Protecting the pollinators: How the natural products industry can help

Not everyone can raise bees but almost anyone can take actions that help pollinators thrive—and ensure the future of agriculture and a healthy food chain.

Based in New York City, The Bee Conservancy sees firsthand the impact of human encroachment on natural spaces and the subsequent detriment to bees. As such, the organization brings educational programs to the area’s city zoos, parks, urban gardens and other places where bees congregate, all in the name of practicing “community science.” It also focuses on reaching young people.

“We're really excited to inspire and train and motivate tomorrow's generations of environmental stewards,” says Rebecca Louie, executive director of The Bee Conservancy.

That community science aspect is crucial to pollinators’ success. It’s a method of capitalizing on “the passion of everyday people to take simple actions that contribute to science,” Louie says. “Because scientists cannot be everywhere, they cannot collect all the research. And so, we do programs that involve snapping pictures of insects and uploading them to a database called iNaturalist.”

The key around helping bees, Louie adds, is to meet people where they're at and foster incremental change because that’s how deep, lasting change comes to fruition. And given that one in three bites every person takes relies on the pollination process, it’s imperative that everyday people do their part to protect bees.

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“When you think about the food chain, everything is interdependent,” Louie says. “Once you start going after one aspect of an ecosystem, it has a downstream effect.”

Companies can make a difference by reviewing their supply chains to ensure sourcing from sustainable and pollinator-friendly farms.

“Consumers are very savvy these days and if there is an inconsistency in a brand's message versus their action, it's usually sniffed out pretty quickly,” Louie says.

In the CPG sector, nut butter producer Justin’s introduced in June a Pollinator Friendly badge to remind consumers that the brand’s products wouldn’t be possible without bees. Colorado honey brand Local Hive Honey, which also makes hot sauce, supports the Pollinator Awareness through Conservation and Education (PACE) program. Colorado’s Butterfly Pavilion created PACE, a global initiative, to raise awareness of pollinators’ plight.

The National Honey Board recently announced the winners of its Queen Choice awards, which recognize innovative brands that include honey as an ingredient. The winners include these natural and organic brands:

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"These awards highlight the dedication of product developers and manufacturers to producing high-quality products with honey that delight consumers. We are proud to honor these outstanding companies and look forward to seeing how these innovations will inspire future new products with honey," Catherine Barry, the National Honey Board’s vice president of marketing, said in a press release.

Fun facts from The Bee Conservancy

One way consumers can support bees is to have a garden. First off, Louie advises, it’s best to establish only native flora in your yard. These plants, trees, shrubs and bushes feed the right bugs and insects for your area, and many are perennial, which saves money, Louie says. Second, toward the end of growing season, reconsider the urge to rip out any dead plants. Instead, try trimming them to 18-24 inches tall “because those are actually all individual studio apartments for our cavity-nesting bees,” Louie says. “You can be very aesthetic about it. It doesn't have to look like a Game of Thrones-like scape.”

Supporting pollinators goes beyond individual and community levels, of course. Governments, corporations, smaller businesses, associations and other entities need to step in as well. Often, they have more financial and expert resources to put toward pressing issues such as bee population—and it’s time they do so as climate change exacts a toll on pollinators. Extreme weather events, which continue to mount in frequency and power, decimate local ecosystems, Louie says. On top of that, changing temperatures have prompted plants and trees to bloom at weird times. That means bees may not migrate north to pollinate when they typically should, she said.

With all of that in mind, here are Louie’s top tips for helping bees thrive and reproduce:

Food and Beverage Insider's Heather Carter contributed to this report.