Bananas with fake Jamaican brand being sold in Canada

(CMR) JP Farms, Jamaica's most prominent commercial grower of bananas, announced it would take legal action against fraudsters in Canada who have misrepresented its brand by selling bananas bearing fake JP branding.

JP Farms says it wants bananas purporting to be “Jamaican bananas” bearing fake JP branding removed from the Canadian market as soon as possible, Jamaica Gleaner reported.

According to the report, the company notes that the imposter banana stickers are circular, whereas JP stickers are oval. Further, the imposter bananas use the old St Mary's logo, while JP bananas now use the refreshed St Mary's logo.

 JP Farms said early investigations indicated that the fake “Jamaican Bananas” originating from another Caribbean island,

“The imposter bananas show quality defects that would not have passed JP Farms' standards for export – these include sunburn damage and the food being too old to be used as boiling bananas – meaning the fruit would be tough when prepared,” JP Farms General Manager Mario Figueroa said.

Figueroa added, “Our customers have come to know and trust JP bananas, and we are disappointed that this trust is being exploited – for this reason, we have consulted with our legal team to take swift action to protect our customers, our hard-working farm team here in Jamaica and our brand.”

JP Farms has a strong presence in the Canadian market, exporting bi-weekly to distributors who serve the Caribbean diaspora.

JP Farms is encouraging consumers to be vigilant and store owners to take action.

“While we pursue legal action, we strongly encourage Canadian stores selling the imposter bananas to pull the fraudulent product from their shelves and cease all sales of these bananas with immediate effect,” Figueroa stated.

Commercial Manager Neleta White stated, “our farming operations are based in Jamaica, but we maintain a strong line of sight in all of our markets both locally and internationally and would discourage anyone thinking of taking this deceptive route for a quick sale as we will not hesitate to pursue legal action.”