Does light damage bee pollen in the clear bags or bottles?

by Ann M.

Your bee pollen comes in clear plastic bags. I thought bee pollen was susceptible to damage from light. Could you tell me about this? Is it worth getting the pollen in opaque bottles or bags?

Also, is the bee pollen best sent with dry ice or sent by 2 day mail so it can be refrigerated quickly?

Angela's Response:

There are a couple of trains of thought on the 'light' damaging bee pollen. There are those that believe that the 'outer shell' of the pollen granule protects the many nutrients within the pollen granule. And then there are those that believe that pollen should be protected from light at all times in order to prevent the degradation of the nutrients. Dutchman's Gold actually makes a product in a dark bottle for those that are concerned. (we don't sell it on the website but if you're interested in it we can ship it to you) There really is no conclusive evidence either way supporting dark bottles or clear plastic. We sell 99% of our pollen in clear bottles and bags and have never once had an issue with spoiled pollen. And to be honest, I've never once had a complaint about 'lack of vitality.' So it is a hard question to answer fully since no one has ever done a study on this issue. My personal view is that both the pollen shell and the vast amount of antioxidants in bee pollen literally prevent it from spoiling. (provided no moisture or excessive heat are applied to the pollen)

We can ship your pollen with an ice/gel pack and special thermal packaging to help keep it cool. Pollen stays fresh as long as it isn't heated for long periods of time so it probably isn't necessary. But if you'd feel more comfortable with us doing that, we are able to do so for an extra charge. There are some companies out there that would argue otherwise but I've literally shipped thousands of bags/bottles of bee pollen all over the world and never once had a spoilage or 'lack of vitality' complaint or issue. Food for thought...