NZ lags behind other countries in ethically sourced bananas
"We lag behind a lot of the European retailers in providing ethically sourced bananas," says Pravin Sawmy from Fairtrade New Zealand.
Just one in 14 bananas sold here carries a fair-trade guarantee, which Mr Sawmy says is the "guarantee that a fair-trade price and a premium has been received by those producers and it's making a tangible difference to their lives".
For every dollar spent on the average banana, just 18c goes to farmers and workers in plantations overseas. In the UK, major supermarket chains like Waitrose and Sainsbury's only sell fair-trade bananas, but such commitments are hard to find in New Zealand.
"Someone's produced that product, and these farmers are working very hard for very little, and something like fair-trade really protects that and makes it a sustainable thing," Michael Camilleri from Commonsense Organics said.
source: newshub.co.nz
