Mandatory almond pasteurization?

[Guest guest]

Have any of you heard about this? Disturbing.

 

From http://www.rawfoodsupport.com/read.php?2,38966

 

 

 

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/...ItemNumber=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: scotthunter

 

Dan Cummings, Vice Chairman

Cummings-Violich, Inc.

1750 Dayton Road

Chico, CA 95928

Work: (530) 894-5494

Fax: (530) 891-4946

E-mail: dcummings

 

Stacey Humble, Associate Director, Global Marketing

www.shumble@...

 

John O'Shaughnessy

Blue Diamond Growers

1802 C Street

Sacramento, CA 95814

Work: (916) 446-8576

Fax: (916) 446-8461

Email: joshaughnessy

 

Susan Brauner

Blue Diamond Growers

1802 C Street

Sacramento, CA 95814

Work: (916) 446-8354

Fax: (916) 325-2880

E-mail: sbrauner

 

 

 

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