ORDERING UPDATE, PLEASE READ!!

Aloha Everyone! We sincerely apologize for the extremely long delay in updating our site!! We are still currently producing fresh bananas for the state of Hawaii. However, we have unfortunately suspended our direct to the customer Banana orders indefinitely. Due to the ever changing weather in the continental US, as well as here in Hawaii, it has become extremely difficult for us to forecast being able to ship a quality Banana to our devoted and faithful monthly club members and new customers! Quality is everything to us and the variables have become increasingly too hard to manage. Again, we apologize for this and are grateful for your understanding in this situation. We are hoping to eventually be having the dried bananas available for direct to the customer sales. Please check back for updates!! We will also be updating our site soon with a new look and more info!! Mahalo, Ohana Banana Farm, Inc. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.

Why We Treat Fruit For Export

Electronic irradiation treatment assures plant pest control and fruit quality

For Plant Pest Disinfestation

Hawaii is the only state under federal fruit fly quarantine (Quarantine 318.13). This prohibition has denied access of island-grown fresh fruits to the U.S. mainland markets for over 50 years.

Four species of fruit fly have been introduced to Hawaii: Melon fly (1895), Mediterranean fly (1907), Oriental fly (1944), and Malaysian fly, (1983).

Irradiation for fruit fly has been approved by the FDA since 1986 as a quarantine treatment for papaya grown in Hawaii. In 1995, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture began trial shipments of fruit for treatment at mainland irradiators. The treatment, at a dose of 250 – 400 Gray, proved successful for fruit fly DNA sterilization.

Hawaiian fruit, visibly labeled as “treated by irradiation”, with the accompanying radura symbol, has been sold in throughout the United States.

Papaya, rambutan, star fruit, lychee, and atemoya have been treated for retail distribution. Irradiated Hawaiian fruit has been featured at conventions of the Produce Marketing Association and Grocery Manufacturers of America.

In his April, 1998 speech to the Food Marketing Institute, American Farm Bureau Federation and Grocery Manufacturers of America, Dr. Lyle Wong, Hawaii Plant Industry Administrator, declared: “Consumer acceptance of Hawaiian fruit has been excellent. Consumers knew what they were buying.”

For Superior Fruit Quality

Electronic irradiation provides the best possible post-harvest treatment to assure fruit quality and freshness. This process offers a superior phytosanitary treatment to the hot and cold commodity treatments of our competitors.

Papaya treated by vapor heat or forced hot air for export must be picked before the fruit is suitably ripe. Papaya is subjected to temperatures of 117° for up to four hours. This results in premature wrinkling due to water loss.

“Hot treatments are approved for insect disinfestations, but have demonstrated some commercial shortcomings. Vapor heat requires growers to harvest greener papayas, which more readily tolerate heat treatment than fruit at riper stages. Forced dry air has been shown to blacken lychee, while extended cold treatment of star fruit can render the fruit wilted and unmarketable.” Dr Lyle Wong, Science & Public Policy Institute April, 1998

Consumers prefer fresh fruit. We are committed to fruit picked tree-ripened for sweetness and quality. Research shows repeat customer sales with Brix over 12.

For Environmental Safety

Irradiation research performed by Dr. James Moy and Dr. Robert Paull at the University of Hawaii shows equal or superior retention of vitamins at allowable doses.

For many decades, chemical fumigants have been used to allow fruits, vegetables and grains to be transported across state lines and imported from foreign countries. But that era is coming to an end.
In 1984, ethylene dibromide was cancelled for further use. Now, with adoption of the international Montreal Protocol, methyl bromide, the primary fumigant used worldwide, will be phased our effective January, 2001.
These fumigants have been determined to present environmental hazards, including damage to the earth’s ozone layer.

In 1997, USDA researcher Donald Thayer stated: “A safe, effective alternative to methyl bromide, irradiation has no harmful side effects.”

That is why the list of endorsers for irradiation includes the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Public Health Service, American Medical Association, World Health Organization, United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization, the Institute of Food Technologists, and the international Codex Alimentarius Commission.

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Shipping

Our bananas are shipped via FedEx 2 day Express Service, and is included in the price of your fruit.

Fresh banana orders are 2lbs, 12ozs, equivalent to 10-12 bananas, depending on weight/size of bananas.

Dried banana bags are 10oz and include shipping. Dried banana orders will usually ship the next business day after orders are placed, except for weekends/holidays, UNLESS dried banana orders are placed with fresh banana orders. Then dried bananas will be combined with order and shipped together

WE SHIP FRESH BANANA ORDERS AND FRESH BANANA/DRIED BANANA COMBOS THE FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

SHIP DATES FOR 2019

**TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED**

WILL UPDATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

MONTHLY CLUB SIGN UP: PLEASE READ BELOW BEFORE SUBSCRIBING

If signing up for our monthly membership, please keep in mind the shipping schedule and what day the 1st Tuesday falls on. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE BETWEEN THE 1ST AND THE 25th OF EACH MONTH to insure that your order is processed in time to ship on the first Tuesday of each month.

Mahalo!!