Dear John,
It’s Valentine’s Day 2020. But let’s imagine Valentine’s Day in the not too distant future -- flowers and chocolate covered strawberries could be in short supply -- along with the bees that they rely on.
Bees pollinate 1 of every 3 bites of food we eat, including some of our favorite Valentine’s treats. But they’re dying at alarming rates. A key culprit is bee-killing pesticides like neonicotinoids, chlorpyrifos and glyphosate. To save the bees and other important species, we need to rapidly shift our food production away from these pesticides.
Kroger, one of the largest supermarkets in the country, could help make that happen. But we need your help convincing Kroger to act. This Valentine’s Day, show bees some love by demanding Kroger stop selling food grown with bee-killing pesticides.
Show bees some love: Tell Kroger to stop selling food grown with bee-killing pesticides!
Pesticides are poisoning people and pollinators. That’s why we’re working to get everything from bee-killing neonics to brain-damaging chlorpyrifos out of our environment and off our shelves.
The EPA just released another assessment on bee-killing neonic pesticides. It found serious harms to wildlife, and even raised concerns about human health impacts. But with Trump in the White House and corporate cronies in his administration, the EPA is proposing to do nothing about it.
We can’t count on the federal government to get these pesticides out of our food system. And corporations have a key role to play in combating the bee crisis. Just last week, Dow Chemical -- a major producer of chlorpyrifos -- announced it would stop selling this poison.
Dow wouldn’t have acted without consistent pressure from engaged Friends of the Earth members like you moving states across the country to ban chlorpyrifos. Now is the time to make your voice heard and tell Kroger to kick pesticides out its food supply chain!
Take one simple action: Call Kroger today and tell it to protect people and our planet from pesticides!
Last year, Kroger took a meaningful first step in protecting pollinators --encouraging suppliers to phase out bee toxic pesticides and supporting the expansion of organic food and products that are affordable for many families. But it doesn’t go nearly far enough. It's vague and doesn’t commit the company to a time-bound phase-out of some of the most toxic pesticides, like neonics and Roundup®, that are contributing to bee and butterfly decline.
Without bees, Valentine’s Day just wouldn’t be the same. Bees are essential for Valentine’s Day treats like strawberries, honey and flowers. And we’re running out of time to act before we lose some essential bee species forever.
So this Valentine’s Day, we need your help demanding Kroger show its love for bees. Together, we can urge the retail giant to demonstrate it truly cares by committing to eliminate bee-killing pesticides from the food it sells. Can we count on your support?
Can you help ramp up the pressure? Call Kroger and tell them to save Valentine’s Day by saving the bees!
With love,
Jason Davidson,
Food and agriculture campaigner
Friends of the Earth
