EU regulations require the banana to be free of pests, damages caused by pests and fungal diseases. For a great number of banana plantations, the only way to eliminate any kind of damage on the fruit is to use quantities of pesticides. Even though pesticides might not be as harmful to us, they sure are to the employees working on the plantations and to the people living close to them. The immense use of pesticides does not only evoke skin diseases, but may also cause cancer. So, some people on the plantations died just because we Europeans wanted to eat bananas.
Luckily, situations on some banana plantations have changed. Chiquita for example cooperates with Rainforest Alliance, an international non-profit organization which ensures that workers are paid fair wages, and that less pesticides (1/3 of the original amount) are used. Hardly any pesticides and no artificial fertilizer are used on organic banana plantations. Instead, composed bananas deliver enough fertile soil for the plants. Fairtrade bananas support smaller banana producers and farmers. In most cases, fairtrade products are also organic.
Despite the progress seen on some plantations, conditions on the large majority of banana plantations overshadow the good news. A great number of the bananas we eat are neither organic nor fairtrade. When buying low-priced bananas, consumers implicitly agree with the detrimental conditions on banana plantations. That includes child labor, using large amounts of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Organic bananas or fairly produced ones do cost more. However, with a few cents more we can change the world of workers on banana plantations.
Fair trade and/or organic is the way to go then
A documentary on the conditions on banana plantations was broadcast on ARD on May 13th (in German).