Toronto has been one of the leading producers of bee pollen for the past few years but recent studies are now indicating that the bee pollen Toronto produces may not really be as safe and effective as we once thought it was.
Urbanization increases air pollution, which contaminates bee pollen
Bee pollen is a very nutritious substance – there’s absolutely no question about that.
But once it is contaminated by pollutants in the environment, its nutritional value drops considerably; it also becomes unsafe for human consumption.
For sure, the pollen harvesting areas in Toronto are properly disinfected on a regular basis to ensure the safety of their products.
Compliance with good manufacturing practice (GMP) regulations is very important in Canada, after all.
But a big problem with bee pollen manufacturing is that you can’t completely monitor the quality of your product because the bees that collect the pollens are free to roam for long distances outside the harvesting area.
Some bee species are known to fly out as far as 40 miles a day just to collect pollen from various flowers.
To the naked eye, the forests and grasslands of Toronto may seem pristine and unpolluted, and so many would assume that the bee pollen Toronto manufacturers sell is pure and 100% safe to use. But this place is also a highly urbanized area and with urbanization comes pollution. There may not be any visible air pollution but there are many things in the air in Toronto that the naked eye does not see.
Just a couple of years ago, the public health office in Toronto reported that more than 6,000 individuals are admitted to hospitals every year due to various illnesses caused by exposure to airborne pollutants. Of these, approximately 1,700 cases will end in premature death. (Source: http://www.toronto.ca/index.htm).
That is how serious the air pollution in Toronto has become.
Since the bees are free to roam wherever they please, it is only expected that they will come into contact with the very same pollutants that have already caused the deaths of so many people. As the bees go back to the harvesting region, they will take these toxic substances back with them, where they will be mixed with the pollen.
If ordinary exposure to the contaminants in the air can already cause hospitalization and death, you can only imagine what these toxins can do to people if ingested along with the bee pollen products.
In order to avoid such frightful risks, the best thing to do is to choose a product that has been harvested in a completely pollution-free environment where there are practically no industrial factories and minimal human habitation as well.
According to environmental data, the grasslands of New Zealand fit this description perfectly. The population is very low and the few industries that have been established there do not make use of any pollution-causing equipment at all. This is why NZ bee pollen is said to be the purest and safest for human consumption.
Unlike bee pollen from Toronto, the ones from New Zealand are guaranteed to be uncontaminated and packed with nutrients, no matter how far out the bees fly to collect the pollen.
We use and recommend Xtend-life Bee Pollen because the pollen is harvested and manufactured in New Zealand; it is also freeze-dried upon harvesting, ensuring that the natural nutrients are properly preserved and that you get nothing but high quality and safe bee pollen in every capsule.