Pineapples, a long awaited post

As I promised, here is a short post reporting on pineapples and how they are a growing issue.

After researching pineapples, I found that the primary exporter of fresh pineapples is Costa Rica where the dominant cultivation method is conventional (opposed to organic). In order to keep these vast amounts of pineapple crops healthy at a low cost, plantations use a number of chemical treatments. These treatments contain over 16 legal, but highly controversial and acutely toxic chemicals. Most of which leak in to the water table and contaminate the water supply once they’ve been applied. Of these chemicals are Parquat and Bromacil, 2 extremely poisonous substances. Even the workers who are exposed to the chemicals for long periods of time experience adverse effects, such as cancer and infertility. To put this in perspective, pineapple crops provide Costa Ricans 25,500 jobs directly and provide over 100,000 jobs indirectly. The nearby communities are also affected because they face similar illnesses and the majority of these residents live in poverty, barely making any income after utility and living costs. This financial predicament can easily be attributed to the large supermarkets squeezing producers, farmers and workers to reduce prices for consumers.