Supermarket Perimeter - February 2019 - 52

Produce: Bananas

Snack attack
Snacking is taking most corners of the retail food world by
storm, and bananas and plantains are no exception. Coral Gables, Florida-based Turbana, a division of Fyffes North America
Inc., markets both plantain chips and banana chips in the fresh
produce sections of U.S. grocery stores.
In 2018, Turbana introduced a new packaging alternative for
its chip snacking products, says Carolina Coulson, product manager of snacks, tropical division, for Fyffes.
"We designed and launched a variety pack bag composed of
our top three selling ﬂavors," she says. "This fun pack includes
six individual 1 oz bags that are perfect for a quick snack or a
children's portion for school lunch packs."
The idea behind the product, Coulson says, was to expand
Turbana's demographic approach as well as to offer some alternative ﬂavors to some of the company's loyal consumers.
Plantain chips are a delicious snack that can be enjoyed in
many different ways, Coulson says.
"They're great fresh out of the bag, and an awesome and
healthier alternative to potato chips and other snacks," she says.

Bring on the ﬂavors
New in the category, Coulson says, is a trend toward new and innovative ﬂavors. Turbana has the most extensive list of ﬂavors in
the market, all of which are made with natural ingredients.
Turbana markets six ﬂavors in all: lightly salted, sweet, lime,
chili, chili lime and garlic.
The company prides itself, Coulson says, on marketing healthy
snacks that are GMO-, gluten- and cholesterol-free with no

additives, preservatives
or trans fats.
Retailers, she says,
should merchandise Turbana chips in
areas of the store where
those health aspects are
highlighted.
"They're perfect for the
health-conscious shopper. Our
chips should be strategically placed to
optimize sales, and the best place is out of the
chip aisle and near other healthy items, like fresh-pressed juices,
produce or other healthy snacking options."
Produce-based snacking has become important in the U.S.
due to its health conscious nature, Coulson says. Most of the
snacks in this category follow a much healthier proﬁle while
still falling into the snack category. "This allows consumers to
follow a healthy lifestyle while still indulging in the pleasures of
snacking," she says. "The category in itself has morphed into a
plethora of options. This trend is certainly in its early to middle
stages and has room for growth and continuation."
Impulse buying, Coulson says, has a big impact on sales.
Placing Turbana plantain and banana chips where consumers also ﬁnd regular bananas and plantains helps consumers
ﬁnd new and innovative products. "The addition of a healthy
snacking section in produce makes it easy for consumers to try
healthy snack alternatives like plantain and banana chips that are
currently rated as a top healthy snack in the industry."

Bananas are the fourth most
important food crop in the
world, after rice, wheat, and
maize. They're essential
food for millions of people
all over the world. Taking
this into account, Chiquita's goal is to achieve zero
banana waste by 2020.
Chiquita has high
export product standards.
But the company says that
means some bananas don't
make the cut. Naturally, 5 to
20% of bananas don't meet

52 - FEBRUARY 2019

Chiquita quality standards
each year. There are several
reasons why a banana won't
meet the standards, but that
doesn't mean they don't serve a
good purpose, according to the
company.
Often, bananas don't meet
the quality standard because
they don't look good. Small
differences in the appearance
mean that the banana will not
be exported for store display.
These bananas are nonetheless
perfectly good to eat and are

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packed with nutrients, so they
are turned into purée.
Chiquita owns a purée plant in
Costa Rica, where an average of
65,000 tons of bananas a year
are processed into delicious,
wholesome banana purée, according to the company. If they
don't become banana purée,
they become banana ﬂour. In
2016, Chiquita sold 16,000
tons of non-exportable bananas
to the company Inversiones
y productos agroindustriales
(Inprosa).

TURBANA, CHIQUITA

CHIQUITA COMMITS TO ZERO BANANA WASTE BY 2020

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Supermarket Perimeter - February 2019

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