As many of you may or may not know, bananas are facing possible extinction. Now, before everyone freaks about this possible ‘extinction’ of your favorite healthy treat, I’ve come prepared with some facts of the matter.

1. Bananas have gone extinct before.

There are different banana species. Gros Michel is the banana strain that was harvested essentially during the first half of the 20th century. In the 1950s, a fungal disease known as the Panama disease completely wiped out the Gros Michel strand. The one we eat now is called the Cavendish and is threatened by a disease called Tropical Race 4 (TR4). This disease attacks the vascular tissue of the banana, making it incapable of retaining nutrients from both soil and water. Although our bananas now are considered lower grade than the Gros Michel strand, many people worldwide love bananas and continue to incorporate bananas into their lives every day, probably not even able to decipher the difference.

2. Tropical Race 4 has not yet reached Latin America.

Latin America is where vast amounts of bananas are produced. It is just a matter of time before the TR4 spores appear in this area. The spores live in soil and no matter what measures have been taken, they continue to come back. But, as of right now, there is no actual proof that bananas will be extinct considering TR4 has not even reached Latin America yet.

3. Extinction is a harsh term to use.

There are reserves in place to protect bananas against extinction. The Gros Michel strand still isn’t completely gone, it’s just extremely rare and cannot be produced in the quantities it once was. It is believed that this is what will happen to Cavendish. Bananas, in general, are not monocultural, meaning that it is a single crop with little genetic variation and will go extinct. Cavendish just so happens to be monocultural hence, the fear of extinction. Realistically, they will be very difficult to produce along with the Gros Michel strain.

Bananas come in many different colors and sizes. We will always have bananas, however, not the typical yellow banana we’re all accustomed to. If people are able to get over the socially accepted version and branch out to try different bananas, you will never have to worry about losing your beloved snack. Realistically, the yellow spotless Cavendish banana is a crappy banana no matter how pretty it looks. We’re just so used to the taste and quality because it is all many of us have ever known.

The American public needs to have an open mind and this is what makes this situation a challenge. Just as different colored apples have a slight variation of flavor, the same goes with bananas. All in all, bananas will not be extinct anytime soon. We just may have to adjust to something different in the future. But for now, the yellow bananas we all have grown to love will continue to flourish in our local supermarkets.