# Why are bananas so cheap? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 13, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801 "2010-02-13T01:44:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/21 "2010-02-13T15:27:32Z")
When I started working in Retail Hell, I was very surprised by how many people buy bananas. Not only were they on the top of the list, they probably outsold the top 5 other fruits on the list. EVERYBODY buys bananas. I commented on it to one of my customers, an older guy, and he said bananas are one of the few sources of potassium. He implied but didn’t specifically say, that potassium was more important as you got older. It’s not just older people that buy them though, like I said bananas outsold every other fruit we have (though apples and oranges are pretty popular too). I suppose their popularity could be regional but I doubt it. This doesn’t have much to do with price, just wanted to point out there is a huge demand for bananas, so it’s very possible to make money on volume. I’m guessing the low pricing is also partially because bananas are pretty easy to grow and ship. They’re also tasty, easy to peel and eat. They’re soft and bland (bananas don’t have citric or other acid, do they?) so they can be eaten by people with medical/dental issues. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/22 "2010-02-13T15:42:00Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > 49 cents a pound? _19_ cents a pound? They’ve been steady at 69 cents a pound hereabouts for at least the last five years, probably longer. No, that poster didn’t say 19 cents a pound, only that he perhaps bought a single bannana for that. I generally get a single one for 20 cents at Walmart, they still generally sell it by the pound. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/23 "2010-02-13T15:59:00Z")
19 cents each is Trader Joe’s standard price for them, which they tend to trumpet as particularly cheap. I have no idea what a good-sized Cavendish banana weighs. Why isn’t there a market for the little red ones? I hardly ever see them. BTW, regarding potassium - bananas are a good source, but hardly an exclusive one: > **[Page Is No Longer Available](https://www.umms.org/ummc/hl)** > [@](#): > > Good sources of potassium include bananas, citrus juices (such as orange juice), avocados, cantaloupes, tomatoes, potatoes, lima beans, flounder, salmon, cod, chicken, and other meats. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/24 "2010-02-13T16:02:57Z")
> [@Apocalypso](#): > > This doesn’t have much to do with price, just wanted to point out there is a huge demand for bananas, so it’s very possible to make money on volume. I’m guessing the low pricing is also partially because bananas are pretty easy to grow and ship. They’re also tasty, easy to peel and eat. They’re soft and bland (bananas don’t have citric or other acid, do they?) so they can be eaten by people with medical/dental issues. I see a lot of office workers who take bananas as part of a lunch or for a snack. The peel means you don’t need to wash them or worry about them getting dirty. While apples and oranges are also good, they do tend to be juicy as well, and that can be a bit messy. With some varieties, anyhow. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/25 "2010-02-13T16:08:18Z")
> [@MannyL](#): > > They hide Coke in the bananas Caveat for anyone sniffing around those bunches of bananas, keep an eye out for [Brazilian Wandering Spiders](http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=10025233)! ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/26 "2010-02-13T17:14:48Z")
> [@ricksummon](#): > > When I went to the grocery store recently, they had bananas on sale for 49 cents a pound. How is it possible for them to be so cheap? They are grown in places like South America and must be imported by ship. You couldn’t send a letter to South America for 49 cents an _ounce_ — how can Chiquita make a profit at this price? In the US they sell below cost and make it up in volume! Seriously. Volume is the key to low prices. However, while it is a popular fruit in western countries, it is way past that in east Africa. It is a central part of the diet and vital to the food security of several countries. Threats to bananas would be equivalent to a threat to wheat or corn in the US. Fortunately the warnings of eminent disaster proved to be a bit overblown, but still it is a major issue for millions of people. While it is a treat to the western world it is central to survival for millions of people. One tidbit: the true experts on bananas look at the Cavandish banana imported to the west a little like the way Japanese look at rice cooked in the US. Barely fit for human consumption and the lowest rung of quality. That said, I eat at least one banana a day. Our consumption far exceeds that of any other fruit. And more importantly, we are consistent. Apples are fine on occasion. Bananas are consumed every day. > **[News Archives](https://www.findarticles.com/news/)** > > Explore the News Articles featuring Technology, Business, Entertainment, and Science & Health topics. Access reports, insights, and stories. > **[News Archives](https://www.findarticles.com/news/)** > > Explore the News Articles featuring Technology, Business, Entertainment, and Science & Health topics. Access reports, insights, and stories. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/27 "2010-02-13T17:27:29Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > No, that poster didn’t say 19 cents a pound, only that he perhaps bought a single bannana for that. I generally get a single one for 20 cents at Walmart, they still generally sell it by the pound. :smack: I wonder how much a 19-cent banana weighs. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/28 "2010-02-13T19:13:01Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Caveat for anyone sniffing around those bunches of bananas, keep an eye out for [Brazilian Wandering Spiders](http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=10025233)! I am never going near bananas again. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/29 "2010-02-13T19:20:52Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > :smack: > > I wonder how much a 19-cent banana weighs. Trader Joe’s 19 cent bananas are about the normal size you find at other supermarkets. The ones I have right now are marked “Chiquita #4011 Ecuador”, and are 7 or 8 inches long. If somebody knows how many bananas they generally get per pound, we’d have an idea of how TJ’s long-standing “19 cent each” price compares. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/30 "2010-02-13T19:44:07Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > One tidbit: the true experts on bananas look at the Cavandish banana imported to the west a little like the way Japanese look at rice cooked in the US. Barely fit for human consumption and the lowest rung of quality. Why is it that the typical American supermarket will sell half a dozen varieties of apples, several types of oranges, and even multiple varieties of pears, but only the Cavendish banana. What are all of these other varieties of bananas that I’ve never tasted? (And I wonder what a Gros Michel banana would look and taste like.) ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/31 "2010-02-13T19:53:42Z")
Another factor is that, since the early 1900’s, American fruit companies have been pissing all over the developing world. United Fruit Company clear-cut enormous amounts of land to develop plantations, left much of it unused to keep small, independent farmers from getting into the banana trade, did everything they could to keep governments from improving transportation within the country so that UFC could maintain their monopoly on local railroads, and pretty much treated the farmers working for them as slaves. It set up a nice precedent for your cheap bananas. When you think of bananas, you think of Chiquita, right? Part of their success comes from [paying off local terrorist groups](http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2007/March/07_nsd_161.html) in Colombia. When you have the crazy, heavily armed guys who have no hesitation about murdering civilians on your side, things get a lot cheaper and easier. There are many credible allegations against both Chiquita and Dole claiming human rights violations. There’s no question that they pay their workers next to nothing and expose them to incredible amounts of pesticides - bananas are one of the most pesticide-heavy crops (and the overall effect on the local environment tends to be disastrous). ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/32 "2010-02-13T20:39:51Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Why is it that the typical American supermarket will sell half a dozen varieties of apples, several types of oranges, and even multiple varieties of pears, but only the Cavendish banana. What are all of these other varieties of bananas that I’ve never tasted? (And I wonder what a Gros Michel banana would look and taste like.) I suspect a Gros Michel wouldn’t be terribly different, as the Cavendish was brought in to replace it in the 1950s due to diseases affecting the Gros Michel. They probably wanted a replacement that was as similar as possible while being more disease resistant. As I said above, what I wish they would keep in stock is these guys: > **[Red banana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_banana)** > > Red bananas are a group of varieties of bananas with reddish-purple skin. Some are smaller and plumper than the common Cavendish banana, others much larger. Ripe, raw red bananas have a flesh that is creamy to light pink. They are also softer and sweeter than the yellow Cavendish varieties, some with a slight tangy raspberry flavor and others with an earthy one. Many red bananas are exported by producers in East Africa, Asia, South America, and the United Arab Emirates. They are a favorite in Cen... And any of them are an improvement over a wild banana: [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Inside_a_wild-type_banana.jpg/796px-Inside_a_wild-type_banana.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Inside_a_wild-type_banana.jpg/796px-Inside_a_wild-type_banana.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/33 "2010-02-13T20:48:50Z")
Heh. Right now, the [wiki banana article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana) starts out “Bannanas are horrible! Never eat them!”. One presumes someone will be along to remove the editorial comment. I wonder whether their objection is political activism, or dislike. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/34 "2010-02-13T21:55:24Z")
I remember when bananas were 8¢ a pound. Then once the prices went up, they went up dramatically. Costco sells 3 lbs. for a dollar, but they’re badly handled and come in a plasic bag, which does them no good. Sometimes you have to toss so many, that it is no bargain. Sure, you can take them back, but why bother? ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/35 "2010-02-13T23:52:05Z")
Just got back from Walmart and noted the price which was .25 cents a pound. I bought two medium sized ones for .17 cents total. Weight was .68 lb. I think I need to go on a potato and bannana diet, and set aside about $15.00 a month for it. Ha! Wonder how long I could go? Cecil actually has a column on the milk and potato diet. If one adds oatmeal, they actually do quiet well. ---
**Author:** ![arachnologus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dc4da7/32.png) [@arachnologus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arachnologus)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/36 "2010-02-14T02:32:39Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Caveat for anyone sniffing around those bunches of bananas, keep an eye out for [Brazilian Wandering Spiders](http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=10025233)! Caveat lector (for those not classically educated, that’s Latin for let the reader beware). In particular, beware of clueless idiots who’ll call anything “deadly” just to sell newspapers. See [my article here](http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/spidermyth/myths/downunder.html) for the true story of Brazilan wandering spiders. Plus, Brazil exports very few bananas and of those few, none go to west coast ports. Even on the east coast, it’s probably rare to find Brazilian bananas. So relax, the world is full of dangers beside which spiders pale to insignificance! ---
**Author:** ![arachnologus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dc4da7/32.png) [@arachnologus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arachnologus)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/37 "2010-02-14T02:40:18Z")
> [@arachnologus](#): > > …clueless idiots… I should have pointed out that I’m referring to the alleged journalists who contributed to the linked artlcle - not the poster who linked it! (Sorry, I waited too long to edit my original post). ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/38 "2010-02-14T04:39:17Z")
Good thing that they are cheap. You pay by the pound. I’d estimate, 60% of the weight in a banana is inedible (stem, skin). I eat one every day too. Americans seem to like them fairly green. A coworker’s wife is Panamanian. He’s commented she likes the bananas black before eating them. She insists it’s common in their culture. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/39 "2010-02-14T04:46:22Z")
You think bananas make you cynical? Consider the pineapple! Dirt cheap fresh or in cans, and every damned thing you do to a pineapple you do by hand. Planting, harvesting, everything. A pineapple plant produces ONE pineapple and it takes it FOREVER to do it. (Some will then produce another after harvesting, but not every variety.) You harvest them in protective clothing because everything about the pineapple is spiny as hell. And I can buy a can of pineapple for practically nothing. ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801/40 "2010-02-14T04:59:38Z")
> [@ricksummon](#): > > When I went to the grocery store recently, they had bananas on sale for 49 cents a pound. How is it possible for them to be so cheap? They are grown in places like South America and must be imported by ship. You couldn’t send a letter to South America for 49 cents an _ounce_ — how can Chiquita make a profit at this price? Maybe you should be asking the question the other way 'round: why are (mostly government-owned) postal services are so inefficient as to be unable to compete with private suppliers of a fruit that is not only heavier and bulkier than a letter, but also has to be grown and harvested. Or, compare to [kiwi](http://perfectsubstitute.blogspot.com/2009/08/is-post-office-so-bad-yes-and-try.html): > [@](#): > > Visit the grocery store and price Kiwifruit, and depending on the time of year, the weather conditions of the growing season, and where you are located relative to major distribution points, you will get quoted a price in the ballpark of 40-50 cents. Consider: > > Kiwifruit comes from New Zealand. Is there a farther location from you in the world, than New Zealand? What would it cost you to mail something USPS to New Zealand. Heck, what about across town? > > Like the USPS, kiwifruit must be shipped to very specific points. > > Unlike the USPS, kiwifruit producers must add the expenses of farming. Along the way, laborers, farmers, distributors, shippers, and retailers of kiwi earn a profit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bananas-so-cheap/528801.md?page=3)