On the Moral Equivalence of Foods: Organic and 'Conventional' Bananas in Global Production Networks

Abstract

Organic foods have received much recent attention, from consumers and retailers as well as academics. Rapid change and growth in the organic sector has brought about new challenges and opportunities for the organic foods social movement and markets, and one such recent development has been the spread of export-orientated organic food production to developing economies. This paper attempts to put the globalization of organic food, through the analysis of one commodity, the banana, in perspective through a supply chains analysis. The paper discusses the political, cultural and economic context for the supply and demand for organic bananas, and develops implications this has for the distribution of organic foods. This paper emphasises in particular the role of certification schemes that have emerged in response to this global expansion.

Keywords: organic, food, banana, supply chain, certification, marketing, globalization, Dominican Republic

JEL Classification: M31, M14, Q17