What Is the Costa Rica Geographical Origin Denomination That Is Used for Bananas?

Costa Rica is the only banana-exporting country with a geographic origin denomination, called “Banano of Costa Rica”. This Geographical Indication (GI) allows producers to inform consumers about the origins of their product, its distinctive quality, and reputation as well as the strict social and environmental production standards they employ. With a GI, Costa Rican bananas are differentiated from other producer countries.

The regulatory body responsible for promoting and ensuring the quality of the GI Banana de Costa Rica is CORBANA. Its role is to establish standards for sustainable banana production and to monitor the environmental performance of banana plantations in Costa Rica.

Banano de Costa Rica farmers are audited regularly to ensure compliance with established environmental management practices, in particular with respect to waste management and pesticide use. All producers of Banano de Costa Rica are tied to a common set of production rules given by GI’s product specifications. GI is an important vehicle to encourage sustainable practices through the adoption of voluntary environmental standards that are often higher than national laws governing food production and trade.