[Pollinator] This is what your grocery store looks like without bees

[Matthew Shepherd]

The University Heights Whole Foods Market in Rhode Island did an amazing
thing. They removed pollinator-dependent products from their shelves-and the
store looked bare.

 

 

http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/06/12/4938863/this-is-what-your-grocery-sto
re.html

This is what your grocery store looks like without bees.

Whole Foods MarketR partners with The Xerces Society to "Share the Buzz" and
protect pollinator populations

By Whole Foods Market 

 

PROVIDENCE, R.I., June 12, 2013 - /PRNewswire/ -- One of every three bites
of food comes from plants pollinated by honeybees and other pollinators.
Yet, major declines in bee populations threaten the availability of many
fresh ingredients consumers rely on for their dinner tables.

 

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130612/DA27199)

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121015/DA92273LOGO)

 

To raise awareness of just how crucial pollinators are to our food system,
the University Heights Whole Foods Market store
<http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/university>  temporarily removed all
produce that comes from plants dependent on pollinators. They pulled from
shelves 237 of 453 products - 52 percent of the department's normal product
mix.

 

Products removed included:

*	Apples 
*	Onions 
*	Avocados 
*	Carrots 
*	Mangos 
*	Lemons 
*	Limes 
*	Honeydew 
*	Cantaloupe 
*	Zucchini 
*	Summer squash 
*	Eggplant 
*	Cucumbers 
*	Celery 
*	Green onions 
*	Cauliflower 
*	Leeks 
*	Bok choy 
*	Kale 
*	Broccoli 
*	Broccoli rabe 
*	Mustard greens

 

To help support honeybee populations, for every pound of organic summer
squash sold at Whole Foods Market stores from June 12-25 the company will
donate 10 cents to The Xerces Society for pollinator preservation.

 

"Pollinators are a critical link in our food system. More than 85% of
earth's plant species - many of which compose some of the most nutritional
parts of our diet - require pollinators to exist. Yet we continue to see
alarming declines in bee numbers," said Eric Mader, assistant pollinator
conservation director at The Xerces Society. 

 

"Our organization works with farmers nationwide to help them create
wildflower habitat and adopt less pesticide-intensive practices. These
simple strategies can tip the balance back in favor of bees."

 

Whole Foods Market offers four more ways to "bee part of the solution."
Details are online at www.wholefoodsmarket.com/sharethebuzz.

*	Bee organic: Buying organic is an easy way to support pollinators. 
*	Bee savvy at home: Most pest problems can be solved without toxic
and persistent pesticides. 
*	Bee a gardener: Plant bee-friendly flowers and fruits. 
*	Bee a smart shopper: Look for the "Share the Buzz" signs throughout
stores to support vendors also donating to The Xerces Society. 

*	"Queen Bee" partners ($25,000): Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day
<http://www.mrsmeyers.com/>  and Hain Celestial (MaraNatha
<http://www.maranathafoods.com/> , WestSoy <http://www.westsoytofu.com/> ,
Terra Chips <http://www.terrachips.com/> , Arrowhead Mills
<http://www.arrowheadmills.com/> ) 
*	"Worker Bee" partners ($5,000): Attune Foods
<http://www.attunefoods.com/> , Cuties <http://www.cutieskids.com/> , Kashi
<http://www.kashi.com/> , Sweet Leaf Teas <http://www.sweetleaftea.com/> ,
Muir Glen Organic <http://www.muirglen.com/> , Talenti Gelato
<http://www.talentigelato.com/> , So Delicious
<http://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/> , Udi's Gluten Free
<http://udisglutenfree.com/> .

 

Contact: Gina DeCandia, Sharp Communications, gd at sharpthink.com

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