The All England Club has removed avocados from menus at this year's Wimbledon championships, substituting them with crushed British peas as part of sweeping sustainability measures.
The decision affects food outlets across the tournament grounds, where avocados had gained popularity amongst spectators for their nutritional value.
According to The Sunday Times, the ban forms part of Wimbledon's broader environmental strategy.
The crushed pea alternative represents a shift towards locally sourced ingredients, eliminating the environmental costs associated with importing avocados from overseas.
The All England Club has removed avocados from menus at this year's Wimbledon championships, substituting them with crushed British peas as part of sweeping sustainability measures
PA
The move comes as the prestigious tennis tournament seeks to reduce its carbon footprint through multiple initiatives.
Television gardener Alan Titchmarsh, a regular in the Royal Box, has voiced strong opposition to avocado consumption due to environmental concerns.
In a March letter to the newspaper, Titchmarsh argued that avocados should be treated "like foie gras" and urged people: "don't eat them."
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PAHe highlighted the environmental destruction linked to avocado production, stating they are "grown where the rainforest has been felled at an alarming rate to accommodate them [and] need huge and often scarce supplies of water before being shipped 5,000 miles or more."
His intervention appears to have influenced Wimbledon's decision to eliminate the fruit from its catering operations.
Wimbledon has extended its sustainability efforts beyond the avocado ban, removing farmed salmon from menus across the venue.
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The tournament is embracing plant-based alternatives, including dairy-free cream options for the traditional strawberries and cream offering that has long been associated with the championships.
To address food waste, organisers have partnered with City Harvest charity. Any unsold food will be donated to the organisation, which distributes meals to those in need at no cost.
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The charity will use a specially designated van dubbed "Vandy Murray" for collections, named through a collaboration with the British tennis champion.
The All England Club has implemented significant infrastructure changes to reduce environmental impact at this year's tournament.
Gardener Alan Titchmarsh has previously warned people against eating avocados
PA
Thirty of the venue's 42 kitchens have been converted to operate without gas, marking a substantial shift in the tournament's catering operations.
Player facilities have also been upgraded with sustainability in mind. Showers used by competitors are now heated through solar thermal tubes, harnessing renewable energy rather than traditional heating methods.
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