John, have you heard about almond milk's deadly secret?

Danone and Blue Diamond -- the makers of Silk, Alpro and Almond Breeze --
rely on billions of bees to pollinate their almond orchards. And every
year, more and more of those bees die -- killed by pesticides, parasites
or disease in the "toxic chemical soup" of California's central valley.

Both corporations have made tidy profits off the Covid-19 pandemic as
customers stockpiled cartons -- now it's up to you and me to make sure
that money gets invested in making their vegan milk good for all, bees
included.

[ [link removed] ]Sign the urgent petition for bee-friendly almond milk!

Earlier this year, thousands of SumOfUs members demanded Danone and Blue
Diamond switch to a 100 percent bee-friendly almond supply chain. Blue
Diamond -- a notorious friend of the pesticide lobby -- didn't respond.

But Danone seemed to be working towards a more bee-friendly production
process for both the California almonds in Silk and the Mediterranean ones
in Alpro. With 200,000 SumOfUs members watching the French giant, a
commitment to more ambitious targets and a faster timeline looked
inevitable. And from there, Blue Diamond and other almond milk makers
would have to step up their game, effectively transforming an entire
industry.

Then, Covid-19 hit -- and Danone got greedy. Instead of committing to
protect the bees, it's planning a ruthless expansion of its "plant-based"
division that could see even more pollinators sent to their deaths.

John, we need your help to put the spotlight back on Danone and
the rest of the almond milk industry -- before it's too late for our
precious bees. [ [link removed] ]Please, will you join 200,000 other SumOfUs members and
demand 100 percent bee-friendly almond milk?

 Sign the petition 

Thanks for all that you do,
Fatah and the team at SumOfUs

 

Here's our original email:



-----------------------------------------------------



Is almond milk vegan? Not if countless bees are killed to make it.

California almond farms are a pesticide-soaked killing field for
pollinators. But enough pressure on almond milk’s biggest players could
force this bee-hostile industry to change its ways.

Demand Blue Diamond, Danone and co. make the switch to bee-friendly
almonds!

[ [link removed] ] Sign the petition 

   
John,

Each winter, billions of honeybees are prematurely woken from hibernation,
trucked into California and exposed to a “soup” of bacteria, parasites and
toxic pesticides -- so they can serve as pollinators for the fast-growing
almond milk industry.

They end up sick and exhausted, and many don’t make it back. Every year,
up to 30 percent die.

Our fragile bees deserve better -- and almond milk drinkers deserve a
truly animal-friendly product.
The good news is there are ways to grow almonds that don’t kill or harm
bees. But Blue Diamond (maker of Almond Breeze), the number-one almond
milk brand in the world, won't commit to using 100 percent bee-friendly
almonds. Danone, maker of Silk and Alpro, says it's aiming for
bee-friendly certification, but has yet to commit to a concrete timeline
for a complete transition.

We’ve got to use public pressure to get almond milk corporations in the
bees' corner -- before it’s too late.

[ [link removed] ]Add your name to demand bee-friendly almond milk!

Almond milk is the world’s most popular plant milk, outselling
alternatives like soy, coconut and oat milk nearly five to one. And the
vast majority of almonds that go into it come from pesticide-soaked
monocultures in California’s Central Valley.

Almond milk corporations are reaping billions in profits from consumers
who care about the environment. They should be doing everything they can
to make their product sustainable, not cutting corners with megafarms that
take their bees for granted (on top of overtapping California's limited
water supply).

That’s why bee experts have explained exactly how almond farms can create
a healthier habitat for bees. And if enough of us come together, we can
make sure every almond milk maker gets on board. 

Blue Diamond, Danone and others are scrambling to protect their products’
wholesome image after January’s Guardian exposé on bees and almond milk.
Now is the perfect time to push for a bee-saving almond revolution!

Our research suggests that brands are making some progress: Alpro sources
almonds from bee-friendlier habitats in the Mediterranean where it's
piloted conservation schemes, while Silk has worked to increase
biodiversity on some California farms. But neither parent company Danone,
nor competitor Blue Diamond (which lags further behind), have committed to
a total supply chain revamp, let alone a concrete timeline for using only
almonds from bee-friendly certified orchards.

[ [link removed] ]Demand these plant milk corps use only bee-friendly almonds.

Bees go through so much to bring us the food we eat every day. It’s only
right that we give something back. And again and again, SumOfUs members
like you have come to the bees’ aid when they needed you. You’ve pushed
for bans on some of the deadliest bee-killing pesticides, and forced
governments in Europe and Canada to pass laws protecting bees’ health over
Bayer and Syngenta’s profits.

I know with your help, we can turn almond milk into a dairy alternative
that's good for all animals -- bees included.



[ [link removed] ] Sign the petition 



Thanks for all that you do,
Fatah, David and the team at SumOfUs


More information:

[ [link removed] ]'Like sending bees to war': the deadly truth behind your almond milk
obsession, The Guardian, 8 January 2020
[ [link removed] ]White gold: the unstoppable rise of alternative milks, The Guardian, 29
January 2019

 

 

SumOfUs is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.

Please help keep SumOfUs strong by chipping in $3. [link removed]