Pesticides overtake banana peel. It emerges from the test conducted by Swiss consumer monthly K-Tipp on 16 fruits. More than half of the ‘conventional’-that is, not ‘organically grown’-samples were also found to contain pesticide residues in the pulp. In contrast, all organic bananas are completely free of it.
Pesticides in banana pulp
The folk custom of removing the banana ends is not enough to eliminate the many toxic molecules used in plantations. In fact, analyses commissioned by Swiss consumers show that toxic molecules go beyond the peel by 3 mm to penetrate the flesh.
Intensive mode is the norm in banana cultivation. And it is also the method that makes plants more vulnerable to mold and insect attack. According to an enemy-of-life logic, such risks are combated by spraying plantations with various pesticides. To which fungicide treatments are added after harvest.
The 7 worst bananas
The most contaminated fruit in the test comes from the Canary Islands (Spain) and is sold under Coop Switzerland’s ‘Primagusto’ brand. 0.2 mg/kg of thiabendazole, a fungicide that in animal toxicity tests caused kidney and liver damage, was found in its pulp.
Another 6 fruits, all coming from South America, reveal pesticide contamination. Three of these, it should be noted, are certified by the Rainforest Alliance (a private certification scheme developed by the greenwashing champion giant Unilever) and WWF ( Coca-Cola’s longtime partner, and that’s saying something). Next are the products and the concentration of pesticides, in mg/kg, measured in the pulps:
– the fungicide azoxystrobin was found in LIDL’s Tucán Colombia Rainforest Alliance bananas (0.017), Migros’ M-Check WWF Bananas (0.017) and ALDI’s Rainforest Alliance (0.055),
– along with the fungicide mentioned above, the molecule myclobutanil (which in animal experiments caused damage to embryos), is present in Max Havelaar bananas from Coop Helvetica (0.043) and Fyffes Colombia from Volg (0.117).
– Another fungicide, fenpropimorph, on the other hand, is present in albeit minute amounts (0.013 mg/kg) in Swiss Coop’s Prix Garantie Bananen.
Good bananas from Panama
Chiquita bananas arriving from Panama, sold by Spar, were found to be free of pesticide residues. So did two other Panamanian fruit references, Denner’s Rainforest Alliance and Migros’ M-Budget.
Zero pesticides in organic bananas
Zero pesticides in all 6 organic bananas analyzed by K-Tipp:
– 4 organic and Fairtrade references sold by Lidl, Aldi, Naturalplan Coop and Migros (all from Peru),
– the Demeter ones sold by Migros (origin Spain),
– Globus’ organic Delicatessa bananas (from Peru/Dominican Republic).
They are explained like this, with a simple example:
– studies showing that a diet of only organically grown foods can rid the human body of pesticide residues,
– the value expressed by fairtrade for the good of all, from farmer communities to consumer communities.
Marta Strinati and Dario Dongo
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
