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Almonds 
Fri Mar 13, 2009 at 06:00:00 AM PDT
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The almond issue has been brewing for a while. Or, rather, steaming and getting sprayed with toxic gas. What am I talking about? A while back some genius decided that from now on all U.S. almonds can't be raw. Now, they might SAY "raw almonds" at the store, but they were actually treated either with steam or with a toxic gas (propylene oxide). And I hear that the steam treatment is prohibitively expensive.
As you can imagine, raw almond lovers said, "No deal." I was among them. But I'm lucky - the new rule allowed an exemption for anyone selling almonds direct to consumers and I buy my almonds straight from the farmer at my market. Of course, I don't think it's OK for everyone else to get screwed over while I sit back and munch on my raw almonds.
This week brought news of a defeat in court by the almond farmers who sued over this. Details below...
(Also, you can take action on this issue here.)
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Sun Oct 05, 2008 at 06:00:00 AM PDT
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Last year, the USDA decided that all raw almonds grown in the U.S. (which basically means all raw almonds) must be "pasteurized" before they are sold (with an exception for raw almonds sold directly farmer to consumer). Then they can be sold labeled as "raw" even though they have been treated by either steam or a carcinogenic gas.
Recently, a group of almond growers sued. The Cornucopia Institute has been following this issue since it arose, and they have filed a FOIA request seeking certain documents about almond pasteurization. From the Cornucopia Institute's press release on this:
Since the passage, in spring 2007, of the controversial rule mandating pasteurization of raw almonds grown in California, policy analysts at The Cornucopia Institute have made numerous requests for public information from the Almond Board of California (ABC). Repeatedly, the Almond Board has failed to turn over documents they allege prove the effectiveness of pasteurization and the comparative nutrition, quality, and safety of pasteurized almonds and raw untreated almonds.
"We have taken this step because we have been frustrated by the Almond Board and the USDA's unwillingness to share the science behind the rule, the science that purports to show that treatment with either a toxic fumigant or steam heat is safe and does not affect the almond's taste and nutritional qualities," said Will Fantle, research director for The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy group.
More below, and thanks to The Cornucopia Institute for sticking up for farmers and consumers everywhere!
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Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 09:29:10 AM PDT
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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.
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