New Issue: Orbital Catastrophe Ahead? Read Now

Where (in the World!) Your Fruits and Vegetables Come from: An Interactive Finder

Countries worldwide are steadily supplying more and more produce to Americans eager to “eat fresh” year-round

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

U.S. farmers grow a lot of produce, but imports are filling most of the rising demand, especially during winter months. So where do your bananas, eggplants, kiwis and okra come from? You may be surprised. The interactive graphic below lists the global region of origin, volume of imports, and increase over time for more than 150 fruits and vegetables. Now that’s a salad.—Mark Fischetti and Jen Christiansen

For more maps showing how imports vary by season, and graphics on how consumer tastes for some notable edibles have evolved, click on the image below.


On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


Scientific American Magazine Vol 309 Issue 3This article was published with the title “Where (in the World!) Your Fruits and Vegetables Come from: An Interactive Finder” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 309 No. 3 ()
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican092013-3P9tM8WhU4pfGgsya0BTZv

Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism

Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.

When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.

Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber

Thank you,

Jeanna Bryner, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Subscribe