Pasteurized Mandate Hurts Domestic Almond Growing Business

[Guest guest]

Pasteurized Mandate

Hurts Domestic Almond Growing Business

 

by Ethan Huff, citizen journalist

 

See all articles by this

author

 

Email

this author

 

 

 

 

 

(NaturalNews) On September 1, 2007, the United Stated Department of Agriculture

(USDA) in conjunction with the Almond Board of California (ABC) mandated that

all California almonds, even those labeled and sold as raw on store shelves,

must be pasteurized prior to being sold to consumers in North America.

Following this mandate, a groundswell of opposition has ensued from concerned

citizens over the elimination of truly raw almonds from the marketplace. This

includes an outcry from besieged domestic almond growers who have witnessed the

rapid disintegration of their raw almond markets in favor of untreated,

unpasteurized imports.

 

 

 

In response to two alleged almond salmonella outbreaks in 2001 and 2004, ABC

pushed to mandate fumigation or high-heat steam treatment for all almonds,

including those

that would be sold as raw, despite an absolute abyss of scientific

justification and rational investigation into the cause of the outbreaks.

Almond growers, particularly organic ones, have experienced tremendous

financial burdens both in meeting requirements and in coping with a dwindling

market for their forcefully mislabeled product which has caused most people

seeking raw almonds

to purchase from international growers whose products are truly raw and can

legally be sold that way in stores.

 

 

 

Besides the fact that USDA

and ABC have legislated the untruthful labeling of pasteurized almonds as raw,

their approved methods of pasteurization

complicate matters even further. Among steam processing, roasting, and

blanching there is fumigation treatment with toxic propylene oxide (PPO), a

known carcinogen that

is highly flammable and hazardous to health. In fact, propylene

oxide food treatment is

banned in many countries including Canada, Mexico, and the entire European

Union because it is recognized internationally as carcinogenic to humans. Even

the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified propylene oxide as a

carcinogen responsible for neurological, gastrointestinal, immune system,

respiratory, and liver disease, to name just a few.

 

 

 

While failing to investigate and address the root causes of food contamination,

the regulatory bureaucracies have once again attacked the food rather than the

food contaminator and, in this case, are recommending a treatment option that

actually poisons food in the name of making it safer.

 

 

 

The Cornucopia Institute (CI), an advocate of sustainable and organic

agriculture, has been

leading the fight in repealing the nonsense almond pasteurization mandate. On

September 9, 2008, 18 almond growers filed a federal lawsuit contesting the

USDA final rule concerning almonds. Though the suit was dismissed in May of

2009 on technical grounds, new motions have been filed requesting a

reconsideration by the judge due to technical errors on her part in assessing

the case.

 

 

 

Though the judge had initially dismissed the case claiming that almond farmers

have " no

right " to have their substantive concerns heard in court, John Vetne, the

attorney working on the almond appeal, successfully secured a ruling on a

similar case in July that farmers indeed do have the right to contest market

order

regulations in federal court. In other words, based on precedent the almond

growers' lawsuit is valid and there is a good possibility that the ruling can

eventually be overturned.

 

 

 

Those concerned about protecting raw food from mandatory

pasteurization, irradiation, or any other sort of manipulation should be very

concerned with supporting organizations like the Cornucopia Institute that work

to defend the free trade

of unadulterated, natural, and organic food. Domestic almond growers continue

to suffer a great loss due to unsubstantiated mandates on their products that

are quelling both business and livelihood.

 

 

 

Wholesome, raw food is a valuable commodity that should not be taken for

granted. The farmers and growers that provide us with it are in grave danger of

going under due to excessive burdens, regulations, and mandates that punish

them rather than the true culprits of food contamination. Like almonds, many

other goods are threatened with extinction in their natural, unadulterated

forms. Please consider supporting the advocacy groups that work to protect the

free trade of clean, raw food.

 

 

 

Sources:

 

 

 

Almond Fact

Sheet - Mandatory Sterilization of Raw Almonds

 

 

 

The Authentic Almond Project -

Cornucopia Institute

 

 

 

Almond

Pasteurization - Almond Board of California

 

 

 

Almond

Pasteurization Lawsuit - Cornucopia Institute

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the author

 

Ethan Huff is a freelance writer and health enthusiast who

loves exploring the vast world of natural foods and health, digging deep to get

to the truth. He runs an online health publication of his own at

http://wholesomeherald.blogspot.com.