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Packing, Traceability and Sourcing <\/strong>Once bananas are ripe, they are then washed, labeled, and packaged at a facility near the farms.\u00a0 The labeling allows for tracking once the bananas are shipped.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Transportation, Logistics, and Ripening<\/strong><\/p>\n Once the bananas are ready, they are then loaded onto ships as cargo freight.\u00a0 Bananas are required to be stored in large refrigerated containers so that they do not spoil or ripen too early.\u00a0 Once they reach their destination they are then taken to a facility where they are ripened using heat, foil, and air.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Retail and Consumption<\/strong><\/p>\n Once the bananas are ready as a consumer product they are taken from wholesalers to retailers.\u00a0 Wholesale banana prices have risen recently by 15.5% in Jan and Feb.\u00a0 However, retailers have to consider that bananas are the most widely eaten fruit in the U.S.\u00a0 Bananas may be an item that drives trips to the stores.\u00a0 Therefore, profit margins on bananas are often slim or non-existent.\u00a0 Amazon and Whole Foods have recently reduced prices, despite the lower costs.\u00a0 Additionally, bananas are being used in restaurants and businesses which is a model different from grocery stores.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPatrick Galleher, chief executive of SweetFrog, a chain of stores selling frozen yogurt, said he has noticed about an 8% increase in the wholesale price of the thousands of bananas he has to buy weekly to stock his more than 350 stores across the country. He said his company is absorbing the higher prices and notes that bananas are still one of the cheapest fruit toppings.\u201d (WSJ)<\/p>\n Once the weather goes back to normal, banana wholesale prices are likely to decrease.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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