KIND Just Made A Big Announcement In Honor Of World Bee Day
KIND Healthy Snacks announced that it has reached an important benchmark in its mission to create its almond-based products from nuts grown on pollinator-friendly farms just in time for World Bee Day on May 20. According to a press release from KIND, the brand will officially be sourcing 51% of its almonds from certified bee-friend farms by the end of 2022, which means it's on target to meet its goal of being completely bee-friendly by 2025, which was first announced in 2020.
Among the requirements needed to be considered "bee-friendly," farms have to dedicate at least 3 to 5% of their land to pollinator habitats and agree to discontinue the use of pesticides believed to do harm to pollinator species.
To commemorate this achievement and celebrate World Bee Day, KIND will be hosting a virtual Bee Day Bash on TikTok on May 20. The party will be co-hosted by influencers and bee conservationists @Mr.Mrs.BeeRescue, who operate a bee removal and rescue service in northern California. The event is meant to raise awareness of the importance of bees in the food chain and promote bee conservation efforts, which have already gained some traction on TikTok, according to KIND.
As KIND revealed, it takes about 48 billion bees to pollinate California's 1.64 million acres of almond fields. However, ABC News has reported that honeybee populations have been rapidly declining over the past 15 years due to environmental concerns, pesticides, and disease.
KIND is contributing financially to bee research
A decreasing bee population is not an issue which can be taken lightly. According to the USDA, the work of pollinators — several varieties of which earth.com reports are now on the endangered species list — is worth about $200 billion each year in the U.S., largely due to the enormous role they play in supporting commercial farming. With food prices already on the rise around the world, now is the perfect time to take action to protect these pollinators and prevent further shortages.
The USDA emphasizes that farmers can make a difference in bee and pollinator populations by implementing more sustainable farming practices, which is exactly what KIND and its suppliers have been working on. As shared in the press release, in the two years since the initiative was launched, the amount of pollinator-friendly almond farmland in California has increased from 20,000 acres to 145,000 acres, which early research has shown has also improved soil quality on those farms.
In addition to making bee-friendly improvements, KIND has donated $350,000 to University of California Davis to support bee research. During the Bee Day Bash, which kicks off on May 20 at 8 pm ET on KIND's TikTok page, viewers will be encouraged to donate to re: wild, an organization dedicated to preserving biodiversity. KIND will be matching donations made to the organization through June 3, up to $20,000.