Should bananas be organic

Organic Bananas: Are they Better?

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So, whats the deal with organic bananas?

Theyre a little more expensive than conventionally grown bananas but are they worth it?

Or, could you just stay with regular bananas?

All and all, which ones are better for you?

In this article, we take a closer look at the differences between organic and conventional bananas.

Keep reading to find out which banana is better for you.

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What Are Bananas?

Bananas are the fruits of the herb, Musa spp which includes over 80 species including bananas and plantains.

The yellow bananas most of us know from the supermarket are largely of the Cavendish variety.

So, then, are Cavendish bananas organic?

Sure, they can be, but theyre also largely conventionally farmed.

Although bananas have been grown for centuries in Southeast Asia, theyre now produced in as many as 150 countries.

Today, bananas destined for US grocery stores are primarily grown in the Caribbean, Central, and South America.

What Are Organic Bananas?

Organic bananas are grown on organic farms without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers.

Organic farms are generally smaller and built to encourage biodiversity and ecological health.

Furthermore, organic farmers work with the natural biological cycles of the land while maximizing local resources.

To be considered organic, certain standards have to be met including certification by a third party.

Growers supplying the US can choose to abide by a combination of standards set by private organizations and the USDA.

Certification typically involves:

• Adoption of organic practices over three years
• Inspection of the production, quality, and finished products

How Do You Identify Them?

You can easily identify an organic fruit by the use of a special PLU code, sign, wrap, or sticker in the marketplace.

For example, an organic banana may have a sticker or wrap stating USDA Organic or a PLU code starting with the number nine.

Where Are Organic Bananas Grown?

According to the Packer, US organic bananas are primarily grown in Ecuador, Mexico, and Colombia.

And because of surging demand for organic produce, organic bananas are available in most grocery stores.

Common brands are Dole, Chiquita, and Del Monte.

To find organic fresh or dried bananas where you live, try a simple Google search for organic bananas near me.

Many online vendors offer organic fruits and vegetables.

Pro tip: Check if free shipping is included.

Are Organic Bananas Sprayed with Pesticides?

Yes, even organic bananas are sometimes sprayed with a type of milder pesticide.

Because bananas are farmed in moist and warm climates, theyre prone to decimation by pests and diseases.

Thus, to protect their crops, farmers spray their fields and plants with pesticides.

However, theres a big difference between conventional and organic use of pesticides.

Typically, organic farmers will use a combination of methods to achieve a healthy crop and combat pests.

Those include using covering plants, rotating crops, irrigating, and using biofertilizers and biopesticides.

So, what are biopesticides?

Well, theyre a group of approved organic pesticides that are less toxic than traditional pesticides.

And, according to the EPA, thats because theyre:

• Specific, that is, they target a specific pest or disease
• Effective and used in smaller quantities
• Broken down more quickly

Typically, theyre made from botanical oils or biological substances derived from bacteria, fungi, or worms.

As such, they work by using parasitic, predatory, or chemical means to repel pests.

Are Organic Bananas Genetically Modified?

No, organic bananas arent genetically modified.

USDA guidelines state that genetic engineering or genetically modified organisms (GMOs) arent allowed in organic products.

So, to meet organic standards, organic farmers:

• Must show that they protect their products from contact with prohibited substances from farm-to-table
• Cant use GMO seeds

However, since pests and diseases are such large problems in banana farming, research into GMOs has increased in recent years.

Thus, if plants were more resistant to pests and diseases, it could result in lower pesticide use.

What Are Conventional Bananas?

Conventional or regular bananas are typically grown on larger-scale farms with heavy use of toxic chemicals.

And, conventional bananas of the Cavendish variety are primarily grown in Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Honduras.

Are Regular Bananas on the Dirty Dozen List?

No, regular bananas arent on the Dirty Dozen List, meaning theyre not sky-high in pesticide residue.

And thats because bananas are protected by their peel.

However, regular banana farming does depend on heavy year-round use of chemicals.

And, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers are commonly applied by plane or by hand.

Some pesticides, such as chlorpyrifos, are banned in the EU and revoked in the US because of their health and environmental impact.

However, theyre widely used by conventional banana growers in South and Central America.

So, the banana may be OK, but the plants, environment, workers, and residents are being regularly doused.

As a result, conventional workers potentially have a higher cancer risk compared to those handling organic food.

Organic Bananas vs Regular Bananas

Ah, the organic conventional banana conundrum!

Which is better?

Do they taste the same? Is the organic bananas nutrition more favorable?

Should you spend the extra money on organic bananas?

Does conventional farming harm the environment?

Lets start answering that by digging into the organic bananas vs regular bananas nutrition facts.

Nutrition

Firstly, organic bananas calories are largely the same as that for regular bananas.

That is, all bananas are low in calories, and also fat, sodium, and cholesterol.

Furthermore, theyre packed with fiber and nutrients such as vitamin C and potassium.

Per the USDA, one medium banana, whether organic or regular, contains vitamins and minerals (table 1).

But bananas are also rich in a variety of antioxidants and phytochemicals, such as ferulic acid and beta-carotene (table 2).

Health Benefits

The health benefits attributed to bananas come from the nutrients in the fleshy part.

Since they are virtually the same for all bananas, organic bananas benefits are the same as regular banana benefits.

The two following tables detail macronutrients and phytochemicals and their health benefits (tables 3-4).

For example, soluble fiber can help lower blood sugar levels and prevent cancer (table 3).

And carotenoids, a group of phytochemicals, are strong antioxidants that fight inflammation and cancer (table 4)

Taste

Taste is very much a personal preference, but the general perception among people is that organic foods taste better.

However, very little research compares organic bananas vs regular bananas taste.

But taste can also differ based on region, soil, climate, rainfall, temperature, and ripeness of the banana.

To decide for yourself, get a couple of organic and conventional bananas from a few different grocery stores, and try them.

Of note, its best to do a blind taste test.

By blind-tasting you give each piece of banana a unique code so you can keep track, yet stay objective.

Then, enjoy your favorite banana in one of our smoothies.

Our gift to you.

Price

Why are organic bananas more expensive?

Weve all seen the organic bananas vs regular bananas price difference in the grocery store.

Well, theyre more expensive because it costs more to grow them organically.

That is, practices like crop rotation, seeding, biopesticide application, and handling are typically more labor-intensive.

In addition, the yield is typically smaller and more irregular resulting in less competitive pricing.

Lastly, getting and maintaining the USDA organic certification is an ongoing costly affair.

Are Organic Bananas Better?

Well, whether organic bananas are better depends on which parameters are more important to you.

If youre concerned about nutrition and health benefits, conventional and organic bananas are pretty similar.

But from a pesticide standpoint, we do have some concerns with conventional bananas.

Even though bananas are low in residue, conventional farming does impact the land and the people where theyre grown.

Then, if taste is your criteria, some people prefer organic, although its probably also affected local growing conditions.

Lastly, if youre watching your wallet, conventional bananas do come at a few cents less per pound.

Final Thoughts

Organic bananas are grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers.

Organic and regular bananas alike are low in calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol, and packed with fiber and nutrients.

And from a health benefit standpoint, theyre pretty similar.

Conventional bananas on the other hand are grown on larger-scale farms with heavy use of toxic chemicals.

But regular bananas arent typically high in pesticide residue because of the thick banana peel.

However, the effect on local flora and fauna of conventional farming is concerning.

Wild Heart Food

This is a real banana. Two weeks ago, I stood on top of a truck with a machete in the rain, intent on harvesting a bunch of wild bananas Id found on a back road. A few swings, and slice! The bunch fellto the ground like a crashed spaceship. My friends and I gathered them quickly (not wanting to get drenched), so we barely noticed that there was something odd about them. When I sliced one open, however, I noticed a great difference from the bananas I was used to eating: it was filled with pea-sized black seeds. Aha! Axel said. This is a real banana.

As it turns out, the tree wed found was a direct descendent of the first wild bananas human beings ate. Though rich and fibrous, I could understand the reason bananas were bred to be seedlessthe seeds are bitter and hard to chew, and separating them out takes a grand effort.

That was my first taste of bananas in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, the countrys largest shipping hub of bananas. I had traveled here to research the simple question: is it okay to eat non-organic bananas? Are organic bananas really healthier?

The nextbananas I ate were nothing like the first. Puerto Limon is home to massive banana plantations that supply fruit to companies like Dole, Del Monte, and Chiquita. Traveling towards the city, our passenger windows were painted with banana trees in endless rows, each bearing a bunch of fruit covered with a blue bag. These plantations are routinely sprayed with agrochemicals by airplanes and on-the-ground workers. These chemicals are applied in such high volumes that they require signs warning the public not to enter for fear of health hazards.

Closer to the city, we find enormous stacks of shipping containers, each with its own temperature control system. Many are marked with Doles logo. In the distance, gigantic ships take them away, many back to the US.

The US is the very place where the question of whether its okay to eat non-organic bananas first arosein a rather strange way. I was asked by an organic farmer friend to stop by the local gas station and pick up a bunch of (non-organic) bananas on my way to her farm. I weighed my options, and stopped at the co-op instead. As an organic farmer, she had trouble making a living and had to count every penny. Non-organic bananas and avocados were on her grocery list, because they are said to have thick enough skin to protect the fruit from contamination. But I had a few questions that urged me to buy organic bananaswhat about the workers health? Contamination of the environment? Does the skin really keep all of the chemicals out? These are the questions that sped me to Costa Ricas east coast while I was in the country visiting my family.

This is what I observed in Puerto Limon and learned through further research. Ill point out the differences between organic and non-organic bananas, but thats not quite the whole story. Ill get to that in a minute.

Non-Organic Banana Plantations are Destructive to the Environment

The first thing I noticed about the effects of non-organic banana plantations in Puerto Limon was their destructive impact on the environment. Agrochemicals contaminate rivers, which poses dangers to the human water and food (fish) supply as well as to the marine life itself. These rivers flow to the ocean and the chemicals are quickly destroying the ancient coral reef, which is expected to disappear altogether in a matter of years.

Large banana plantations also require clear-cutting of rainforest, which damages the entire ecosystem of the area.It is not a secret that current practices of banana farming in many areas of the world are contributing to the destruction of tropical rainforests- one of the most diverse ecosystems on our planet. 75% of the earths biodiversity lives in these forests, and because the majority of bananas are grown in monoculture plantations (plantations in which they are the only type of vegetation), as well as areas of cleared rainforest, they are playing a big part in the tragic loss of biodiversity we are seeing today. [Pacific Lutheran University]

Agrochemicals Pose Health Hazards for Workers

Workers are expected to work with large amounts of dangerous agrochemicals without protective equipment. Plantation owners often do not inform workers about the potential health hazards, and they are forced (sometimes through threat of violence) to work in dangerous situations.

Flagmen (often clothed only in jeans and Tshirts) are employed to guide in the crop spraying planes in the knowledge that they face a slow death. Workers risk cancer, sterility or other serious diseases from pesticide poisoning. [MNN]

Depleted Nutrition

Bananas that are grown with agrochemicals have less nutrition than organic ones. Some people say that bananas arent as much of an issue because we dont eat their skin, so were protected from sprays. But the impact of chemicalsisnt limited to what we eat on the fruit. It extends to what is in the soil, on the soil, and depleted in the soil (nutrients) and therefore in the food. [Prevention.com]

Child Labor

While I didnt encounter this personally, child labor on banana plantations is well-documented.

A Human Rights Watch report on the banana industry in Ecuador, the center of Doles production and trade, found widespread child labor on plantations.Those interviewed worked 12-hour days, on average, and completed many dangerous and physically demanding tasks. These children, some as young as eight, wielded sharp tools and pulled loads of bananas from place to place in the plantation, and lacked adequate access to drinking water and bathrooms. Well below half were attending school, and yet all they earned for this sacrifice was a little over half the legal minimum wage. Three young girls reported being sexually harassed. [Food is Power]

Chemical Contamination

The main argument I hear for eating non-organic bananas is that the peel is thick enough that the fruit is not contaminated by agrochemicals. While this probably does mitigate their effects, chemicals in a plants environment are absorbed in other ways. Made In Nature reports: Are those chemicals really a big deal if youre just going to peel the skin anyway? Yes! The toxins used to grow conventional bananas are not just on the outside. They leach into the soil where the fruit is grown. So even when its peeled, youre still ingesting some of them. No thanks. Organic farmers use natural fertilizers like manure and seaweed, and rely on insect predators rather than pesticides to keep pests and weeds at bay.

Monocultures are Unsustainable

Monocultures deplete soil nutrients, require more agrochemicals, damage the surrounding environment, and put communities at great risk in the case of crop failure or an economic shift. [1] [2]

Are Organic Bananas Really Best?

When I set out to research this article, I expected to find that buying organic bananas was the best choice. As weve seen, there are advantages to buying organic bananas. But that doesnt make them the best choice.

While organic banana plantationsdont use agrochemicals that are dangerous to workers and destructive to the environment, workers pay is not necessarily better, and rainforest still has to be cleared for large plantations. Theyre still monocultures (except these), and theres nobody to say whether or not they use child labor.

Where to Buy Bananas

Fortunately, there are ways to find bananas that aresustainably grown by workers who are treated fairly.

The Rainforest Alliance works with banana farms to help them conserve their natural resources and promote the well-being of workers and local communities. Banana farms that are Rainforest Alliance Certified undergo annual audits to ensure that they comply with rigorous social criteriadesigned to protect workers, families and nearby communities. For example, while Rainforest Alliance certification requires the phasing out of dangerous pesticides, farms must provide extensive safety training, protective gear, and washing stations to workers handling agrochemicals while they are in use to prevent workersand their families and communities from being exposed. Like other certified farms, Finca Santa Marta in Costa Rica provides healthcare and subsidized transportation for employees.

The Rainforest Alliance also requires a level of environmental stewardship that outmatches any other certification I have found, though it is far from perfect. Equal Exchange and Fair Trade certifications also identify a positive impact for workers, though not necessarily the environment. Even some non-organic brands, Chiquita and Favorita, have been working with the Rainforest Alliance to become more sustainable.

The Good Stuff:

• Rainforest Alliance Certified
• Fair Trade Certified
• Equal Exchange Certified
• Non-organic brands like Chiquita and Favorita.

Looking at the photo of the real banana I was holding, Im amazed at how much has come from that simple fruit. So much money. So much nourishment. So much suffering. So many smoothies.

Im in Costa Rica now, so its easyfor me to find organic bananas directly from farmers, which I consider the best practice short of growing them myself (which my parents do). However, most of us in the US dont have that luxury. When I return, I will look for a Rainforest Alliance or Equal Exchange label along with the organic certification.

That said, there are situations where I would compromise that. If someone had low blood sugar. If my partner, who eats a mostly plant-based diet, were hungry on a long road trip. Most of the time, however, I focus on making sure my actions reflect my values, knowing that they have real-world consequenceseven if I cant see them.

Nicholas Tippins

Should we even be eating bananas at all? Read this article.