How a Banana Explains Why Some Prices Never Rise

The price of a banana in 1975 and today: why a pound still costs pocket change while almost everything else in the grocery store has multiplied. The banana is one of the only foods that barely rose in price in fifty years, and once you adjust for inflation and measure it against wages, a banana actually got cheaper. This is the story of why bananas are so cheap, and why some prices never seem to rise. It runs through the single clone that feeds the world, the Cavendish, and the banana it replaced, the Gros Michel, or "Big Mike"; the cheap land and low wages of Ecuador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia and the Philippines; the refrigerated fleet of the United Fruit Company that built the modern supply chain; the supermarket habit of using bananas as a loss leader; and the fungus, Panama disease Tropical Race 4, that could bring the era of the cheap banana to an end. No panic, no predictions, no advice. Just where the price came from, and where it went. The sources for every number are pinned in the comments, with the math so you can check it yourself. 🔔New breakdown every week — one thing, its real price, and the reason behind it. Subscribe and turn on the bell so the next one finds you. Chapters: 0:00 The banana that barely moved 0:41 What it really costs now 2:08 Why bananas escape rising prices 3:07 Who actually pays for it 3:55 One plant, grown a billion times 4:46 The banana that vanished 5:29 Why fake banana tastes wrong 6:08 The machine built to move it 7:05 Why the store keeps it cheap 8:24 What a stable price hides 9:29 The threat that could end it $ Disclaimer $ Finance Collapse explains what actually happened to everyday prices, and why. It is educational and analytical — not financial, investment, or tax advice, and never a prediction about what comes next. All prices are US figures drawn from public sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics; the exact numbers and the calculation behind this video are in the pinned comment, so you can rerun them yourself. #financecollapse #banana #inflation #groceryprices #economics #priceofeverything #costofliving #inflation #priceofeverything