instore - May 2016 - 93


feature

Illustrating the point
To showcase the vital role that pollinators play in the global food
supply, Whole Foods Market's Fremont, California, store gave shoppers
a startling preview of what their bakery choices would be if pollinators
vanished. The before-and-after photos are disturbing.
"Sweet tooth or not, life without dessert would be tough to swallow,"
says Eric Mader, pollinator program co-director for The Xerces Society.
"But with one-third of the world's food crops depending on disappearing pollinator species, that may one day be a reality. The good
news: it's not too late. With support from Whole Foods Market and
its shoppers and suppliers, our organization is working with farmers
nationwide to help them create wildflower habitats and to adopt less
pesticide-intensive practices, which will help pollinators thrive."

Cascadian Farm: The organic cereal, snacks and frozen produce brand
protects pollinators through research funding and organic farming.
Brand packaging features "Bee Friendlier" codes that consumers enter
on bee-friendlier.com, which trigger 25 cent donations to pollinator
conservation efforts of their choice. The company also recently

"This campaign is all about inspiring
people to take small steps that make a
big difference for these small heroes of
our food supply."
Lee Kane, Whole Foods Market

With shoppers' support, Whole Foods Market and its suppliers have
donated more than $547,000 to the Xerces Society since 2012. These
funds have helped create or improve more than 186,000 acres of
pollinator habitat in the US, with tens of thousands more acres in
development.
"This campaign is all about
inspiring people to take
small steps that make a big
difference for these small
heroes of our food supply,"
says Lee Kane, mission and
culture coach for Whole
Foods Market. "Even simple
strategies like shopping
organic or planting native
wildflowers can tip the
balance back in favor of our
pollinators."

Sharing the
"buzz"
Customers can also "share
the buzz" by choosing
Responsibly Grown
outdoor potted plants, or
by purchasing pollinatorfriendly products from
brands that are supporting
the Xerces Society's conservation efforts, including the
following companies:

announced a new commitment to plant thousands of acres of pollinator habitat on supplier farms by 2020.

Blue Diamond: This almond product maker protects pollinators by
donating to research on bee health and by planting flowering ground
covers around its almond orchards.

vanishing pollinators

Whole Foods Market's limited edition 365 Everyday Value PollinatorFriendly Almonds and Almond Butters: Whole Foods Market launched
its pollinator-friendly almond products to directly support a pilot
program developed by the Xerces Society, and Nevada Ranch in Le
Grange, California, which is working to integrate native wildflower
habitat and improved pesticide protection in large-scale almond
production.

WITH POLLINATORS
With key ingredients such as
chocolate, coffee, almonds, berries,
carrots and even vanilla relying on
pollinators for production, hundreds
of desserts ranging from specialty
treats like macaroons and tiramisu
to everyday favorites like chocolate
chip cookies would be history.

The benefits
WITHOT POLLINATORS
of honey
Honey
Dairy-based
has the
dessert
ability
options
to decrease
would the cupcakes
bitterness
that
and
require
sourness
dairyintensity
ingredibe bakery
scarce. Pollinators
areincreasing
vital to
ents would and
be limited.
in
foods while
the sweetness
improving the
crops thatperception,
feed cattle, including
saltiness
according to the National Honey Board. Honey's
alfalfa; without
them, there'd
beMaillard
no
Ninety-seven
percent
of the
dessert
sugars
are precursors
to the
reaction,
which
means
that
they
more cheesecakes,
crème
brulee,
in the bakery
department
provide
natural color
and
browning tochoices
the finished
product.
This
thickly icedthe
cakes,
puddings,
creamy
would
disappear
or wouldBlue
be
increases
consumer
acceptability
of theeither
product
by producing
tarts or éclair fillings. Even the
most basic choices like plain white

significantly altered; only 32 of 1,057
items remained in their original form.

instore * MAY 2016 * 93
http://www.bee-friendlier.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of instore - May 2016
