades. In the past 10 years, more than 10 football fields of forest a day have been cleared to grow avocados, including nearly 2,400 acres of Michoacán's Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, the overwintering home of monarchs that migrate as far as 3,000 miles to reach it.

The damage extends beyond butterflies. Avocado orchards consume enormous amounts of water, draining aquifers and worsening drought for communities across the region. As U.S. demand has turned avocados into “green gold,” it has drawn organized crime, corruption and violence into Mexico’s avocado-growing highlands.

In 2025, Costco committed to reducing deforestation in its avocado supply chain and engaging with suppliers around the certification program. Advocates are urging other major grocery chains to follow suit.

“It’s not a party if the guacamole comes from cruelty and devastation,” said Molidor. “Supermarkets must remove deforestation of Mexican forests from their supply chains if they want people to choose their avocados.”