This issue is brought to you by the letter B.
The bees are dying! The letter B?
No, not that “B”. The wonderful pollinating fuzzy insects with stingers.
According to Bloomberg, half a billion bees have died at Brazilian bee farms so far this year. How could this happen? Is it global warming? Well, not this time. These Brazilian bees are actually dying from too much pesticide. According to the Brazil Agriculture Ministry, about 300 pesticides have been approved by the government for agricultural use so far this year - and approvals for pesticides are only getting faster. The government claims that they approved this many pesticides because these pests adapt quickly to pesticides and this helps provide more options for farmers. The government also failed to mention that a large percentage of these pesticides are toxic and aren’t even used by the European Union - which has more than half the amount of honey produced in Romania!
These pesticides are already beginning to affect farm workers. Farm workers are falling ill and suing their companies for health damages. Even more eye opening is that Brazil’s health department found that 20% of product samples contain pesticide residues and these products are still being sold on shelves today.
My recommendation? Buy organic and local. Avoid honey and other bee products from Brazil for the time being. It’s not worth your health just to save several cents on buying cheaper honey. Also, these cheaper honey aren’t even actual honey!