| In the last year, a new rule has come down the pike for raw almonds: they must be pasteurized with either steam or toxic gas. Apparently the steam method is prohibitively expensive, making toxic gas the most feasible method available to most growers. Those of us who enjoy eating raw almonds as a delicious source of protein are very frustrated about this.
Today, the Cornuocopia Institute put out a press release about a lawsuit against the USDA over this (and they quoted me as an angry consumer!!!)
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A group of fifteen American almond growers and wholesale nut handlers filed a lawsuit in the Washington, D.C. federal court on Tuesday, September 9 seeking to repeal a controversial USDA-mandated treatment program for California-grown raw almonds.
The almond farmers and handlers contend that their businesses have been seriously damaged and their futures jeopardized by a requirement that raw almonds be treated with propylene oxide (a toxic fumigant recognized as a carcinogen by the EPA) or steam-heated before they can be sold to American consumers. Foreign-grown almonds are exempt from the treatment scheme and are rapidly displacing raw domestic nuts in the marketplace.
Tens of thousands of angry consumers have contacted the USDA to protest the compulsory almond treatment since the agency's new regulation went into effect one year ago. Some have expressed outrage that even though the nuts have been processed with a fumigant, or heat, they will still be labeled as "raw."
I love the Cornucopia Institute. If you're ever looking for a good place to donate, please consider them. They do amazing work. Also, if you're looking for truly raw almonds, they can be attained by buying direct from a farmer. I've got a few at my farmers' market and I think the going rate is $10/lb. Email me if you want me to send you some. |
