{"id":33557,"date":"2026-05-28T16:55:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T16:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/33557\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T16:55:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T16:55:08","slug":"a-grocery-chain-in-korea-has-a-genius-way-of-selling-bananas-that-could-be-a-game-changer-in-the-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/33557\/","title":{"rendered":"A grocery chain in Korea has a genius way of selling bananas that could be a game changer in the U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"

There are some solutions for problems we weren\u2019t even aware of. For example: many of us who buy bananas<\/a> in bunches don\u2019t eat them in time and, suddenly, we\u2019re stuck with a lot of food waste. Perhaps some of us just figured that\u2019s the way it is. Well, a grocery chain in South Korea<\/a> thought otherwise.<\/p>\n

E-Mart,<\/a> a grocery chain that was founded in the early 1990s in South Korea, came up with a genius idea: selling bananas in packs of seven, arranged from the most green to the most yellow\/ripe. The idea is that if one eats the bananas daily in the correct order, the unripe ones will be \u201cready\u201d once their turn comes up.<\/p>\n

Haru Hana Banana<\/p>\n

The Things You Don\u2019t Know (@thingsyoudontknow1<\/a>) Instagram page discuss the convenience<\/a> of being able to choose the perfect banana. They explain, \u201cIn 2018, the South Korean grocery chain E-Mart introduced \u2018Haru Hana Banana\u2019 \u2014 which translates to \u2018One-a-Day Banana.\u2019 Each pack contains five to seven bananas at staggered ripeness levels, ranging from fully yellow and ready to eat to bright green and several days from being ripe.\u201d<\/p>\n

They also note that the brilliant idea has taken off with other Korean grocery stores. \u201cSince 2018, the concept has been adopted by other Korean grocery chains and brands. The innovation is often cited as a packaging-design solution to waste\u2014bananas frequently end up discarded because an entire bunch ripens at the same time. E-Mart has also experimented with coconuts that include built-in straws and watermelons packaged with carrying handles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some love the idea, with one Instagrammer exclaiming, \u201cGenius! I try to do that when I buy bananas\u2026green\/partly ripe\/ripe. With the price of food, this ensures I always have a perfect yellow banana and never throw any out. There are only so many bananas I can freeze for banana bread or smoothies!\u201d<\/p>\n

A tiny snag<\/p>\n

That said, a few are put off by the plastic containers in which the fruit is sold. One even commented that sealing them together defeats the purpose. \u201cThe ripe fruit releases enzymes that accelerate the less ripe fruit. No doubt accelerated by sealed excessive packaging.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turns out that\u2019s true. In a 2017 BBC News article<\/a>, the science is explained. Dr. Dan Bebber, of the University of Exeter, shares, \u201cBananas make other fruit ripen because they release a gas called ethene (formerly ethylene). This gas causes ripening, or softening of fruit, by the breakdown of cell walls, conversion of starches to sugars, and the disappearance of acids.\u201d<\/p>\n

How the U.S. could benefit<\/p>\n

In an article for food aficionado site Chowhound titled \u201cWhy US Grocery Stores Should Take Notes From South Korea\u2019s Brilliant Banana Strategy<\/a>,\u201d food writer Jennifer M. McNeill explains the idea and how the U.S. could take notes. First, she addresses the plastic conundrum. \u201cOne of the biggest downsides overall is the packaging, as these one-a-day banana bunches come wrapped together in plastic. In terms of environmental friendliness, a plastic-wrapped bunch of bananas (a fruit that comes in its own natural \u2018packaging\u2019) is not the best.<\/p>\n

Some American grocery stores also wrap banana stems in plastic in an attempt to slow the release of ethylene gas and extend shelf life, but it does introduce unnecessary non-biodegradable materials into the produce section.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of plastic pre-packaging, she suggests a unique idea: \u201cThe concept itself is undeniably brilliant and probably wouldn\u2019t take a lot for U.S. stores to replicate in some way. Rather than pre-packaging mixed bundles, grocers could display individually sold loose bananas in clearly labeled sections based on ripeness. For example: one section could be \u2018ready today,\u2019 one could be \u2018two to three days,\u2019 and one \u2018later in the week,\u2019 which would allow shoppers to build their own bunch without any packaging at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

This way, the store is honoring the South Korean idea, but elevating it to create less waste. it\u2019s a win-win. And if worse comes to worst, one can freeze the overripe bananas and turn them into delicious pudding or smoothies.\n<\/p>\n