It's the world's fourth most important staple food, comprising one to two per cent of total grocery sales and, due to its low prices, holds a special place in the hearts — or stomachs — of 'starving' college students. But do we really know the cost of bananas, beyond the purchase price?

There is one, but we're not paying it.

From the beginning of the banana industry, companies such as Dole and Chiquita (then the Standard and United Fruit Company) have exploited the labour of impoverished nations such as Costa Rica. Pesticides used on non-organic bananas caused sterility, respiratory illness and impaired vision and nervous function among crop workers. Although use of the most toxic pesticides has been discontinued, questionable practices continue.

Chiquita's Colombian subsidiaries paid off paramilitary groups, such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in exchange for employee protection. Other sources of income for FARC come principally through drug trafficking and ransom kidnappings. In 2003, the U.S. took a mass action lawsuit against Chiquita for victims of paramilitary abuse violence.

And although Chiquita remains the only major banana company to sign an agreement with banana workers' unions, this action seems like an empty gesture designed to placate concerned parties. When workers' benefits and rights are compromised, company management seems to ignore the issue, claim union representatives.

Some claim we can stomach the cost of bananas to Third World nations by buying fair trade. Although fair trade purchasers do aid a minority in developing nations in the short term, this small group of educated consumers may be only buying time for banana farmers. Trade might produce the wealth necessary to develop a nation, but this wealth is useless without a national infrastructure to manage it. And a Western emphasis on trade might fill up the coffers of wealthy syndicates while leaving the wallets of banana workers empty.

Deciding if or how to make a difference can be a challenge, but we owe it to ourselves and our world to make an informed decision. So, buy fair trade. Scrap the bananas and buy local produce to support a Canadian economy. Buy what you usually do and donate the savings for the education of disadvantaged children. Or heck, save your tuition and just buy regular bananas.

If you can afford it.

Are bananas toxic?
Claims that non-organic bananas can cause sterility date from reviewing pesticide use in Costa Rica during the 1980s. The most toxic of these pesticides, DBCP, has since been discontinued. And the amount of pesticide in a peeled banana isn't enough to cause negative health effects.

In fact, bananas are a good source of potassium, which is essential to normal neuromuscular activity and acid-base balance. It is also an awesome source of vitamin B6, a coenzyme that helps our bodies create essential neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. And contrary to causing sterility, Eastern news sites suggest that this phallic fruit may actually live up to its image. Bananas contain the amino acids Larginine and L-carnitine, which are important in the production of healthy sperm. So go bananas for breakfast!
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.