A good friend of mine forwarded this to me, and I sent out over 50 emails right away to those I thought might be able to do something about it. Jinjee wrote back saying she would have her editor interview the almond board to see what's going on. I've heard back from some of the scientists on the almond board, who know nothing about this, it seems. :-/
I will no longer buy almonds if this is what happens, unless I can import them from reliable sources outside the US.
US will be pasteurizing *all* almonds and *still* be calling them raw !!!
Sat Mar 24, 2007 8:11 am (PST)
MANDATORY ALMOND PASTEURIZATION
All Almonds will be Pasteurized starting 2007!
No label allowing "truly raw almonds"
Almonds labeled as "Raw Almonds" will still have been pasteurized!
A big lie and fraud!! You are about to be denied your food freedom
choices!
Did you know that starting in the fall of 2007, truly raw almonds
will not be available in the USA or Canada? See link below for the
pasteurization plan.
http://www.almondboard.com/Programs/content.cfm
ItemNumber=890&snItemNumber=450
The FDA, USDA and the California Almond Board has developed a
marketing order which mandates that all almonds must be pasteurized.
This came about because " two outbreaks of salmonella, associated
with conventional farms several years ago". Industry has now
overreacted in grand fashion and they do not even know it yet.
No outbreaks have been associated with raw organic almonds to date
that we are aware of.
This has everything to do with lack of biodiversity and the sterile
farming methods used on conventional farms. On these farms few weeds
or grasses grow on the floors and little sunlight reaches the
floors. To the contrary, Organic farms support and encourage
biodiversity with green floors in the orchards and this discourages
pathogen growth. Unfortunately, organic almonds are shelled and
bagged on the same production facilities as conventional and are
being subjected to the same rules.
There is an even bigger issue. The FDA has decided not to tell the
consumer the truth about this processing step. The almonds you will
buy in Wholefoods this fall may still say "raw almonds but they will
have been subjected to high heat and a five log kill step...that they
are calling Pasteurization". This lie is being permitted by the
marketing order!!
The FDA in association with the USDA and the Almond Board is in fact
denying you the information required to make informed choices when
you buy food. You will not be able to identify a pasteurized almond
from a truly raw whole, enzyme rich, unprocessed almond.
The almond board claims that the almonds will still sprout ( still
some life in them ) and that the flavor does not change. But yet no
research has been performed to see what kind of opportunistic
bacteria will take over when the almond has been sterilized. It is
not a whole natural food anymore. It will now be a processed food.
Millions of dollars are being invested to install expensive
pasteurization machines in all Almond plants in order to follow this
"sterile foods are better foods edict".
Demand that your source of organic raw almonds be exempted from this
short sighted food safety debacle.
Demand that a label be permitted that identifies "truly raw almonds"
and if required even put a warning label on them. Also demand that
pasteurized almonds be identified as well. It seems that every time a
government warning is applied to a food, that in itself becomes a
certification that that is the food you should eat.
It is very clear that the FDA does not understand the origins of the
massive immune depression epidemic in America. A sterilized diet
makes for a weakened immune system. FDA website http://www.fda.gov/
fdac/features/795_antibio.html explains antibiotic resistance quite
well, but ignorantly and blindly never mentions pro-biotics which
prevent disease and infections. Whole unprocessed living foods are in
this category of foods.
Weakened immune systems are associated directly with cancer,
osteoporosis, asthma, allergies, Crohns, IBS, Colitis, GERD, chronic
disease ,infections, antibiotic use and resistance and human death,
Ulcers and the list goes on and on.
Raw almonds are a wonder food just as they are. Let consumers make
the informed choice and be responsible for the consequences.
The almond farmers do not even know what they have been led into by
the FDA. This consumer choice option will surely increase almond sales.
Denial of a choice will be a marketing disaster.
Freedom is lost gradually... bit by bit and bite by bite... with the
great assistance of passive unconscious in activism and sheepish.
You are conscious and aware of this path. Lets fight today and send a
message. We must have unprocessed food choices.
These are the people to contact....please fax, call or email them and
demand:
1. A true almond label that states clearly that " almonds have been
pasteurized"
2. A second consumer choice label that warns that the "almonds are
raw and unprocessed".
3. That you will not tolerate the pasteurization of your almonds and
having them still labeled as a "raw almond". That this is a fraud and
a lie.
4. Tell them that the proposed marketing order denies consumers of
freedom to identify and choose whole unprocessed foods.
Marketing Committee Members
Scott Hunter, Chairman
Hunter Farms
12237 Rose Avenue
Livingston, CA 95334
Work: (209) 564-9991
Fax: (209) 394-8007
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. <mailto:scotthunter%40nextel.blackberry.net>
Dan Cummings, Vice Chairman
Cummings-Violich, Inc.
1750 Dayton Road
Chico, CA 95928
Work: (530) 894-5494
Fax: (530) 891-4946
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. <mailto:dcummings%40cvinc.ws>
Stacey Humble, Associate Director, Global Marketing
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. <mailto:www.shumble%40almondboard.com>
John O'Shaughnessy
Blue Diamond Growers
1802 C Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Work: (916) 446-8576
Fax: (916) 446-8461
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. <mailto:joshaughnessy%40bdgrowers.com>
Susan Brauner
Blue Diamond Growers
1802 C Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Work: (916) 446-8354
Fax: (916) 325-2880
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. <mailto:sbrauner%40bdgrowers.com>
Board of Directors of the California Almond Board
Chairman David Phippen
13909 Leroy Ave.
Ripon, CA 95366 (209) 599-6111 (209) 599-4008 fax
Vice Chair Doug Youngdahl
Blue Diamond Growers P.O. Box 1768
Sacramento, CA 95812 (916) 446-8595 (916) 329-3320 fax
Member Susan Brauner
Blue Diamond Growers P.O. Box 1768
Sacramento, CA 95812 (916) 446-8354 (916) 325-2880 fax
Member Wil Hunter
Hunter Farms 1621 N. Lincoln
Livingston, CA 95334 (209) 277-5840 (209) 394-8007 fax
Member Christine Long
Hilltop Ranch, Inc. 13890 Looney Rd.
Ballico, CA 95303 (209) 874-1875 (209) 874-1877 fax
Member Mike Mason
Panoche Creek Packing 15810 Arabella Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93312 (661) 746-7877 (661) 746-7875 fax
Member Dean Nelson
Sierra Valley Almonds, LLC 12800 W. Shields Ave. Kerman, CA 93630
(559) 280-2148 (559) 843-9010 fax
Member Dan Cummings
Cummings-Violich, Inc. 1750 Dayton Road
Chico, CA 95928 (530) 894-5494 (530) 891-4946 fax
Member Rick Kindle
Gold Hills Nut Co., Inc. 11805 Newport Rd.
Ballico, CA 95303 (209) 634-2022 (209) 634-0407 fax
Member Doug Wells 16508 W. River Rd.
Livingston, CA 95334 (209) 394-7246