Banana dilemma - organic or fairtrade

[Pob]

Apologies if there is an existing thread that covers this or I could add to, but searching for banana or bananas brings up too many hits to wade through.

The question:
When I buy bananas, I general have a choice of 3 types (at best): organic, fairtrade, or standard. I've never seen bananas that are organic and fairtrade. I also never get a choice of producer (most often there is no clear label)

I know that the banana industry is bad for human rights abuses and the environment through pesticide use, so which sort of banana is it better to buy? Organic or Fairtrade?

[Mr Flibble]

i mainly buy fairtrade, or organic and fair trade if available. I'm not 100% sure, but pretty sure that morrisons sell ones which are both.

[Pob]

Morrisons is a bit too much out the way for me for bananas as I need to buy them twice a week :(

If you had to choose one of Fairtrade or Organic, which would it be? They cost the same price.

[abrennan]

what about a few of each organic and fair trade?

organics the best thing for you

and fair trades is pretty good for someone else!!

[Plunder Bunnie]

Id rather buy fairtrade. So what if its not as good for you, these are peoples lives, eh? I dont like the use of pesticides, etc, but if its betwen my health and peoples lives, ill choose peoples lives anytime. Thats just me tho, everbody is entitles to their opinions. I try to buy fairtrade when i can, but i still live with my mum so she makes the desicions.

[abrennan]

I respect your choice

I've never seen any fair trade nana's to buy:)

[harpy]

I read somewhere (can't remember where unfortunately) that Fairtrade ones are normally produced in a more environmentally friendly way than ordinary ones. I think the article said the method may not be quite as environmentally friendly as organic ones, or else the growers may just not have been able to afford the costs of organic certification.

So I normally go for the Fairtrade ones if I have to choose. I have seen ones that were both organic and fairtrade in a couple of places: think one was Somerfield, strangely, and the other was Fresh and Wild.

[Plunder Bunnie]

Yea. Fairtrade bananas might not be grown with the same harsh pesticides, because they are often harmful to those spraying them, and thus they wouldn't want to use them.

[eve]

I respect your choice I've never seen any fair trade nana's to buy:)
Me neither, in any case, I don't know about pesticides, but I do know bananas are picked while green, then gassed. This week the price has gone sky high, no doubt due to the increased petrol price - in the supermarkets where I live they were over $4/kilo, so I walked out of all three places. I can do without them for a while. :(

[foxytina_69]

well, ive read from several sources about organic foods, and which ones are the most important to buy organic and which ones arent (if u are on a budget) bananas arent the most important, as i read most hard fruit and veggies with a skin arent, but the ones that are softer (strawberries, tomatoes, etc.) are better to buy organic if u cant buy all of them organic. so with bananas, your best bet would probably be to buy fairtrade :)

[abrennan]

Me neither, in any case, I don't know about pesticides, but I do know bananas are picked while green, then gassed. This week the price has gone sky high, no doubt due to the increased petrol price - in the supermarkets where I live they were over $4/kilo, so I walked out of all three places. I can do without them for a while. :(

Sometimes I see those bananas that have had the tip dipped in what looks like red wax. I wonder what those are.

Only two weeks ago the nanas were not much more than a dollar a kilo. I saw Organic Mangoes at a place in Crows Nest last weekend and the were $1o EACH can you believe it. They must have had their own seat on the plane from NT.

Antony

[foxytina_69]

They must have had their own seat on the plane from NT.

LOL!

[Pob]

Thanks for the replies - fairtrade seems to be the consensus.

p.s. - to the mod who changed the title of the thread, please don't do it again. At no point was I suggesting non-organic, non-fairtrade was an option I would entertain. I don't appreciate having words put into my mouth, with no indication to anyone else that they were not my words.

[Spiral]

This might be of interest.
http://www.bananalink.org.uk/future/future_2.htm

"The Fairtrade system incorporates the principle of 'cost internalisation' (i.e. including the cost of social rights and environmental protection in the price paid by the consumer)."

[Kevster]

Hmmm, most wholefood shops will only stock bananas that are both organic and fair trade. So if you have one of them or a local organic shop, they'll usually do fair trade as well, you're right though, the supermarkets are a bit of a mixed bunch on the subject, i've tended to go toward fair trade given the choice. But don't have to concern myself with that too much these days, i have a good local supply of organic and fairtrade bananas. :D

[Roxy]

I have never seen fair-trade bananas for sale here. I only have a choice between regular or organic. I will only ever buy organic. If I can't buy them, then I don't buy any at all.

[Roxy]

p.s. - to the mod who changed the title of the thread, please don't do it again. At no point was I suggesting non-organic, non-fairtrade was an option I would entertain. I don't appreciate having words put into my mouth, with no indication to anyone else that they were not my words.

Hi Rob - what was the original title of this thread?

[Pob]

I won't buy standard either - which was why I had an issue with the mod changing the title.
Original title was "Banana dilemma". Mod changed that to "Banana dilemma - organic, fairtrade or standard?"
I changed it to the current compromise, which I would have done if so asked by the moderator.

Maybe I was just being arsey, but IMO the only fair choices for moderation are: Delete entire post, **** out offensive parts and mark post as changed by moderator, or ask poster if they will change it. In this case it may have been a small thing, but the boundaries were still overstepped. If it's gonna have my name against it, I would like it to be what I have written.

[Korn]

Hi Rob, I was not the one who changed the title... Your question was 'which sort of banana is it better to buy? Organic or Fairtrade?', I think the current title is good. We've had many threads which doesn't explain much about what the thread really is about, and will continue to try to improve on thread titles when needed.

The other title, 'Banana dilemma - organic, fairtrade or standard?', wasn't bad either, and doesn't actually suggest that the creator of the thread consider each of these three options one he would consider himself.

Please send me a PM if you have more questions about moderating, OK? Thanks! :)

[Roxy]

I just did a google search on fair-trade bananas. I see that they are available in the U.K. and throughout the U.S.A. but I can't see any information on them being available for Canadians :( I've never seen them here. I wonder why they're not imported.

[pixeequeen]

This is something that I have nearly started a thread on several times. I always but fair trade if they are available, as I do with tea coffee and cocoa. Thats really frustrating Roxy that you can't find fair trade nana's in canada, it does seem strange, cos they're not too hard to come by if you're looking for them over here, many major supermarkets stock them for instance, and they seem like a particularly important export of those who benefit from the fair trade.

[Roxy]

Yes, it is really annoying. Fair trade coffee and chocolate are fairly easy to come by. I haven't seen fair trade banana's in any big grocery stores, or in the smaller organic stores. Perhaps it's just in my area that they aren't available. Organic AND fair trade would be the best!

[Pob]

Yep, organic and fairtrade would be perfect, but as mentioned above, no-one would likely pay for dual certification, anyway.
It sucks pretty bad if there isn't a fairtrade option, though.

[cedarblue]

in the uk i have seen fairtrade 'nanas in waitrose and asda.

[rippling~wave]

I always buy fairtrade bananas ~ Asda ones are REALLY yummy!!