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.

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.

Patrick, 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. 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:

 

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.

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.

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.