While a good portion of the trucking industry opposesd NAFTA, particularly as it relates to the safety of Mexican trucking operations, as well concerns over rates being adversely affected, this information relates to the year around produce availability under NAFTA.
It wasn’t that many years ago when you would walk through the produce section of your supermarket you’d never have seen items like fresh raspberries or green beans in the dead of winter.
This time of year Mexican grown accounts for a lot of fresh produce eaten by Americans, and it’s the result of the North American Free Trade Agreement — NAFTA — which took effect 20 years ago last month.
In the years since, NAFTA radically changed the way we get our fruits and vegetables. For starters, the volume of produce from Mexico to the U.S. has tripled since 1994.
One reason for this growth is NAFTA eliminated tariffs on items such as cantaloupes, which used to have a 35 percent tax on them when they crossed the border. No tariffs meant lower prices.
Another reason is NAFTA encouraged investment. This mean U.S. companies linvesting hundreds of millions of dollars in Mexican farms. That has helped create year-round supply and demand for U.S. and Canadian customers.
For example 20 years ago, you did not have 365-day distribution of tomatoes from Mexico to the United States. Now you’ll find Mexican tomatoes in U.S. supermarkets every single day of the year.
A big emphasis has emerged in recent years on locally grown fruits and vegetables. Many retailers are buying locally grown as often as they can. The claim is locally grown has been been shipped long distances, or has been bred to produce product that has a longer shelf life, with less taste.
However, the produce industry has made great strides in packaging and shipping more flavorful fruits and vegetables from Mexico.