Jewel-Osco and Del Monte go bananas, set record

Westmont can now claim the title for hosting the "World's Largest Fruit Display."

On Wednesday, North American officials with global fruit-and-vegetable distributor Fresh Del Monte teamed up with the Illinois supermarket chain Jewel-Osco to stack more than 77,350 pounds of bananas in one place: the Jewel-Osco supermarket at 4 E. Ogden Ave.

The display took three days to construct, and the effort ties into June as National Fruit & Vegetable Month. Bananas are also Jewel-Osco's top-selling item, with its produce departments stocking more than 140,000 pounds of bananas a day.

An official Guinness World Records adjudicator was there to verify and confirm the record. It shattered the previous one set this past January in Metairie, Louisiana. Sunkist Growers and Rouses Markets gathered together more than 18,000 pounds of citrus fruit - mainly oranges and lemons.

So what happens to all those bananas? Jewel-Osco officials said there would be giveaways to customers, with remaining stock donated to the Northern Illinois Food Bank.