The banana\u2019s journey from Ecuador to the supermarket<\/h1>\n
<\/a>
\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Art-1_DSC00739-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
A Danwatch investigation<\/h6>\n
\t\t\t<\/p>\n <\/a> Journalist<\/p>\n Photo: Esteban Barrera\/Danwatch & Jesper Nymark\/Danwatch<\/p>\n Journalist<\/p>\n Photo: Esteban Barrera\/Danwatch & Jesper Nymark\/Danwatch<\/p>\n I cooperation with Dagbladet (Norway) Ecuadorean bananas come from one of three provinces: Guayas, Los Rios and El Oro. The fruit is cultivated here for 9-12 months until it is hand picked and packed by the workers on the banana plantation.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t The green bananas are placed in containers that are cooled to under 14\u00baC in order to delay ripening. Then they are loaded onto cargo ships that take two weeks to cross the Atlantic and reach European ports.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t Ecuador is the world\u2019s largest exporter of bananas. Last year, the country exported 6.7 million tons of bananas. Many of them end up in Europe, where in 2016, 1 in 4 bananas came from a plantation in Ecuador.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t The major exporters in Ecuador are Chiquita, AgroAmerica, Dole Food, Grupo Wong, Cipal, Fyffes, and the Ecuadorean family-owned business Noboa.<\/p>\n Increasingly, however, large European supermarket chains are circumventing the big fruit companies and buying bananas directly from the plantations.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t When bananas arrive in European ports, they are still green and unripe. They are placed in ripening chambers for about a week, where ethyl gas turns the bananas ripe and yellow to make them ready for supermarket shelves.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t Over half of all bananas travel via Germany before coming to Denmark. A smaller fraction arrives from Holland, Belgium, or other countries.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t In Denmark, conventionally farmed bananas from Ecuador are sold by the Coop, Dagrofa, Lidl and Aldi chains.<\/p>\n So far in 2017, Coop has bought 379 tons of bananas from supplier Chiquita. Dagrofa, whose supermarkets include Meny and Spar, has sold 19 tons of bananas from Ecuador this year. Lidl and Aldi both sell Ecuadorian bananas, but \u201cfor the sake of commercial considerations\u201d preferred not to disclose how many.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t Coop, Lidl og Aldi oplyser, at de kun importerer spr\u00f8jtede bananer, der er Rainforest Alliance certificerede, hvilket betyder, at de farligste pesticider ikke anvendes.<\/p>\n Rainforrest Alliance oplyser dog til Danwatch at kun to bananplantager i Ecuador rent faktisk er blevet monitoreret i efter\u00e5ret 2017, da vi bes\u00f8gte plantagerne.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t More articles from this investigation.\u00a0Where to start is up to you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The banana has been on its way long before you buy it for a few bucks a pound at the store. The fruit hangs on plants in the tropical regions of Ecuador for up to a year before it is hand picked, packed and sailed over the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. There, it waits to ripen until it is yellow and ready to eat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2831,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_gspb_post_css":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","slim_seo":{"title":"The banana\u2019s journey from Ecuador to the supermarket","description":"The banana has been on its way long before you buy it for a few bucks a pound at the store. 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\n The banana has been on its way long before you buy it for a few bucks a pound at the store. The fruit hangs on plants in the tropical regions of Ecuador for up to a year before it is hand picked, packed and sailed over the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. There, it waits to ripen until it is yellow and ready to eat.
\n
\n 15. december 2017 <\/a>
\n 
\n Sarah Scheer Pedersen<\/p>\n
\n Sarah Scheer Pedersen<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n 15. december 2017 <\/a>
\n The banana has been on its way long before you buy it for a few bucks a pound at the store. The fruit hangs on plants in the tropical regions of Ecuador for up to a year before it is hand picked, packed and sailed over the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. There, it waits to ripen until it is yellow and ready to eat. <\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/DSC00983-scaled.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCultivated for up to 12 months
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nSource:\u00a0\u201cHow bananas are grown\u201d, BananaLink<\/a><\/h5>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tCultivated for up to 12 months
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAcross the Atlantic
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tAcross the Atlantic
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe world’s largest exporter
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nSource: EU-rapport, 2017<\/a><\/h5>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tThe world’s largest exporter
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe fruit companies and the supermarkets
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tThe fruit companies and the supermarkets
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/DSC2587-scaled.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRipening in Europe
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tRipening in Europe
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTransportation through Europe
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nSource: Baseret p\u00e5 tal fra UN Cpmtrade Database<\/a><\/h5>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tTransportation through Europe
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/bananer_supermarked2-scaled.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAt your supermarket
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nSource: Own survey<\/a><\/h5>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tAt your supermarket
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rainforest-alliance-logo-768x397.png\"){kind=logo}
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe green frog
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tThe green frog
\n\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n