Dive Brief:

• Americans have developed a taste for imported produce, and that's unlikely to change, according to projections from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 
• Imports will account for half of U.S. fruit use and a quarter of U.S. vegetable use by 2023, the USDA said. 
• The feds also expect a rise in U.S. exports of produce, although a slight decline is anticipated in the production of fresh-market vegetables.

Dive Insight:

We're old enough to remember when it was impossible to find fresh fruits and vegetables for much of the year in much of the country. That has changed to such a degree that it's often hard to fathom. A trip through the produce aisle of any major supermarket is a lesson in the realities of world trade.

We're not surprised by the USDA's findings. Americans are eating healthier than they once did. And our neighbors, particularly in Mexico and Chile, have been glad to export produce to serve the U.S. market.

There is, of course, one wild card in the produce trade in the Americas — and it could change everything. So although it seldom gets any attention, we like to remind folks every once in a while of the following: Someday, perhaps soon, the nation that was once our primary source of foreign produce will return to the market. Because someday, perhaps soon, Cuba will be free, and its once-legendary ability to produce food will be restored