WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2015 - Weaver
Popcorn, the second-largest popcorn supplier, announced a plan to drastically
reduce the amount of neonicotinoids involved in the production of the popcorn
it sells.
The move, announced on the Pop Weaver website last week, comes
after pressure from food safety groups to ditch neonics, insecticide seed
coatings that have no human health risk but have been implicated in pollinator
health issues. The Center for Food Safety (CFS) says this is the first time a
U.S. food company has committed to phasing out neonics.
The plan is to cut use of neonics by 50
percent in 2016 and by 75 percent in 2017. The company said it also has a long-term
commitment to further reduce usage by working with universities and companies
that supply neonics to the seed industry.
“With a large share of the market, Pop
Weaver has the ability to not only become leaders in pollinator protection but
to also influence their competitors in the popcorn seed market to do the same,”
said Larissa Walker, pollinator program director at CFS.
CFS and some researchers contend that
neonics are to blame for drops in the bee population, saying the seed coating
eventually makes the entire plant “toxic.” According to a CFS release, between
79 percent and 100 percent of corn seed in the U.S. has a neonic coating, “and
popcorn is no exception.”
According to the Popcorn Board, a promotional and
research organization, sales of unpopped U.S. popcorn topped 1 billion pounds
for the first time in 2013. Major production states are Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, and Ohio.
#30
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