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Canadian restaurants who feature honey on their menus—our leaders in educating consumers.
“The more honey they [restaurateurs] buy, the better,” Glennie says. Promoting menus which include dishes made using local, nutritious and natural honey is the sweetest thing that restaurateurs can do to support Canada’s honey producers and pollinator health. “Honey councils are ready to provide assistance and access to current research. Restaurateurs can go to any website of the national, provincial and local honey councils. Many of them list beekeeping operations and restaura- teurs can easily source local honey!” In- formed restaurateurs are on the forefront of supporting Canadian honey producers and informing consumers regarding our national food products.
Canadians enjoy their honey. For bee- keepers and consumers alike, this is an important time to add Canadian honey to the menu. m
ALMANAC
BEES MAKE THE
AGRICULTURAL
WORLD GO ROUND
Honey bees are vital for the pollination of fruit, vegetables and hybrid canola seed. Well-pollinated crops produce more fruit and honey bees increase production by 2-8 times. The value of honey bees to pollination of crops is estimated at over $2 billion annually.
Canada ranks 1st in the world for canola production.
Pollination of canola is a major activity for the Canadian honey bee industry. Each year around 300,000 colonies of honey bees (half the colonies in Canada) contribute to the annual crop of 12.6 million tonnes of open pollinated canola oil seed.
Canada ranks 2nd in the world for blue- berry production.
North America produces 75% of the world’s blueberries. Beekeepers provide around 35,000 colonies of honey bees for blueberry pollination.
Canada is 16th in the world for apple production
Beekeepers supply around 15,000 colonies for the pollination of tree fruit. (North American produces 75% of the world’s blueberries). Beekeepers provide around 35,000 colonies of honey bees for blueberry pollination.
(Source: Canadian Honey Council)
Statistics are taken from Statistics Canada or Agriculture and Agri-food Canada Autumn Squash and New Potatoes - Canoe, Toronto
Honey Glazed Duck and Roasted Venison - Five Sails, Vancouver
Pear and Honey Custard - Bouillon Bilk, Montreal
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