Peeling to the store for fair trade bananas
Price is the main driver of food purchases in Canadian homes. But despite the challenges faced by many people trying to make ends meet, there’s a strong movement towards paying more for the one staple commodity most of us believe we can’t live without: bananas.
The fruit and vegetable news aggregator Fresh Plaza reports that over the past six years, ethically sourced banana volumes associated with a certification organization called Fairtrade, have spiked more than 460 per cent in Canada.
That’s astounding, considering over the same period, Fairtrade says volumes in the US rose just a fraction of that, 15 per cent.
So what’s that all about? Are Canadians becoming exceptionally benevolent when it comes to the likes of fair wages, worker safety and sustainability? Are Americans going in the opposite direction?
Part of the reason for market growth is accessibility. Major retailers sensed a growing demand and launched Fairtrade organic banana programs nationally in 2022, followed by regional initiatives by Costco and Metro.
That makes them easy to buy…if you can afford the premium (like Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream, which also sports the Fairtrade logo as a nod to the company’s pro-worker policies and costs a fortune).
Fairtrade says price though isn’t deterring buyers, and the sales volume suggests that’s true. A spokesman for the organization told Fresh Plaza that its research shows close to three in five consumers who recognize the Fairtrade logo – a funky, quasi yin yang logo – are willing to pay more for Fairtrade products.
And that, says the spokesman, proves Canadian consumers care in an exceptional way about ethical and sustainable options.
If that’s the case, Canada’s agri-food sector must be wondering if more of its members should look at Fairtrade-like opportunities.
For example, the sector
knows organic production has captured the attention of Canadians who want what they increasingly call real food – no additives, no colouring, no anything to alter the food’s natural integrity.
And as a reward, the organic market, which is albeit a fraction of the conventional market, is growing at about eight per cent a year. Almost 7,000 of the nation’s 190,000-ish farms are now considered organic. Consumer demand makes it look like there’s room for more.
All this points to niche marketing and market segmentation. Communicate your strength. If it’s low prices, it will attract consumers on a budget. Otherwise, sell a virtue, such as small batches or organic.
The biggest virtue though is family farm production. Who produces food is as strong a draw as how it’s produced. And in both Canada and the US – and indeed, all over the world – family farmers produce the overwhelming majority of the global food supply.
That means people with families, like you, are producing your food – conventional, organic, regenerative, whatever. You can pay more or you can pay less, but it’s still going to be superb.