We’re calling on popcorn brands to get toxic neonic pesticides out of their supply chains! These chemicals kill bees and threaten human health. From movie nights to after-school snacks, Americans consume an estimated 14 billion quarts of popcorn every year. It’s time for major brands like Orville Redenbacher’s and Act II to clean up their act by ensuring there are no neonic-coated seeds in their supply.

The Problem

Neonicotinoids are among the most ecologically disastrous pesticides since DDT. U.S. agriculture has become nearly 48 times more toxic to insects, including essential pollinators like bees, since the introduction of neonics. The largest use of neonics in the U.S. is as coatings on corn and soy seeds, even though these coatings provide little to no yield or economic benefits to farmers, on average, and in some cases may even decrease yield by killing beneficial insects. Our food supply is at risk. One in three bites of food we eat depends on pollinators, who contribute approximately $34 billion a year to the U.S. economy. Food costs are predicted to rise as managed and wild pollinator populations decrease. 

And it’s not just bees that are at risk. Neonics have been linked to human health harms including memory loss, tremors, and birth defects of the heart and brain. 

Conagra Brands: Save the Bees

Conagra is one of the nation’s largest food manufacturers, controlling $12 billion in annual sales. The company is also a leader in popcorn – it owns Orville Redenbacher’s, Act II, Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP, and more. 

Conagra can use its market power to phase out neonic-coated seeds and make our food supply safer for pollinators, people, and the planet. We urge Conagra to lead the way on neonic-coated seeds in the popcorn industry by: 

• Making a time bound and measurable commitment to ensure there are no neonicotinoid-coated seeds in its popcorn supply chain.
• Working with popcorn suppliers to implement alternative, least-toxic pest management strategies, including a holistic transition towards organic practices. 
• Acting with transparency, publicly disclosing company policies, actions, and progress toward these goals.

We also encourage Conagra to pursue a broader effort to transition away from pesticides and advance safer methods of farming like organic agriculture across its entire supply chain. More than 900 synthetic pesticides allowed in conventional agriculture are banned in organic agriculture, and organic foods are safer for pollinators, human health, and the environment.