Victory! Pop Weaver agrees to drop bee-killing pesticides
Center for Food Safety
We have great news, Patrick!
Thanks to your support, just one week after launching our campaign urging Pop Weaver and Pop Secret to drop bee-toxic neonicotinoid pesticides from their popcorn production, Pop Weaver has agreed to phase out its use of neonics!
In an announcement yesterday, Pop Weaver committed to “removing 50% of its neonicotinoids usage in 2016, 75% in 2017, with a long-term commitment of further reducing usage by working with agricultural universities and those companies supplying neonicotinoids to the seed industry.” [1]
Pop Weaver is the second largest popcorn supplier in the country, and while the details of the planned phase-out have not yet been released, Pop Weaver has taken a bold step towards removing bee-toxic insecticides from their popcorn supply.
Neonics are the most widely used insecticides in the world, and are a class of systemic chemicals, meaning they are dispersed throughout the treated plant, rendering the whole plant toxic. Just as alarming, neonics can last in the environment for years and they can harm species that the chemical was not designed to kill - like bees, butterflies, birds, and entire food chains.
Pop Secret is serving us popcorn grown from these neonic-coated seeds. As one of the largest popcorn brands in the U.S., Pop Secret can make a big difference for bees by phasing out their use of neonic-coated seeds. If Pop Weaver can commit to phasing out neonic treated seeds, so can Pop Secret!
Sign the Petition: Tell Pop Secret to Stop Killing Bees!
We commend Pop Weaver for being a leader in the popcorn industry and making this commitment to protecting bees and the environment. We hope that this tremendous decision by Pop Weaver influences their competitors in the popcorn seed market to do the same. This is a very important market shift.
Given the countless risks, lack of benefits [2], and widespread consumer demand for pollinator protection, it’s time for Pop Secret to join Pop Weaver and commit to phasing out the use of neonic-coated seeds for their popcorn.
Tell Pop Secret to drop bee-toxic chemicals!
References:
1. http://www.popweaver.com/news/2015-10-21Neonics%20Statement.pdf#zoom=66.7
2. See http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/issues/304/pollinators-and-pesticides/mythbusting and http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/issues/304/pollinators-and-pesticides/reports/2999/heavy-costs-weighing-the-value-of-neonicotinoid-insecticides-in-agriculture