Imagine walking into a store in the Czech Republic today and finding the food you buy every day missing. That’s probably what it would look like if bees didn’t live in the Czech Republic. Their products are also behind foods you wouldn’t think of.
One of the supermarket chains implemented the idea of doing without bee products, whose customers were unpleasantly surprised on Wednesday when they made their purchases.
The store in Prague’s Uhříněvsi district removed all bee products from its shelves. As a result, 60% of the goods were missing throughout the day.
“It’s terrible. We probably won’t buy much, but at least it makes you think bees are essential. And that one could do more to protect them,” says a young mother who came to shop with her children.
Among the missing goods in the store are marinated meats alongside a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and baked goods, as bee products are involved in producing pepper, mustard, and other herbs.
They are also needed for oil, a component of many other products.
“Detergents are also included because they contain almond oil, and almonds are typically a crop that cannot do without pollination, so detergent gels or shampoos fall in there. Someone was surprised by cotton trousers,” Dalibor Titěra, head of the Research Department and Accredited Testing Laboratory of the Research Institute of Apiculture, explained.
Worldwide, the decline in bees is substantial. According to some studies, over 50% of bee colonies have died worldwide in the last 20 years.
This is due, for example, to climate change, extreme droughts, or the overuse of chemicals to maximize agricultural yields.
Bees pollinate most of the 100 plant species that account for 90% of the world’s food production. Some crops, such as cocoa, coffee, and vanilla, would disappear without bees. Without bees, humans would face a real food crisis.