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Banana
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Quality
- Banana quality standards
- Organic and Fair trade bananas
- Environmental and social issues links
Consumers demand high quality of the food they consume and they are interested in the taste, appearance or shape of bananas. Food safety has become a very significant issue, particularly after the food scares in Europe. Consumers want to be informed about the food they are consuming through appropriate labelling and tracking and traceability schemes.
The quality of the bananas would be determined by size (length of fingers and thickness), evenness of ripening, absence of blemishes and defects and the arrangement of the clusters. Quality standards may vary in the different markets.
Minimun quality requirements for bananas are set by Codex Alimentarius, according to which there are three classes of bananas:
"Extra"
Class Bananas
In this class must be of superior quality. They must be characteristic of the variety and/or commercial type. The fingers must be free of defects, with the exception of very slight superficial defects, provided these do not affect the general appearance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality, and presentation in the package.
Class
I Bananas
In this class must be of good quality. They must be characteristic
of the variety. The following slight defects of the fingers, however,
may be allowed, provided these do not affect the general appearance
of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in
the package:
- slight defects in shape and colour;
- slight skin defects due to rubbing and other superficial defects not
exceeding 2 cm2 of the total surface area;
The defects must not, in any case, affect the flesh of the fruit.
Class
II
This class includes bananas which do not qualify for inclusion in the
higher classes, but satisfy the minimum requirements specified above.
The following defects may be allowed, provided the bananas retain their
essential characteristics as regards the quality, the keeping quality
and presentation:
- defects in shape and colour, provided the product retains the normal
characteristics of bananas;
- skin defects due to scraping, scabs, rubbing, blemishes or other causes
not exceeding 4 cm2 of the total surface area;
The defects must not, in any case, affect the flesh of the fruit.
Organic and Fair trade bananas
There are important environmental and social factors to consider in
the production of banana. In order to achieve higher productivity levels,
intensive banana production in large-scale plantations needs high quantities
of external inputs as pesticides, fungicides and other agrochemicals
to fight diseases and pests and maintain or increase fertility of the
land, with the consequent damaging effects on the environment . These
banana production practices may lead to deforestation, water pollution
in rivers as well as under the ground, biodiversity damage and soil
deterioration, as well as important health damages for banana workers.
In addition, in certain countries working conditions in banana plantations
may not be the minimum ones, wages for banana workers are very low while
smallholders banana farmers do not receive a fair remuneration. In some
cases the rights to unionise and collective bargaining are limited .
Banana consumers are increasingly concerned about banana production
conditions both on the environmental and the social side. They are increasingly
aware of the environmental damage caused by intensive production methods
in plantations and the use of agrochemicals and pesticides. At the same
time they are asking for better working conditions for banana producers,
such as the payment of fair wages to banana workers, and the guarantee
of fair prices to small produces. They are therefore demanding the presence
of more organic and fair-trade bananas, in a general context of expansion
of organically produced food products.
Some consumers in United States, Europe (in particular Switzerland) or Japan are willing to buy fair-trade and organic bananas even if their cost is higher. They are ready to pay a premium above the regular banana price if they are guaranteed that the bananas they are consuming are produced under sound environmental and social conditions. The premium may go from 30% to 80% of the normal banana price. Following these consumer demands, supermarkets are orientating their banana business in this direction, with an increasing presence of this kind of products in their outlets. The banana industry is therefore being pushed to move into fair-trade and organic banana production. With their influence, consumers can help to increase environmental and social sustainability in the export banana industry.
On organic and fair trade bananas see FAO Document CCP: BA/TF 01/5 The market for "organic" and "fair trade" bananas.
Environmental
and social issues links
Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Bananas
Organic
Banana 2000
IFOAM, International
Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements
Soil
Association
Natural
Resources Institute (Natural Resources and Ethical Trade)
Rainforest Alliance-Better
Banana Project
Human Rights Watch
" Tainted Harvest: Child
Labor and Obstacles to Organizing on Ecuador's Banana Plantations"
ISEAL
Alliance, Social Accountability in Sustainable Agriculture (SASA)
FLO International
The Fair Trade
Foundation
Max Havelaar
European Fairtrade Association
Network of European World Shops
International Federation
of Alternative Trade
Agrofair
Banafair
Cirad
Foro
Emaus
New Internationalist Magazine
Oxfam,
Make Trade Fair
Altromercato
