The United States imported $48.6 billion worth of food and agricultural products from Mexico in 2024, making it the country’s largest supplier of imported food by a wide margin. That total spans everything from fresh produce and beef to beer and tequila. Many of these items are so deeply woven into the American food supply that most shoppers don’t realize they’re buying Mexican imports.
Avocados
Mexico dominates the U.S. avocado market. Of all avocados imported into the country, 88 percent come from Mexico, with Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Chile splitting the remainder. The scale of this trade has exploded over the past two decades: the U.S. imported an annual average of 2.25 billion pounds of Mexican avocados from 2019 to 2021, compared to just 55 million pounds in the early 2000s.
Imported avocados now account for roughly 90 percent of the entire domestic supply, up from 40 percent in the early 2000s. California still grows avocados, but domestic production can’t come close to matching demand. If you buy an avocado at a U.S. grocery store, the odds are overwhelming that it was grown in the Mexican state of Michoacán.
Tomatoes
Mexico exports approximately 1.83 million metric tons of tomatoes to the United States each year, a trade valued at nearly $3 billion. Mexican greenhouse operations and favorable climate conditions make year-round exports possible, but the shipments peak during winter and spring when American farms aren’t producing. In January 2023, Mexico supplied 70 percent of the tomatoes reaching U.S. markets. By August, when domestic crops were in full swing, that share dropped to 49 percent before climbing again through the fall.
This seasonal pattern holds for many Mexican produce exports. Mexico’s growing seasons are partly counter-seasonal to those in the U.S., which means Mexican farms fill the gap during months when American-grown produce is scarce.
Berries
Mexico has become a major berry supplier, and its exports continue to grow. Total berry exports, including strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries, are projected to reach 752,000 metric tons in 2025. Production of strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries is forecast to increase, driven by improved plant varieties, modernized farming practices, and strong demand from both the U.S. market and Mexican consumers. Blueberry production is expected to dip slightly due to a shorter harvest window.
If you buy fresh berries in the U.S. during winter months, there’s a strong chance they were grown in Mexico, particularly in the states of Jalisco, Baja California, and Michoacán.
Other Fruits and Vegetables
Beyond avocados, tomatoes, and berries, Mexico supplies a long list of produce that stocks American grocery stores. Limes, mangoes, peppers (both fresh and dried), cucumbers, squash, and watermelons all flow north in large volumes. The USDA has documented 14 consecutive years of expansion in horticultural imports from Mexico through 2023, reflecting both growing U.S. demand and Mexico’s investment in modern agriculture.
Peppers are a particularly notable category. Nearly all the jalapeños, serranos, and other chili peppers sold fresh in the U.S. come from Mexico, along with most of the limes you see in stores year-round.
Beer and Tequila
Mexico is the top source of imported beer in the United States. Brands like Corona, Modelo, and Dos Equis have become so popular that total U.S. beer import values reached $6.7 billion in 2022, with Mexico commanding the largest share by far. Modelo Especial has in recent years become the best-selling beer brand in the country, domestic or imported.
Tequila tells an even more dramatic growth story. Adjusting for inflation, tequila imports from Mexico surged from $1.1 billion in 2014 to $4.9 billion by 2019 and continued climbing. By 2022, distilled spirits overall were the largest segment of U.S. alcohol imports at $12 billion, and tequila from Mexico was the primary driver of that growth, outpacing traditionally dominant categories like whiskey and vodka. Mezcal, tequila’s smokier cousin, has followed a similar trajectory on a smaller scale.
Beef and Live Cattle
Mexico exports both live cattle and processed beef to the United States. Around one million head of cattle are forecast to cross the border in 2025, a 17 percent decrease from the prior year. Most of these are young feeder cattle that are shipped to U.S. feedlots for finishing before slaughter. Processed beef exports are moving in the opposite direction, forecast to rise 7 percent in 2025 to 315,000 metric tons.
This trade matters for U.S. beef prices. Mexican feeder cattle supplement domestic herds, particularly when drought or other factors shrink the American cattle supply. The processed beef flowing north includes cuts and products that end up in restaurants and grocery stores across the country.
Why Mexico’s Role Keeps Growing
Several factors explain why Mexico has become such a critical food supplier. Geography is the most obvious: sharing a 2,000-mile border keeps transportation costs low and transit times short, which matters enormously for perishable produce. Mexico’s climate allows growing seasons that complement rather than compete with U.S. agriculture, keeping grocery shelves stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables through the winter. And trade agreements, particularly the USMCA (which replaced NAFTA in 2020), have maintained low or zero tariffs on most agricultural goods crossing the border.
The practical result is that a significant portion of what Americans eat every day, from the avocado on morning toast to the lime in an evening drink, depends on Mexican agriculture. At $48.6 billion annually, this trade relationship shapes both the variety and the price of food in American kitchens.