With prices still rock bottom, Fairtrade and Fyffes warn that climate change, cost rises and fast-spreading diseases pose unsustainable risks to the banana industry
Fairtrade and major international banana supplier Fyffes have warned that climate shocks, crop diseases, and rising costs are putting future supply of the fruit at risk.
Bananas remain one of the most affordable foods in supermarkets, and despite decades of inflation and rising costs for labour, inputs and climate adaptation, UK banana prices remain below their 1987 level.
Behind that affordability lies a supply chain facing unprecedented pressure, Fairtrade and Fyffes have warned.
Speaking ahead of Fruit Attraction 2026 in Madrid, the Fairtrade Foundation’s senior partnerships lead Anna Pierides called on retailers and other businesses in the supply chain to pay fairer prices, and on the UK government to introduce responsible business legislation.
“The banana sector is under intense pressure,” she said. “The bananas we love are at risk, and the people who grow them shouldn’t be left to face climate change alone.
“Banana farmers and workers are facing several threats at once. Extreme weather is becoming more frequent and more severe, with El Niño bringing droughts, floods and unpredictable seasons.
“Fast-spreading diseases such as Fusarium TR4 threaten crops across banana-growing regions.
“Geopolitical instability is disrupting trade routes and driving up the cost of fertiliser, labour and transport.
“Farmers didn’t cause these shocks, but they are the ones absorbing them. They are at the start of a supply chain that is increasingly exposed to global crises, yet they have the least ability to carry the extra costs.
“Despite decades of inflation and rising costs for labour, inputs and climate adaptation, UK banana prices remain below their 1987 level. Bananas shouldn’t be so cheap that farmers pay the price.”
She stressed that “this is not only about fairness, but also about the future of our food”.
“Farmers can’t invest in fighting disease or adapting to a changing climate when the price they receive doesn’t cover the true cost of sustainable production,” she warned. “Resilient supply chains depend on strong producers.”
Pierides concluded: “Voluntary action alone won’t fix a system that rewards the lowest price, governments must play a role too. We need a UK responsible business law, with mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence, that ensures all companies take responsibility for their impact on people and planet. It must not pass the costs onto farmers and workers who did nothing to create these problems.”
Echoing the Fairtrade Foundation’s concerns, major banana supplier Fyffes called for greater collaboration across the banana sector to develop a long-term sustainable model that ensures growers, producers, importers and retailers can continue investing in the future of the category.
Fyffes’ chief commercial officer Frank Burkhardt said: “For many years, the banana industry has absorbed those [cost] increases. That is no longer sustainable.”
He added: “The industry is rightly being asked to invest more in climate adaptation, responsible farming, and the wellbeing of workers and communities. But those investments depend on economically viable farms and supply chains.
“If growers and producers cannot achieve sustainable returns, the long-term future of the category is put at risk… The value chain needs to recognise the real cost of producing and delivering the fruit.”
Despite these cost pressures, Fyffes said it continues to invest in innovation and sustainability initiatives, including its recently announced ambition to source 30 per cent of its produce from regenerative agriculture systems by 2035.
