Budgens wants us to go bananas for Costa Rica workers

05 November 2009

A SUPERMARKET in Crouch End has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the plight of banana farmers in developing countries.

Thornton's Budgens on the Broadway will be donating all of its banana profits in November to plantation workers in Costa Rica.

With UK banana prices now at a third of the price they were seven years ago, the independent supermarket, which also has a branch in Belsize Park, said farmers in the developing world are losing out.

In 1992, the Windward Islands, which relies on the UK for its banana trade, had 24,000 banana farms, compared with 4,000 today.

Thorton's Budgens handed out flyers to customers on Monday urging them to support their campaign.

Owner Andrew Thornton said: "People don't understand, they think they are saving money but they don't realise the consequence for people in other parts of the world. We're trying to bring that to people's attention. Ultimately it is farmers and plantation workers in the developing world who are on the bread line and in Costa Rica these people have to work 15 hours a day, six days a week; that is modern day slavery.

"Someone has to try to stop this from spiralling out of control and it is only going to get worse unless supermarkets do something about it."

o For more news on local traders see Keep it Local on page 14.

Picture by Polly Hancock