The price of bananas
23/11/24 01:48
When we lived in South Dakota we would occasionally make jokes about living in the “banana belt” of the state. Often our temperatures were more mild than was the case in the eastern portion of the state. The Black Hills shielded us from some of the weather that affected other parts of the state. Of course the climate was nowhere near what is required to grow bananas. And the truth was that I didn’t know much about bananas. There are, of course, a lot of things that I don’t know much about, but I learned a little bit about bananas during the time we lived in South Dakota because our congregation in South Dakota had a sister congregation near San Jose, Costa Rica, and I had the good fortune of traveling with groups from the church to Costa Rica.
One of the things I learned about bananas when we walked through the markets in Costa Rica is that the Cavendish variety, which is the type most popular in US stores, probably isn’t the most popular banana eaten by locals in Costa Rica. In the markets in San Jose, Rojo or red bananas are widely available with a red peel and flesh that is slightly pink, are probably the local favorite. Also readily available are Dominico variety bananas with sweeter and more intense flavor. There are other varieties of bananas available in Costa Rica as well, including Gran Enano, Williams, and Valery. We can sometimes get Rojo and Dominico bananas at our local co-op grocery store, but the price is higher than Cavendish. At many other grocery stores where we live, Cavendish is the only banana variety sold. However, most local grocery stores sell organic bananas as well as the regular ones, which is an important distinction.
Bananas have been sold in North America since the late 1800s. In those days, the fruit had to travel long distances by boat and was picked and shipped green, ripening as it traveled. Toward the end of the 19th century a plant disease spread throughout central and South America threatening the economy of the region which had become dependent on large monoculture plantations. In the early 1900s the Cavendish variety of bananas was developed specifically for its resistance to disease and its ability to be shipped long distances.
When you consider all that goes into getting bananas from where they are grown to the display in our grocery stores, the price is remarkable. The price of bananas is generally between 60 and 65 cents per pound. For some reason, Trader Joe’s sells bananas at a lower cost, generally less than 30 cents per pound. For perspective, the large Cavendish bananas sold in most grocery stores weigh about a third of a pound. If you think in terms of three bananas per pound, you can make an accurate cost estimate without a scale.
Like many other items we purchase, there are costs that reach beyond the amount of cash transacted at the purchase. Bananas have a long history of being produced through unfair labor practices. Banana farms are infamous for their disregard for their workers. Large plantations, with workers living on site, are owned by large multinational corporations. The land for the plantations was generally obtained at a very low cost. The plantations control their laborers, often forcing them to purchase necessary supplies at company stores at inflated costs resulting in debt that is used to force laborers to continue to work at low wages in dangerous conditions. Although there are some laws aimed at protecting workers in Central America, they are often poorly enforced.
Among the dangers to workers is pesticide poisoning. Most bananas are grown using large amounts of pesticides. Many countries that are primary exporters of bananas, including Costa Rica, have a poor track record of enforcing pesticide rules. Chemicals that are banned in the US continue to be used in Costa Rica with little protection for the workers that apply them. The pesticides result in the depletion of native pollinators and contribute to the extinction of many species. Chemicals from the farms wash into rivers, streams, and oceans killing marine life.
The negative impacts of bananas go beyond exploitive labor practices and pesticide use. Bananas are generally grown on plantations that have been created by cutting tropical rainforests. Deforestation is a major contributor to global climate change. Irrigation practices result in soil erosion and cause silting in waterways. And, because they have to travel long distances to market, bananas result in the overconsumption and use of fossil fuels. The carbon footprint of the inexpensive bananas we eat far exceeds the amount of money transacted in the purchase of the fruit.
Bananas are just one of the foods we eat that carry with them a complex set of historical, environmental, and human impacts. It is good to learn where our food comes from so that we can make ethical choices. In the case of bananas, we consume fruit that has many beneficial nutrients and can be obtained at reasonable price. However, when we purchase bananas we contribute to environmental and human rights abuses. It is a challenging decision and the more I learn the more complex that decision becomes.
All of this is background to what I think may be the most expensive banana ever sold. A couple of days ago Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun paid $6.2 million for a single banana duct-taped to a wall. The art piece was sold at auction by Sotheby’s in New York. I have to give credit to the artist. Turning 35 cents into 6.2 million dollars is a pretty good markup. The installation has traveled around the world since 2019, with the banana being regularly replaced. It contains instructions for replacing the banana as it naturally rots. The fruit in the piece that was sold had been replaced on the day of the sale and the new owner has pledged to eat it. Usually the old bananas have been discarded, but there are at least two other documented cases of the fruit being eaten over the past five years.
As I ponder the ethics of eating bananas, I’ve already made the decision not to purchase bananas from the auction at Sotheby’s. And I’ve got other uses for my duct tape as well.
One of the things I learned about bananas when we walked through the markets in Costa Rica is that the Cavendish variety, which is the type most popular in US stores, probably isn’t the most popular banana eaten by locals in Costa Rica. In the markets in San Jose, Rojo or red bananas are widely available with a red peel and flesh that is slightly pink, are probably the local favorite. Also readily available are Dominico variety bananas with sweeter and more intense flavor. There are other varieties of bananas available in Costa Rica as well, including Gran Enano, Williams, and Valery. We can sometimes get Rojo and Dominico bananas at our local co-op grocery store, but the price is higher than Cavendish. At many other grocery stores where we live, Cavendish is the only banana variety sold. However, most local grocery stores sell organic bananas as well as the regular ones, which is an important distinction.
Bananas have been sold in North America since the late 1800s. In those days, the fruit had to travel long distances by boat and was picked and shipped green, ripening as it traveled. Toward the end of the 19th century a plant disease spread throughout central and South America threatening the economy of the region which had become dependent on large monoculture plantations. In the early 1900s the Cavendish variety of bananas was developed specifically for its resistance to disease and its ability to be shipped long distances.
When you consider all that goes into getting bananas from where they are grown to the display in our grocery stores, the price is remarkable. The price of bananas is generally between 60 and 65 cents per pound. For some reason, Trader Joe’s sells bananas at a lower cost, generally less than 30 cents per pound. For perspective, the large Cavendish bananas sold in most grocery stores weigh about a third of a pound. If you think in terms of three bananas per pound, you can make an accurate cost estimate without a scale.
Like many other items we purchase, there are costs that reach beyond the amount of cash transacted at the purchase. Bananas have a long history of being produced through unfair labor practices. Banana farms are infamous for their disregard for their workers. Large plantations, with workers living on site, are owned by large multinational corporations. The land for the plantations was generally obtained at a very low cost. The plantations control their laborers, often forcing them to purchase necessary supplies at company stores at inflated costs resulting in debt that is used to force laborers to continue to work at low wages in dangerous conditions. Although there are some laws aimed at protecting workers in Central America, they are often poorly enforced.
Among the dangers to workers is pesticide poisoning. Most bananas are grown using large amounts of pesticides. Many countries that are primary exporters of bananas, including Costa Rica, have a poor track record of enforcing pesticide rules. Chemicals that are banned in the US continue to be used in Costa Rica with little protection for the workers that apply them. The pesticides result in the depletion of native pollinators and contribute to the extinction of many species. Chemicals from the farms wash into rivers, streams, and oceans killing marine life.
The negative impacts of bananas go beyond exploitive labor practices and pesticide use. Bananas are generally grown on plantations that have been created by cutting tropical rainforests. Deforestation is a major contributor to global climate change. Irrigation practices result in soil erosion and cause silting in waterways. And, because they have to travel long distances to market, bananas result in the overconsumption and use of fossil fuels. The carbon footprint of the inexpensive bananas we eat far exceeds the amount of money transacted in the purchase of the fruit.
Bananas are just one of the foods we eat that carry with them a complex set of historical, environmental, and human impacts. It is good to learn where our food comes from so that we can make ethical choices. In the case of bananas, we consume fruit that has many beneficial nutrients and can be obtained at reasonable price. However, when we purchase bananas we contribute to environmental and human rights abuses. It is a challenging decision and the more I learn the more complex that decision becomes.
All of this is background to what I think may be the most expensive banana ever sold. A couple of days ago Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun paid $6.2 million for a single banana duct-taped to a wall. The art piece was sold at auction by Sotheby’s in New York. I have to give credit to the artist. Turning 35 cents into 6.2 million dollars is a pretty good markup. The installation has traveled around the world since 2019, with the banana being regularly replaced. It contains instructions for replacing the banana as it naturally rots. The fruit in the piece that was sold had been replaced on the day of the sale and the new owner has pledged to eat it. Usually the old bananas have been discarded, but there are at least two other documented cases of the fruit being eaten over the past five years.
As I ponder the ethics of eating bananas, I’ve already made the decision not to purchase bananas from the auction at Sotheby’s. And I’ve got other uses for my duct tape as well.
