History of Bananas

Bananas are America’s favorite fruit. They are eaten 26.5 pounds more so than any other fruit. There are many choices when buying bananas. What should people look at when buying bananas? This article will cover that and much more.

Many people overlook important things when buying bananas. Look beyond just price. Appearance is the banana good looking without any bumps or bruises. Certification is the banana fair trade or not. Who produced the banana? Many big banana plantations use a lot of pesticides, while smaller banana growers use a lot less. Fair Trade should be taken into consideration to. If a banana is Fair Trade it means that the workers who grow the bananas are given enough money to live normal lives. These Fair Trade bananas usually cost more than other bananas, but they are better for the workers. Consumers should consider many things when buying bananas.

Bananas were brought to the U.S in the late 1800s. Means of transporting the bananas were unreliable. Bananas would often spoil on the ships that brought them to America. Already Americans had acquired a taste for bananas, but they were sparse in the U.S. Then people harnessed the power of steam. The steamship traveled faster then sailing ships, thus less bananas spoiled on there way to the U.S. Bananas were so strongly advertised when they were introduced they just stuck.

The banana industry has some serious labor issues. Many big plantations don’t have access to medical care or means education. Workers get ill from the pesticides they use which happen to be illegal in the U.S.A. Also workers get paid very low wages. Bananas are mostly produced in Latin America.