From now on Monoprix will only sell organic, fair trade bananas. In a press release the retailer describes this move as "a strong commitment to the environment, growers and consumers." Nicolas Bonnetot, director of the Beauty and Food sections at Monoprix: "This way we can help our clients to buy responsible products which are produced with great respect for the environment and social justice."
Annually Monoprix sells 7,500 tonnes of bananas. Within their fruit assortment it is their leading product, and even on a national basis the banana is the most popular fruit: each year the French import around 18 million tonnes. The price of the bananas sold by Monoprix did not increase because of the new policy. They are sold at €1.99 per kilo.
Monoprix mainly imports its bananas from Cameroon and Ghana. They are all marked by the Fair Trade/Max Havelaar label, which means that growers are guaranteed a certain minimum price and that they will receive technical assistance and a bonus for improvement.