Chiquita bananas have not been available in Migros for some time now.
As I understand it, was it because the conditions (social, sustainability, etc.) were no longer met?
Of course I think it's great and I support the fact that Migros is taking action and that products that don't comply with the conditions are no longer in the range.
On the Internet (Pro Planet), however, I came across the fact that Chiquita has apparently had the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal of the international environmental protection organization for over 20 years. Have I misunderstood something?
Unfortunately, the "new" bananas, Bio Max Havelaar and the other "normal" bananas are not as good as the Chiquita bananas were. The "new" ones are tasteless and turn brown more quickly and are then no longer edible. I have heard this from many others.
As I said, I definitely don't want to support products that have poor conditions for the environment, people etc., so I'd rather do without bananas.
But do you, dear Migros, have a precise explanation (which I have missed?) as to why the Chiquitas have been removed from the range?
And why are the "newer" bananas not as good?
Has anyone else had this experience?
All replies (16)
@MaB26
Thank you for your questions, which we can answer as follows.
The Chiquita bananas, which Migros carried as standard bananas in its range, are also certified according to GlobalGAP and the Rainforest Alliance (RFA) standard for sustainable agriculture (SAN). These standards demand minimum requirements in terms of good agricultural practice and sustainable agriculture. However, Migros recognized the need for additional action and wanted to go one step further as a pioneer in terms of sustainability. In the WWF, we have found a strong partner with expertise in environmental issues for further development and continuous improvement towards an even more environmentally and socially compatible product range. The banana project is one way of moving forward in the standard range.
In this project, the farms have to meet special requirements right from the start of the project. For example, strict criteria apply to the use of pesticides. No forests have been allowed to be cut down for banana cultivation since 2004. In addition, the farms also meet the standards of GLOBALG.A.P and the network for sustainable agriculture (SAN/Rain Forest Alliance). Furthermore, these contract farms are gradually implementing additional ecological and social requirements. The main topics are ecosystems/biodiversity, waste management, integrated pest management, soil management, climate protection and water management.
More details can be found under this link:
https://generation-m.migros.ch/de/nachhaltigkeitsthemen/bananen/keine-krummen-bananen.html
The products are transported from their origin to Switzerland in unique Migros-specific reusable containers, which significantly reduce the environmental impact. Migros is the only retailer in the world to use this container instead of the familiar conventional banana cartons. These reusable plastic pallets can be used several times, unlike cardboard boxes, which are only used once and then disposed of. Every year, can save over one million banana boxes and conserve natural resources . This corresponds to a saving in CO2 emissions of around 400 return flights from Zurich to New Zealand.
We hope this answers your questions.
Kind regards,
Angela
Dear Angela
Thank you very much for the explanations and the link. I think it's great that Migros is paying even more attention to sustainability than usual.
This means that we can eat the "new" bananas with a clear conscience, and because of the "taste", etc., we can enjoy them even more. ,
maybe we'll soon get used to the fact that they taste a little "different" ........?
Best regards
Has anyone ever considered importing bananas from the Canary Islands - all about shorter transportation routes and all that? These somewhat smaller but heavenly tasting bananas are no longer allowed to be exported to the EU outside of Spain, as they do not meet the standards of the bureaucrats in Brussels. As a result, the price per kilo achieved by the farmers fell to less than € 0.10 in 2007 and the overproduction was left to rot on compost heaps along the paths alongside the plantations. I was happy to help myself there without any remorse, because the stores only sold grass-green bananas and I wanted to take them home with me as a snack on my hikes and not as a souvenir... I had never eaten such tasty bananas before or since.
@Federwolke
Thank you for your input, we have been testing organic Canarian bananas in the cooperative areas of Geneva and Aare for a few weeks now. We will therefore continue to pursue the issue and examine consumer demand for these bananas.
We hope that this will clarify your question.
See you soon & best regards
Angela
Many thanks for the information. It's just a shame that I found out about this by chance. I am always amazed at how little information is provided about new products. How can a test be successful if customers don't know about it? I'll pop into the banana section straight away (which I rarely do), but without much hope, as such new products don't usually reach the medium to small stores...
I am also of the opinion that we as Migros consumers are no longer informed about changes in the same customer-friendly way as we used to be. It would be possible to have a column in the Migros customer magazine once a month for such news instead of just advertising new products and promotions.
Guest
@harlekin @Federwolke
If a big promotion takes place during the test phase and the product is not launched after all, you're not only dealing with wasted effort, but also dissatisfied customers.
@Federwolke:
When we introduce new products, we try to draw our customers' attention to the new offers in Migros Magazine and directly in the sales outlets. In the case of Canarian bananas, information about the sales test of Canarian bananas was published in the regional edition of the Aare Cooperative's Migros Magazine in calendar week 49. Perhaps you missed it? https://www.migrosmagazin.ch/e-paper If you enter a zip code from the Aare region here (year 2017, issue 49), you will find the relevant article on page 81. Enjoy reading!
One more little thing: Unfortunately, there are currently no Canarian bananas on sale due to availability problems. As soon as we receive supplies again, the bananas will be back in the participating sales outlets. The best thing to do is to ask the sales staff. And otherwise you are welcome to contact us again. We will then clarify with the Aare cooperative where you can find them in your area.
@harlekin: It's a shame that you have this impression of us. Migros Magazine in particular is an important mouthpiece for us, through which we reach many customers. That's why we make extensive use of it for such communications. However, some of the magazines are regional and contain information that only relates to the respective cooperative. For example, if you live in Dietikon but go shopping in Spreitenbach, you will receive the Migros magazine for the Zurich region but shop in the Aare region. So of course you won't have read the article about bananas, for example. However, all versions of the Migros magazine can be viewed online via the link above. All you have to do is enter a zip code from the cooperative concerned.
@Kurumi:In fact, we always try to offer new products in action in as many stores as possible in order to increase awareness of the new item, and with such campaigns we also want to make customers aware of a product that this customer group would otherwise not know due to the size of the store in which they usually shop. If such a pilot project is successful, it will be introduced in larger stores and in stores where demand was very high during the pilot project. As soon as we notice that popularity is increasing, the item is also introduced in medium-sized and smaller stores. However, if a product is hardly purchased during the test phase, it is not worth adding it to the range permanently. However, we can assure you that such decisions are always carefully examined.
I hope this has answered your questions - otherwise just get in touch again!
Best regards, Tamara
Many thanks for the information. I actually overlooked the article. The giant ham next door probably put me off too much and made me turn the page too quickly ;-)
As I suspected, only available "in the larger supermarkets". I hope MMM Marktgasse Bern is one of them. All other MMMs are not within my reach.