An avocado scandal erupted in California. While avocado farmers are experiencing one of their worst years in avocado production, their advocates are celebrating, so it seems. Last week, Marisa McClellan wrote a post that foresees the scarcity of avocados in the coming year. Following the sad news, the New York Times printed an article revealing the decadent lifestyle of the California Avocado Commission "as a kind of free-spending, avocado-gone-wild farm party."
The California Department of Food and Agriculture just released a report explaining that commission employee benefits included: season tickets for the Los Angeles Angels and hockey's Mighty Ducks, paid gym memberships, stipends for vitamins, and even workout clothes. To think that I thought health insurance was an important benefit...As one would imagine avocado farmers are outraged. Rick Shade, an unpaid chairman of the board and third-generation avocado farmer, states that they uncovered about $300,000 in dubious expenses - $39,000 spent by commission employees at upscale clothing stores, like Ann Taylor and Nordstrom.
With such outrageous spending, how could it have taken this long for avocado farmers to take notice? Shade explains that they turned a blind-eye since most farmers were making more and more money from the commission's succuss at popularizing the fruit.
10 More Dirty Restaurant Tricks
5 Things You Didn't Know About Turducken
10 Catchiest Food Jingles We Love to Hate
