Have you been having trouble finding bananas? Every grocery store that I have gone to recently has a sign above where the bananas should be stating that there is a global shortage of bananas.
So far I have heard reasons ranging from poor weather, to blaming it on GMO varieties, to price wars between the Americas and Asia. I am not sure which is true, but all of this concern over when and how one of the world’s favourite fruits will be available makes one think about the global food supply system.
It doesn’t take long for things to fall apart. The same system that made it possible for us in North America to have a bountiful supply of low priced foods that we can not grow in our climate is also the same system that could easily make it difficult to access food on a regular basis.
Most of the foods available in the grocery store are not grown in Canada. It would be impossible for growers in Canada to supply our own food system even if you factor out winter. There just is not enough growers. Winter makes it impossible, obviously, for us to grow many of the foods that we have become accustomed to eating year round. So we rely on growers, large growers, in warmer climates to grow this food for us so that we can enjoy fruit and vegetables out of season. And, we expect to get those fruits and exotic vegetables for low prices. So we have created a system that pumps out low quality foods that have been bred and selected for transport properties and shelf life and that are picked long before they are ripe so that they will arrive to us before they start to go bad. You get what you pay for.
Back to bananas. The price of bananas has gone up due to this shortage. Slightly. Bananas have been set at the same prices for years. I read a news report from an American broadcaster that quoted a women in a supermarket. She said that she was shocked at the price increase. That she expected the price to go up, but “not like gasoline”. Canadian and American consumers spend a small portion of their monthly budget on food, while those in the poorest countries spend anywhere from 50 to 80 percent of their monthly budget on food. The western countries are too accustomed to going into that supermarket with food stacked high from every corner of the globe. And we want it to stay cheap, even when every other product we purchase is getting more expensive. We are willing to pay hundreds for a pair of yoga pants but not pay the true value of our food.
Bananas are not a staple food. A shortage of bananas is not the worst thing that could happen to our global food supply. Rice, corn and grain are staples across the globe. Those foods are getting more expensive and are potentially becoming out of reach for millions of the world’s poor. The reasons for this are numerous. Input costs are rising; fuel and fertilizer are more expensive. The weather has played a part with many of the large exporting regions having crop failures. Speculation on Bio-fuels is one aspect as some producers are switching from food grade corn crops to fuel grade varieties that can not be utilized for food. But, one of the largest contributions is the rapidly increasing demand from Asia for meat products. Iit simply takes more grain to feed cattle than it does to feed people. Slow the consumption of meat and that will go a long way to preventing mass food shortages.
My point to all of this is the necessity to support local food producers. While you may not be able to purchase rice or bananas locally, you can get nearly everything else that a family would need. “Buy Local” is not just a fad, it is an investment in your own food security. Now, while the global food supply system is straining to provide for our massive global population, it is even more important to know exactly where you can turn to get nutritious foods. Supporting farmers in Canada will encourage growth in the sector. Purchase your food directly from the farmer when possible so that your dollars support food production and not the supermarket and transport systems. We may need to move back to a lifestyle of eating simple unprocessed foods, in season, and eating less meat to ensure that the limited amount of available land and resources can provide food for the human population.
And when you can find bananas, buy a few, just as many as you need. Savour them and don’t waste any. They may be the tip of the iceberg.
