I can’t imagine how many Chiquita bananas that I’ve eaten between the years of 1997 and 2004. Not like I’m a huge banana fan – they are the utilitarian fruit, more “food for fuel” when compared to delectable berries, juicy citrus, and crunchy apples. Probably weeks have gone by without a banana, but there have been banana phases – I’ll buy three pounds, make fruit salad, make banana bread, and life is good.
But life actually wasn’t good. At least, not in Colombia, where the Chiquita Brand banana company was paying leftist rebels and far-right paramilitaries to protect their banana operations in volatile areas. Yesterday Chiquita agreed to a $25 million fine for funding a right-wing militia that the US government deemed a terrorist organization (here).
Oh, how nuanced the consumption of a humble banana becomes. On one hand, I want banana workers to be safe. If Chiquita allowed them to be massacred in their work environment, well, that would be bad. Maybe the only people capable of protecting the workers were the terrorists. What do I know? I just wanted a banana. To quote a flunky sales guy that I heard at a trade conference once, “These are confusing times. Our world is becoming increasingly global.”
