The Banana Route

 
 
 

Vocabulary

 

 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

 

We traveled to Ecuador, the world’s largest exporter of bananas. Here, banana plantations stretch as far as the eye can see.

It takes nine months for the bananas to fully grow. To protect them from insects, they’re covered in plastic bags the entire time.

You do not want any of those bugs or insects arriving into the United States.

Anthony Serafino is vice-president of banana importer EXP Group.

Anthony Serafino, EXP Group importer: “I’m looking for bananas about eight inches in length. It’s long, it can easily be ripened.”

Workers cut the bananas down and then haul the bundle with padded carriers to protect them from bruising. The bundle is then attached to this cable system.

Anthony Serafino, EXP Group importer: “These bananas right now, they’re heading right to the packaging facility.”

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

 
The facility is right in the middle of the farm.

Anthony Serafino, EXP Group importer: “That’s where the bananas will be inspected. They look great, they’re gonna be chopped.”

The bananas are washed and then put into a production line. It’s here where the stickers are applied. Take a look, those are our very own Inside Edition bananas!

Our bananas are loaded into a truck and then sent to this port in the city of Guayaquil, the largest port of Ecuador.

That’s where our bananas embarked from Ecuador, through the Panama Canal, past Haiti and Cuba, and up the East Coast, finally arriving in New York City.

That’s 3,500 miles.

After two weeks at sea, our bananas have finally arrived from the tropics to this snowy port in Red Hook, Brooklyn, where you can see tons of cargo being unloaded from the ship. But the journey isn’t over.

The container with our bananas is loaded onto a truck and arrives here at EXP Group’s headquarters in New Jersey.

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

 
Remember how green our bananas were back in Ecuador when they were harvested?

All these weeks later, they’re still green.

They need to be ripened.

Anthony Serafino, EXP Group importer: “Ripening can take anywhere from 72 to 96 hours.”

They’re loaded into this room, aptly called a ripening room, where they pump in humid air and a harmless ripening gas called ethylene.

Anthony Serafino, EXP Group importer: “Ethylene infuses the fruit to allow the ripening process to hasten.”

We set our bananas aside in the ripening room and recorded the process with time-lapse cameras. Over the course of 96 hours, our bananas become — perfectly ripe.

Anthony Serafino, EXP Group importer: “There you have it, two boxes of the Inside Edition bananas.”
Journalist: “So these are ready to go. I can do a taste test here?”
Anthony Serafino, EXP Group importer: “Yeah, taste test! Let me know.” Journalist: “Here, you have one too.
Anthony Serafino, EXP Group importer: “What do you think?”
Journalist: “Good. Sweet.”

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

 
Finally, our bananas are delivered to the grocery store shelf.

Grocery Store Customer, 1: “Mmm!”
Journalist: “Good right?
Grocery Store Customer, 1: “Very sweet.”

Grocery Store Customer, 2: “Tastes good.”

Journalist: “What do you think?”

Grocery Store Customer, 3: “YUM!”

Inside Edition bananas. Get them while they last!

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

 
 

Questions

 

Plow. The United States cultivates more bananas than any other nation. Bananas are a major crop in the US. True or false?

Sow, Plant. Does it take about three months for bananas to grow and ripen?

Water, Irrigate. Do they spray pesticides on the bananas to protect them from insects?

Harvest, Pick. Do commercial bananas come in different sizes, shapes, and colors?

Truck, Transport. The harvesters just pick the bananas and put them in baskets or boxes and truck them to the plantation warehouse. Is this right or wrong?

Warehouse, Storage. Do the bananas simply get boxed and shipped out?

Wholesaler. The bananas are trucked from Ecuador to the US. Is this correct or incorrect?

Delivery. Do the stores and customers have to wait a long time for the bananas to ripen? What do customers think of bananas?
 
 
 
Retailer. Are there bananas in your town, city, region, and country? Where do they come from?

Convenience Store. Are bananas cheap, medium-priced, or expensive? Are bananas a popular fruit?

Grocery Store. What are some popular fruits in your community and nation?

Supermarket. What fruits are cultivated in your region and country? Are there any controversies regarding fruits?

Marketplace. What might happen in the future?

Consumer, Customer. What could or should people, businesses and governments do?