In the past few years, banana packaging has been a source of endless contention, mostly because bananas freaking grow in their own packaging. In May, Australian retailer Woolworths was dragged for selling bananas in plastic boxes and, a few years ago, Del Monte was roundly criticized for putting individual bananas inside individual plastic bags. “What problem, what function does the bag serve that the peel does not currently serve?” then-Daily Show host Jon Stewart asked. “A product for people who love bananas but hate their biodegradability?”
But a South Korean retailer has just released a banana package that we might actually be here for. According to Grub Street, E-mart’s genius configuration doesn’t just put the ‘nanas under plastic, it arranges them in order from most-to-least ripe too.
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The retailer has branded the bananas as “Haru Hana Banana,” which translates to “Eat a Banana Every Day,” and that’s not just a clever name: This package really is designed to ensure that you’ll have one ripe banana every day for six straight days. The Korea Herald reports that the Ecuadorian bananas retail for 2980 KRW, or about US $2.70. (That’s spendy compared to, say, Trader Joe’s, but if it means that your bananas don’t turn to brown mush, like, 14 seconds after you leave the store, it’s worth every cent).
E-mart has been all about making fruit more convenient lately. In the past few months, it has released an “Eating Coconut” which comes with a special straw designed to break through the coconut’s tough outer shell. (And, as a result, its coconut sales have increased more than 155 percent since last year). It has also started selling its watermelons in a package with handles, which “[solves] the hygiene problem and the transportation problem.”
OK E-mart, if anyone can figure out how to make avocados last longer, it’s you. Do your thing.
