AUSTIN, Texas (April 24, 2015): If pollinators like bees and midges vanished, up to 90 percent of the world’s supply of cocoa would vanish too–a potentially bleak forecast for Americans who, on average, consume 11.7 pounds of chocolate per person each year.* This is one of the many reasons why Whole Foods Market and The Xerces Society are teaming up to “share the buzz” about the critical role pollinators play in the global food supply and how shoppers can help protect their declining populations.

Through April 28, shoppers can take part in family-focused events that support pollinator conservation efforts and can learn more about how to “bee” part of the solution through activities like planting wildflowers, choosing “Responsibly Grown” produce or buying organic.

Additionally, Whole Foods Market’s Gilman store in Berkeley California demonstrated what the store’s salad bar choices would look like in a world without pollinators. The photos and results are startling.

For more information about Whole Foods Market visit wholefoodsmarket.com/pollinators.

*According to a study conducted by the National Confectioners’ Association