Banana Shortage

[JIN MOUSA]

All of the grocery stores around me are sold out of bananas by about noon, every day. And they've said that they're not receiving as many bananas as previously. Is this a national thing? (I'm in the Midwest.)

[KungFuPanda]

I'm seeing no issues in Maryland.

[Tap]

No problems I know of getting them in the PNW.

[JudoMom]

It might be my ds17. He's currently eating a minimum of 6#s a week.

 

I haven't noticed an issue (Rocky mountain region), but I tend to shop before noon.

Edited February 20, 2018 by JudoMom

[Rachel]

No issues here. Thank goodness because I HAVE to have my bananas!

[Rachel]

I have not seen this (live in Indiana) We buy a LOT of bananas. Like 20+lbs a week. I think my 7yr old might wither away without bananas lol

Yikes! I thought we ate a lot of bananas.

[Lanny]

Did that happen very recently?   If they were coming from a country like Colombia, which is a Flower exporting country, there was a huge lack of cargo space because of Valentines Day Flower shipments.  I know for example, that Avianca, "Wet Leased" extra cargo aircraft to help during that period. Valentines Day is past now so if that's why, the supply should catch up with the demand soon.

 

We have 2 kinds of  Bananas available most of the time. Always the "Common" ones (they are smaller and much less expensive) and the Premium ones which I bought a week or so ago, because they looked so beautiful. My wife wondered if they were genetically altered or painted or something...  They were also much bigger than the "Common" bananas we usually buy.  She also wondered if they were "Platanos" (Plantains) because of their large size.

[marbel]

We don't eat bananas but I remember seeing something not too long ago about a global supply shortage and perhaps fears of extinction (?)  of the "typical" banana.  

[solascriptura]

Nope. We’re ok here in PA. Mounds of them in the grocery stores as usual.

[cjzimmer1]

I'm in the midwest too but I haven't noticed any shortages.  Even Aldi's has had a stock every time I've been there and they are the first place to have shortages when something is hard to get.

[Pawz4me]

There doesn't seem to be any shortage here. I have, however, noticed that most of the bananas in stores seem more green than usual. But maybe it's just my perception.

[umsami]

I haven't faced this in Florida.  

[JIN MOUSA]

Well apparently I live in banana desert.

 

And it has been recent, like only in the last two weeks. Hopefully it is the flower thing. 

[BarbecueMom]

About 3-4 weeks ago, Costco and Aldi were both completely out of bananas when I went grocery shopping.  The third store I stop at (local chain) had their regular supply.  I haven't had a problem finding bananas since, but I have noticed less boxes out at one time.  That could just be because I grocery shop on Monday nights, and Aldi gets a truck in on Tuesday morning.

[Joyofsixreboot]

My Kroger has signs they can't get broccoli. Bananas we have.

 

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[SparklyUnicorn]

I haven't noticed that.  In fact, they are advertising them on sale in some of the flyers this week.

 

 

[Lady Florida.]

I haven't faced this in Florida.  

 

I haven't either.

[mellifera33]

I'm not seeing this in the PNW. As an aside, when I lived in the midwest, the best place to get bananas was QuikTrip. Is that still the case?  :drool5:

[Arcadia]

No shortage at Trader Joe’s even when we drop by in the evenings. We were shopping up and down the SF Bay Area due to shopping President’s day sales.

[alisoncooks]

I remember reading about a fungus that is affecting banana numbers, though I can't see a difference in the stores I shop...

[barnwife]

I'm not seeing this in the PNW. As an aside, when I lived in the midwest, the best place to get bananas was QuikTrip. Is that still the case?  :drool5:

 

Are you implying there are people who don't buy their bananas at Kwik Trip? Perish the thought! (That'd be like buying milk in a carton. Clearly, milk in a bag is the way to go.)

 

IOW, yes, in my part of the Midwest, Kwik Trip is the place for milk and bananas.

 

OP, no shortage that I know of around here.

[Crimson Wife]

There doesn't seem to be any shortage here. I have, however, noticed that most of the bananas in stores seem more green than usual. But maybe it's just my perception.

 

Yes, this. Very hard to find a ripe banana at the store recently.

 

[SereneHome]

Yes!!  I am in New England and there was a sign in my favorite supermarket that they are trying to get them, but there is a shortage (can't remember the reason).  And not only there are not a lot of bananas, but they are all 100% green.

 

 

[Lanny]

Bananas are an Export product here in Colombia. Probably close to one Billion dolllars worth of Bananas this year. The below articles are from last year and they were expecting the total amount to increase about 3% during the past year.  If they are exported by air cargo, you can just imagine where the you know what hit the fan, because of the Valentines Day Flower shipments.

So many Flowers are shipped from Colombia, that when I moved here (1995) there was a Cargo airline called Aerofloral.  My stuff went from Miami to Cali on Aerofloral.

The bottom line is that Flowers are very perishable.  The airlines charge a lot for those shipments, because when they get to Miami, they must go into a refrigerated warehouse.  That's why the flowers you buy that came from Colombia cost a lot more than they do here.

Anything you buy that comes from Colombia (Coffee, etc.) is THE highest quality. Export Quality. We eat what isn't exported, which is also very good.

Platanos (Plantains) can always be found next to Coffee plants.  I'm not sure about Bananas.  I need to ask my wife where they grow.

Here's a story with a photo of bananas for those of you who cant find them in the stores.
http://www.eluniversal.com.co/economica/el-banano-uno-de-los-productos-con-mas-ingresos-en-exportaciones-248937

This article also has a photo. Those bananas look like the "Premium" bananas I bought a week or so ago.
https://encolombia.com/economia/agroindustria/historia/historiadelosproductosagrodeexportacion7/

This article also has a photo. It says about 42000 people work in the Banana industry in that area and they ship from Santa Marta on our Caribbean Coast.
http://www.semana.com/contenidos-editoriales/especiales-regionales/articulo/sector-bananero-en-colombia-genera-42000-empleos-en-la-region-del-magdalena/529624

I went to the supermarket to buy a few things before writing this. There were very few of the Common Bananas.  Including the ones I bought a couple of days ago, we have enough to get us through until they receive more.  We found that it is better NOT to buy them when they are Green. They seem to change much faster, from Green to Yellow, in the supermarket, than if we buy them Green and bring them home and hope they will turn to Yellow. Not sure why that is the case...   If they are Green, I wait a couple of days and buy them after they have changed to Yellow.

[Jean in Newcastle]

There are lots of varieties of bananas.  If you go to an Asian market or China town (if you are around one) you will be exposed to small finger ones (my favorites), red ones, fat ones, etc. as well as the Dole/Chiquita variety that is sold in the American supermarket.  I haven't noticed a lack in any of the stores.  I like green bananas - they taste a bit tarter than the sweeter riper ones.