Are you enjoying your blueberries? I have a husband who doesn’t eat a lot of fruit. Honestly, he prefers fruit loops, but around 18 months ago, I spotted amazing looking blueberries in lots of grocery stores, and he was suddenly a fruit guy. The blueberries were large and crisp. They almost popped in your mouth and tasted like a tart little miracle. They were all imported from either Chile, Columbia, or Peru. I’ve learned that the blueberries, asparagus, and other produce imported from South America was part of a long-term effort by USAID to fight the war on drugs, setting up incentives to turn coca fields into produce for export to the U.S. It was a huge success as importers here ramped up sales of this beautiful fruit on a wide-scale basis over the past two years. 

Then came the tariffs, and the miracle blueberries disappeared from the shelves. At least that’s what I’ve noticed. I recently bought the blueberries I could find on the shelves, but they are a soggy, sorry version of what I’ve become used to. Those South American berries have been replaced by locally grown, tariff-free inferiors.  And my husband is back to fruit loops.

The intended consequences of the war on drugs initiative were a big success for blueberry fans. Let’s hope that the unintended consequences of the tariffs do not force farmers to turn back to their previous crops. 

I miss the miracle blueberries!