Wait... this is a real thing?

With the rise of avocado popularity, insurers have seen an influx of personal injury claims arising from the attempt to cut into this oddly shaped fruit. Many injuries require stitches, however, some can be severe enough to cause nerve damage and require surgery to fix, which can even rack up medical bills up to $20,000. Most reported injuries come in on Sunday afternoons, a typical brunch-time avocado toast craving.

'Avocado hand' has caused some publications to issue public service announcements on the safety hazards of cutting an avocado, with instructions on proper safe handling. In the UK, the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons wants to alert people of the safety risk, perhaps with a warning label.

In a Times of London article, Simon Eccles, secretary of the association and former president of the plastic surgery section of the Royal Society of Medicine, said: "People do not anticipate that the avocados they buy can be very ripe and there is minimal understanding of how to handle them. We don't want to put people off the fruit but I think warning labels are an effective way of dealing with this. It needs to be recognizable...Perhaps we could have a cartoon picture of an avocado with a knife, and a big red cross going through it?"

You can read more here, and here.

In the meantime, be careful what you slice and perhaps opt for the pre-made guacamole instead.