Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/375622
L ast year 50,000 dead bumblebees greeted customers in a Target parking lot in Wilsonville, Ore. Shortly after that, an Ontario beekeeper reported the sudden death of 37 million of his honey- bees. In Southwest China, where wild bees have been decimated, farmers hand-pollinate apple and pear orchards with paint brushes; children are employed to climb trees to reach the highest blossoms. The financial risk is clear: insect-pollinated crops in the U.S. are worth $18 billion to $27 billion annually. Worldwide, that number is $217 billion, according to Sarina Jepsen, the Endangered Species program director at The Xerces Society, a nonprofit organization that protects invertebrate wildlife. BY JULIE BESONEN the plight of the If bees continue to die at the current rate, about one in three bites of food you take could be affected. The risks go far beyond honey and fruit supply, and several groups are taking action—but research is still lacking in answers. Learn the latest thinking on the causes, the first steps toward solutions, and why even the president has taken a stand. Honeybee In 1947 the U.S. had 6 million managed honeybee colonies. Today, that number has dropped to 2.5 million. 26 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com