Sainsbury’s is taking action to address the living wages of its banana workers three years ahead of the deadline that it, alongside nine other UK retailers, committed to.
From today (8 February), every banana bought at Sainsbury’s will contribute towards paying thousands of workers a fairer wage and support future banana growers in Cameroon, Colombia, Dominican Republic and Ghana.
The price the supermarket giant is paying for every box of bananas now covers the cost of the fruit, plus a premium which is invested into workers’ wages to help cover food, housing, education and healthcare costs.
Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning
The remainder of the premium will go towards helping the environment by supporting the banana growers to implement sustainable farm practices such as capturing carbon, reducing water footprints and improving biodiversity and soil health.
The changes, made with Fairtrade and banana supplier Fyffes, will also see Sainsbury’s move to four year contracts to give its growers greater stability and financial security.
Sainsbury’s director of corporate responsibility and sustainability Ruth Cranston said: “Bananas are our bestselling fruit and by improving wages on this product we can positively impact the lives of thousands of people in the countries we source from.”
The grocer is also urging other retailers to act ahead of the 2027 target so that all workers can be paid fairly now.
She added: “We want every banana worker across the entire industry to benefit and we can’t do this alone. By choosing Sainsbury’s bananas, our customers are helping to both enrich workers’ livelihoods through fairer pay and tackle climate change, supporting a thriving and enduring banana industry for the long term.”
