From farm to fruit box: What's affecting bananas?
If you've noticed more variability in bananas lately, you're not alone.
Throughout the year, we've seen a wider range of quality issues in both conventional and organic bananas. Some things we're seeing:
- Dark marks and spots on the skin, with a ripe banana inside
- A ripe banana with clean skin but darkness in the core
- Burnt looking tips, appearing black and rough
- Mushy or malleable texture
So, what's going on? A couple of things, actually.
A lot of what you're seeing actually starts before the bananas are even harvested. Harsh rain and wind can cause cosmetic damage to the fruit while it's still growing, and pests can leave their mark too, which is even more of a factor for organic bananas since have fewer options available for managing pests.
Then there's everything that happens after picking. Temperature swings during shipping and storage, bumps and bruises along the way, and the natural ripening process can all contribute to spotting, darkening, or softness. Many of the marks on the peel are purely cosmetic and don't affect the fruit inside. It's just a sensitive fruit that reacts to nearly everything that happens to it from the field to your breakroom.
A Threat to the Banana Industry
Beyond these day-to-day quality challenges, the banana industry is also facing a much bigger long-term threat: Tropical Race 4 (TR4), a soil fungus that's been spreading across banana growing regions for over a decade with no cure available. It doesn't cause the spots or softness you see on the fruit itself. Instead, it threatens the plants at the root, which means fewer healthy crops and tighter supply from some growing regions, including Ecuador, the world's top banana exporter.
There is some hope on the horizon too. Researchers have been developing new banana varieties bred to resist TR4, including one in Australia that showed full resistance after several years of testing, though it's still years away from reaching store shelves.
Our Commitment to Quality
At Sigona's, we go the extra mile so your office gets the best bananas possible, even when the market makes that harder. We continually evaluate available fruit to source from the growing regions producing the best quality, carefully inspect every incoming shipment, and sort and pack only the best bananas for delivery. From there, our produce experts manage the ripening process closely, working to control what's naturally an unpredictable fruit.
It's not always easy given the current market constraints, but our team is committed to doing everything we can to get you consistent, quality bananas.
That's the name of the game when you are at the mercy of nature.
