NZ Avocado says the shift could help narrow a consumption gap with Australia worth more than $30 million a year to the domestic market.
Lunch has overtaken breakfast as New Zealand's most common avocado occasion. The finding comes from a National Guacamole Day survey of 1,003 adults NZ Avocado commissioned ahead of the September 16 event.
Key Facts
- At 23% to 18%, lunch now edges out breakfast as Kiwis' top avocado occasion.
- New Zealand's 2026-27 avocado crop is forecast at almost 8 million trays, with 3 million earmarked for domestic buyers.
- Narrowing the gap with Australia's 4.7kg per-capita rate could add $30 million a year in demand.
NZ Avocado commissioned the study ahead of National Guacamole Day to track how and when Kiwis eat the fruit. Almost a quarter of respondents reported eating avocado across several different meals in a typical week.
Survey Shows Avocado Use Shifting Beyond Breakfast
Toast remains the top avocado pairing at 68%, followed by salad at 48%, eggs at 42%, Mexican food at 31%, and sushi at 25%. Consumers are also mixing avocado with Indian, Middle Eastern, and Pacific flavours, alongside Asian-style condiments and pickled vegetables not traditionally paired with the fruit.
Siebert added that broadening the range of meals in which avocado is used could help lift consumption without depending on a single food trend. Avocado has traditionally been linked to breakfast and brunch.
Kiwis are increasingly using it well beyond toast, Siebert said.
New Zealand Consumption Trails Australia and Mexico
New Zealanders eat about 3kg of avocado a year, against 4.7kg in Australia and 12kg in Mexico. NZ Avocado chief executive Brad Siebert said closing even a portion of that gap with Australia would matter to growers.
Siebert told FMCG Business the shift "represents a significant opportunity to build another source of demand" for growers.
NZ Avocado estimates the wholesale market could grow from around $60 million to more than $90 million a year if consumption moved closer to Australian levels. That is an increase of more than $30 million a year at current values.
Record 2026-27 Season Adds Pressure to Find Buyers
NZ Avocado says the country imports no avocados. All fruit sold domestically is grown here.
Almost 8 million trays are expected to enter the domestic and export markets in 2026-27. Close to 3 million trays are earmarked for local buyers, worth about $60 million. Almost 5 million trays are headed for export, worth about $100 million.
According to Siebert, the industry's task is not simply producing more fruit but building demand to absorb it. The 2026-27 season also lands alongside a shift in where people eat avocado toast. Among respondents, 61% mostly make it at home, and 5% mostly buy it from cafes.
Another 27% reported buying cafe avocado toast less often than a year ago.
