The possible disappearance of Fairtrade Bananas is disappointing news for all Fairtrade supporters and terrible news for the banana growers in Ecuador who are counting on Fairtrade to give them the opportunity to work their way out of poverty.
This also has implications for the future of Fairtrade in New Zealand. If our supermarkets don’t think there is sufficient demand for Fairtrade, they will be wary of introducing new Fairtrade product lines in future.
We urgently need to convince more supermarkets to stock Fairtrade bananas.
What you can do
It would make a huge difference if Fairtrade bananas were also available in Progressive supermarkets (Countdown, Woolworths and Foodtown), so many more of us could buy them in our weekly shop, but Progressive Enterprises are not yet convinced that there is enough support to make it worth their while.
So, let’s tell them!
All you have to do is pick up the phone and call the Progressive customer line. You don’t need to be an expert - just tell them that you would like to buy Fairtrade bananas at your local Countdown, Foodtown and Woolworths.
Call Progressive Enterprises now on 09 275 2788.
And if you are lucky enough to live near a supermarket which already stocks Fairtrade bananas, don’t forget to buy them whenever possible and tell your friends to buy them too.
Find out more about Fairtrade bananas, which supermarkets stock them and what you can do.