Cheap sugar or bees? EU’s fight with pesticides
The European Union has banned the use of bee-threatening pesticides in the cultivation of sugar beets. Could rising sugar prices make us more healthy?
The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in January 2023 that sugar beet producers can no longer be granted exemption to the ban on neonicotinoids (neonics). These pesticides protect crops from diseases such as sugar beet viral hepatitis, but are toxic to bees and other pollinators essential to food production.
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Pesticides kill bees
One in 10 species of bees and other pollinators is currently at risk of extinction. Their disappearance would mean catastrophic consequences for biodiversity and nutrition. The insects pollinate most vegetables and fruits and insecticides used in agriculture are most to blame for their extinction.
Noa Simon Delso, scientific director of Beelife, a Brussels-based non-profit organization, in a statement to reuters.com explained: "The harm of neonics to pollinators is undeniable. They are the most studied pesticide in human history, and we know very well how they work."
Seed producers are working on new varieties of sugar beets that would be naturally resistant to virus yellows. They could be available as early as 2027.
Are high sugar prices unequivocally a disadvantage?
The European Commission said it expects sugar beet acreage across the Union this year to fall about 3% below the five-year average. According to the EU’s data, sugar beet acreage has already fallen by 17% since the first ruling on neonicotinoids in 2018.
The European Union is the world's third-largest sugar producer, so reduced production could affect soaring global prices. Could this, as a positive side effect, lead to food products contain less sugar?
Sugar is one of the main ingredients of a great many food products, not just sweet ones. If we want to limit it for health reasons, we often face a very limited offer on the current market.
Manufacturers generously pour sugar into food, due to how the human body works - we consume more products containing sugar and crave it more between meals. This directly translates into profits for the food industry.
In Europe, sugar consumption in adults ranges from about 7-8% of total energy intake in countries such as Hungary and Norway to 16-17% in Spain and the UK. Alarmingly, sugar consumption is much higher among children. It ranges from about 12% in Denmark, Slovenia and Sweden to nearly 25% in Portugal.
Source: reuters.com; eu-patient.eu
