Bananas are amazing. They are one of my favourite fruits. Sweet, delicious, and so handy, especially for kids, in their own little packaging. I had never taken a second thought about where bananas were grown, or in what conditions. That is until I stumbled across an article in 2015. I can’t remember the name of the magazine it was in, but it changed my perspective on bananas forever. I had worked in the news industry for a decade and had never seen, heard, or read, a story about banana production. The information about the conditions that bananas are grown in, and what the workers had to endure, was horrifying. Over use of toxic, banned sprays, 12-18 hour work days, blatant disregard for human safety, and billions of dollars worth of profit. I couldn’t understand how I had never heard about it before. That’s what prompted me to write this post, if I had never seen anything about it, then you guys probably haven’t either. Fair trade and organic bananas are becoming much more accessible and they are really, really worth spending that little bit extra on.

KIWIS LOVE BANANAS!

New Zealanders love bananas, spending more on them than any other fruit. Kiwis import more bananas per capita than any other developed country, and eat more than 18 kilos of bananas per person each year. As a country we spend more than $142 million NZD a year on bananas! Our family alone consumes about five kilos a week in smoothies, banana ice cream, and snacks. This ends up being over 200 kilos a year. That’s a lot of bananas!

BUNDLES OF NOURISHMENT

It’s no wonder we all love bananas, they are so versatile and also great bundles of nourishment. They are a fantastic source of both vitamins and minerals and also a good source of fibre. They contain a lot of vitamin C and B vitamins, especially B6 which is important for brain development, and keeping the nervous and immune systems healthy. Bananas are also a great source of potassium which is important for regulating fluid balance, muscle contractions, and the nervous system. Bananas also contain small amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, selenium, and zinc. They even contain some protein. Bananas are popular for a reason, tasty and nourishing!

WHERE DO OUR BANANAS COME FROM?

Historically New Zealand’s banana imports came from the pacific. In the 1950s due to unreliability, imports started to come from South America and then the Philippines. Today about 70 percent of bananas imported into New Zealand are from the Philippines. Horrendous conditions appear to be common in both South American and Filipino banana plantations. Toxic chemicals are used, and workers are forced to work long hours in terrible conditions for less than a living wage. The large mono crop plantations also have a huge environmental impact, contributing to soil degradation and the clear cutting of rain forests.

USE OF BANNED HERBICIDES AND INSECTICIDES

Reading through articles when researching this blog post was quite depressing. What astounded me the most was the use of toxic chemicals in today’s banana production. The workers on the plantations live there too, so are continually exposed to these chemicals and suffer from many health problems. These include skin irritation, blindness, infertility, birth defects, and cancer. A report by Oxfam in 2014 showed that herbicides and insecticides that have been banned for use in the EU and America are routinely being used on bananas grown in the Philippines. It didn’t state what amount of residue can still be found in the bananas, but all the plantations using them were currently exporting to New Zealand.

MODERN DAY SLAVE LABOUR

Besides the constant exposure to toxic chemicals workers also work long days, any where between 12-18 hours. Attempts to increase pay or improve working conditions are met with threats of violence or death. Local human rights groups in the Philippines documented 318 targeted killings of union members and activists in 2010. Child labour is also very common with children working 12 hour days and getting paid little more than half the minimum wage. Wages aren’t enough to cover basic needs. The companies that are responsible for this treatment don’t appear to be struggling. Sumitomo and Dole Foods both report gross profits of billions of dollars a year. They appear to be large corporations taking advantage of desperate people with limited options.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

The environmental impact of banana production is also a heavy cost. The huge volumes of chemicals used are harmful for both the workers and the surrounding environment. The chemicals seep into water table and find their way to waterways and the ocean. The surrounding water becomes uninhabitable for many types of wildlife and contributes to reef deterioration, and declining numbers of diverse sea life. Also the combination of the toxic chemicals, deforestation, and mono-crop plantations leave vast tracts of land desolate, depleted, and saturated in chemicals.

TRUE COST OF BANANAS

This information can be overwhelming, but there is a way we can instigate change. Vote with your dollars! Our local supermarket stocks fair trade bananas, and our local fruit shop stocks fair trade organic ones. We only ever buy these now and haven’t noticed that much of a cost difference (and we eat a lot of bananas!). Last week I took note of the price difference between regular and fair trade/organic bananas. At the supermarket the fair trade bananas were NZ$1.50 more a kilo so if you buy 2 kilos of bananas a week that would only add NZ$3 to your groceries. And at the fruit shop the fair trade organic bananas were only NZ$1 more a kilo. If your local supermarket or fruit shop doesn’t stock fair trade bananas then ask them if they can.

All Good Bananas source their bananas from El Guabo in Ecuador. They come from small plantations that believe in sustainable farming and biodiversity. Fairtrade standards also ban the use of over 120 chemicals commonly sprayed on fruit, so you can be assured your bananas are even healthier for you. Regular bananas come at a higher cost, it’s just not apparent in the price tag. Whenever you can buy fair trade/organic.

I’ve only skimmed the surface of the story behind banana production, if you want to learn more this Radio New Zealand article is a great place to start. We truly have the power to change things when voting with our dollars.

And to lift your spirits, below is an easy recipe for some delicious banana ice cream. Using fair trade/organic bananas in it will taste even better, enjoy!

SIMPLE BANANA ICE CREAM

Makes about 2L of ice cream

INGREDIENTS

3-4 ripe organic fair-trade bananas
1 can of coconut cream
½ a cup of oat milk (or other plant-based milk)

PREPARATION

Peel and slice the bananas thinly and place in the freezer overnight. The smaller the pieces the easier it will be to blend
Store your can of coconut cream in the fridge so the cream and water seperate.
Remove the sliced bananas from the freezer and let defrost for 10-15 minutes
Scoop the separated cream from the coconut cream tin into a high powered blender or food processor. Save the water for smoothies.
Add the slightly thawed frozen bananas and oat milk.
Blend until the mixture is thick and creamy (like soft serve ice cream). You may need to use the blender damper or stop the food processor to scrape down the sides of the mixture.
Serve immediately or place back in the freezer for a delicious banana ice cream!

Optional extras:

-A cup of frozen blue berries (or any other frozen berry).

-1-2 tablespoons of cacao plus 1/4 cup cacao nibs (or dark chocolate chips) mixed through once blended.

-1-2 drops of pure peppermint essential oil plus 1/4 cup cacao nibs (or dark chocolate chips) mixed though once blended.

-1 tsp of spirulina for a nutritional boost. If you are not used to the flavour of spirulina start small and work up to a larger amount (it will also make your ice cream green).

When I make this I usually store it in individual containers and/or pouches and leave them to defrost for about 5-10 minutes before eating. Otherwise it can be a bit hard to scoop out of the container.

Enjoy your guilt free (in more ways than one!) banana ice cream.

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or health professional. I have completed a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from eCornell and have done in-depth research about plant-based living. The information I trust is mostly sourced from medical professionals that are leading the way in this plant-based revolution. Check out my recommended page for more info.