US pickle shortage tied to extreme weather in Mexico [Video]

Every year, Americans consume more than 20 billion pickles, but recently, consumers have noticed some restaurants warning of a “national pickle shortage.”

The warnings from restaurants such as Firehouse Subs, local delis and others are generally bona fide, as both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and experts from North Carolina State University say that the combination of reliance on imports and extreme weather could impact supplies.

“There indeed has been a shortage in pickling cucumbers, and it has to do with reduced supply from Mexico,” Jonathan Schultheis, a professor in horticultural science at N.C. State University, told FOX Weather. “In certain growing regions, it has been too hot (100 °F), which reduces yields. In other key production regions in Mexico, it has been too cold. The crop has not suffered from freezes but temperatures that do not promote pickling cucumber growth.”

Annually, the U.S. imports over a million tons of fresh cucumbers, …