Help make Fairtrade the norm

Bananas are one of the most popular fruits in the United States. Kids and adults alike reach for them every day, in cereal or pancakes for breakfast, in a smoothie for lunch, as a natural anti-cramp treatment for evening workouts, or whenever a cartoon villain is in hot pursuit. The ubiquity of this sustainably self-packaged, potassium loaded staple means that sometimes we take for granted how much work goes into growing them. Unfortunately, that means a lot of the time banana farmers and workers are getting a rotten deal; low wages, poor working conditions, the growing impacts of climate change, and unfair price-setting by the big corporations who are willing to sacrifice the livelihoods of their banana producers in order to sell a bunch for a few cents less than their competitors.  

Fairtrade works to address these challenges through fairer prices, stronger labor protections, and additional funds that farmers and workers can invest into their businesses and communities. We want a future for bananas farmers that's as sweet as the ones you pull out of your freezer for banana bread. Learn more about how we support banana farmers and their communities - here.

Bananas are one of Walmart's top selling items, often recognized as the single best-selling grocery product in their stores. Walmart sells 1.7 billion pounds of bananas per year! 

When ingredients are sourced Fairtrade, the Fairtrade Premium, an additional sum beyond the price of the ingredient itself, is paid to the farming organizations that grew it. This amount is used to invest in farming more safely, efficiently, and sustainably, as well as supporting farming communities through social, educational, or healthcare services. If Walmart switched to full Fairtrade sourcing for its bananas, that could mean up to $42.5 million for farming communities per year through Fairtrade Premium alone.  

Okay, that sounds like a lot of money, right? And it is, for the farmers and workers. For Walmart, it means asking consumers to pay as little as $5 more per year – let's put that into context, that’s the cost of one cup of coffee! Seems pretty fair to us.

Yes! Grocery retail is a highly competitive and responsive industry. You notice how every few months, there's some popular new food item, and all of a sudden every grocery store is selling their own version? That's because none of them want to miss out on a trend, so when one, especially a big one like Walmart finds something that works, the others all follow. Maybe we're too optimistic, but wouldn't it be pretty cool if instead of proteinmaxxed cotton candy the next trend was bananas that fairly compensate the hardworking people who grow them? 

Now is more important than ever to support Fairtrade bananas. This year is now being forecasted as a “super” El Niño, a climate pattern that affects temperature and rainfall in the parts of the world where bananas are grown. These conditions can lead to droughts, flooding, heat stress, hurricanes, crop losses, and disruptions to livelihoods, placing added pressure on smallholder farmers who are already on the frontlines of climate change, especially in Latin America, where most bananas we eat in the U.S. are grown. Sourcing Fairtrade bananas provides farmers with resources to support climate resilience and better respond to these pressures.  

While you're shopping for your holiday gifts, retailers are busy shopping around for suppliers for the next year, looking for the best deals. That makes now the perfect time to remind them that the real deal is one that doesn't just work for their margins, but for farmers as well.  

At the end of the day, the opinions Walmart cares about the most are those of its customers (or potential customers). You're the real trend makers, and by showing  this is an issue you really care about, you can potentially shape the decisions of Walmart (and other retailers!). To go a little economics class on this, the supply of Fairtrade bananas already exists, thanks to the over 35,000 Fairtrade banana farmers and workers. We need to show Walmart there is demand, and that's where you come in.