Woolworths Neutral Bay in Sydney stripped of fruit and veg due to bee shortage

A Sydney supermarket’s shelves have been left empty of fruit, vegetables and even coffee — but there’s a very good reason why.

The shelves of one Sydney’s Woolworths stores have been stripped bare – but it’s not because of panic buying.

The supermarket’s branch in Neutral Bay was this week left without fruit and vegetables, as well as long-life products on purpose for a powerful photo series.

The removal is designed to start a conversation about the importance of pollination in Australia’s food supply.

A whopping 65 per cent of our horticultural and agriculture crops need bees to pollinate them, amounting to $14 billion worth of food annually.

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Fresh fruit was removed from Woolworths’ Neutral Bay branch. Picture: Dallas Kilponen.

The removal was designed to start a conversation about pollination. Picture: Dallas Kilponen.

The products removed from the store’s shelves included avocados, blackberries, pumpkin, sesame seeds, peanut butter, nuts, coffee and cereal — all food that would be under threat if our bee population disappeared.

Woolworths chief marketing officer Andrew Hicks said the display was designed to “start a conversation” about the importance of pollination as customers enjoyed the return of the supermarket’s Discovery Garden collection.

“What many people don’t realise is how much of our food supply relies directly on pollinating bees,” he said.

“Our goal here is to start a conversation in Australian homes about what a supermarket without bees would look like and how their impact goes far beyond just fruit and vegetables.

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Pollination doesn’t just impact fresh produce. Picture: Dallas Kilponen.

Even coffee would be impacted. Picture: Dallas Kilponen.

“However, if we take small actions to support bees and pollination today, we can create a better tomorrow and prevent this from becoming a reality.”

Australian Honey Bee Industry Council chair Trevor Weatherhead said Australia’s agriculture and food crops were currently at risk because of drought and bushfire.

With the ongoing drought and the impact of the bush fires it is now more critical than ever for beekeepers to have access to national parks and forests to help provide adequate floral resources,” he said.

“We can all play a part in bee health by considering the trees and plants in our own backyards that provide this necessary nectar and pollen for ‘Healthy bees – Healthy people’.”