Raw Almonds: All Fueled Up!

In follow-up to Carla’s article Pasteurized Almonds: Not Raw but Raw-ng, A law was passed on March 30, 2007 that as of September 1, 2007 truly raw almonds will no longer be available in the US or Canada because the USDA, FDA and the California Almond Board has released a marketing order that all almonds be pasteurized.

The decision to mandate pasteurization stems from two outbreaks of salmonella associated with conventional farms occurring several years ago (2001 and 2004). According to the Almond Board of California, the methods of pasteurization used involve either high heat steam processing or a chemical spray of propylene oxide. The high-heat steam temperature will rise to 158 degrees. Raw foodists insist  enzymes are destroyed at cooking temperatures over 118 degrees. Propylene oxide as defined by Wikipedia “is a highly flammable chemical once used as racing fuel, now banned by both the National Hot Rod Association and the American Motorcycle Association.” So, the propylene oxide is not good to breathe, yet we can ingest it? This is not all. The FDA has chosen not to explicitly disclose the pasteurization to the public. Whether you buy your nuts at Whole Foods or your local farmer’s market, they will be pasteurized yet labeled as RAW.

What are the options for us Local Foragers? We can stop eating almonds entirely. This means no more crispy almonds for me. Not a good choice as I tend to make a batch of crispy nuts at least twice a month. (To make simple Crispy Almonds, follow Carla's Spicy Candied Pecans recipe but substitute almonds for pecans and forget the maple and cayenne.)  In addition, almonds are such a great source of mono and poly unsaturated fats. Why give them up. We can buy organic, which should not be revved up with moto-cross fuel, but will be steam heated. The steam process method meets the USDA organic program standards, according to the Organic Consumers Association. For those of you that need assurance your almonds are just as nature intended, grow your own. If you have a backyard, why not plant an almond tree? The trees take two to three years to bear a harvest, but they can provide up to 50 pounds of almonds per year each.

7/8/07 Postscript Note from Carla:
According to The Final Rule for the Mandatory Pasteurization of California Almonds published in the Federal Register as of March 30, 2007, there is an exemption for "roadside stands". This may include <100 lb. purchases from farmers markets. Read Carla's post, Raw Almonds from "Roadside Stands", for more information.

and...

Cornucopia Institute Fact Sheet - Mandatory Sterilization of Raw Almonds
CI is one of my favorite advocacy organizations. They are asking that the USDA reopen the comment period which was closed without a single comment from a concerned consumer, retailer, or public interest group.

and...

If things get really tight with the state, we can set up a "tree share" to get our fix of truly raw almonds.

Comments

[Michael Breckenridge]

A follow-up to this issue was published today:
http://www.michaelbreckenridge.com/2007/08/usda-plan-to-pasteurize-raw-almonds-alarms-consumers/