In light of the last post, I decided to research the "King of Nuts" a bit more. Currently, there appears to be much controversy in the world of nuts. Due to some non-organic almond growers fertilizing with fresh manure and then allowing their nuts to sit on a truck in the heat for days under a plastic covering, some consumers have contracted Salmonella. Although it seems obvious to stop the practice of fresh manure and use composted manure instead, the industry pushed for the use of propylene oxide on the almonds after they are picked. This toxic chemical is classified as a carcinogen and has been used as an explosive and a racing fuel, and now the FDA has approved it for pasteurizing raw almonds. A press release from the Living Tree Community provides detailed information regarding this unacceptable situation.
An article by the San Francisco Chronicle details the chronological timeline of this decision to sterilize almonds in order to avoid future Salmonella outbreaks. Even though the organic almonds are not to blame for the two outbreaks in 150 years, they also must be submitted to high heat in order to kill any bacteria. For raw foodists this is a problem and threatens the existence of raw almonds. For additional information, the Living Tree Community has posted numerous articles relating to this issue and the possible extinction of raw organic almonds.
One thing is for sure, buying organic will still save you from unnecessary chemicals, but it may not protect your raw food choices.
Here's to your health!
ClearSkies
No comments:
Post a Comment