Banana Wars : The end of a 20 year split

As you walk through the fruit aisle of your local supermarket, how many of you would know that banana’s are the UK’s most popular fruit? Moreover, did you know that over one in five bananas in the UK come from Colombia? These are not simply interesting bits of trivia, bananas have been at the centre of a long-standing trade war between two of the world’s major exporters for decades. Recently the two combatants, Chiquita (the largest exporter in the Americas) and Fyffes (the largest in Europe), have agreed a mega-merger to become the largest global banana exporter. Is this truce all good news? Economists have shown that the deal will prove disastrous for banana workers, small producers, and has even begun to affect the price of fruit on your local shelves! An unusual but very relevant case study for those interested in Law, Economics, and Politics.