Upset about Raw Almond Pasteurization? Some Information about Peaceful Protests and Religous Freedom

queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

Hi all!

Here is some information for those of you who live in California about some protest opportunities for the raw almond law which is just around the corner! This also contains some additional information about how this new ruling restricts religious freedom – something maybe not considered before.

I am not an Essene myself but I think it is important for freedoms to be protected.

Please read and forward to anyone else you think might be interested in this.

We should still keep trying to get an exception to this ruling!

Thanks for taking the time to get involved! Kimberly

STOP ALMOND PASTEURIZATION peaceful protest upcoming opportunities Below are some meeting dates and times of the Almond Board of California and its committees between now and September 1st.

The ruling by the Almond Board of California not only takes away rights of raw foodists, it takes away the religious freedom. Please help spread the word and do what you can to help reverse the ruling, which takes effect on September 1, 2007.

PLS SPREAD THE WORD TO ANYONE YOU KNOW IN CALIFORNIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Their meetings typically meet here:

Almond Board Conference Room (

Comments

  • Here’s what I don’t get though. The almond board is not an elected body. They are just a trade industry group. No different then orange growers, or fig growers, etc.. So how can they create a “law” that says all almonds have to be pasteurized.

    Also, the USDA is a federal agency. So I don’t think they can dictate to the citizens of California whether or not almonds must be pasteurized. They may be able to give approval to the almond board, but it’s sort of like the U.S. saying they approve of an action England has taken. It doesn’t carry any legal ramifications.

    Think of the patchwork quilt of rawmilk laws in this country. In California for example, raw milk is legal in l.a. county. While I’m sure the USDA would love to ban it, it’s a local and state matter.

    So if an organic grower decided to opt out of the almond board system I don’t see what they could do. (other then threats and harassment and generally making life uncomfortable for the grower.)

    I would guess though most almond growers are dependent on the almond board and it’s processing plants for distribution.

    Perhaps the organic farmers would have to build their own processing plants and distribution network. They also might be able to have them processed in another state.

    Let’s not give the almond board rights they don’t have. They are not dictators. As a private industry group, they have the right to pasteurize their own almonds. They do not have the right to require all almonds in the state of Califonia be pasteurized. That would require actual legislation at the state level.

  • Hi- This is a very important topic. It just sounds so crazy to me that this would be happening. I am so glad for the internet because I plan to order things off of it more in the future. All of this controversy also makes me want to get a farm with almond trees and other fruit and nut trees. I used to eat roasted peanuts and almonds but I got to a point a couple years ago where they were just too salty to eat. My boyfriend thought it was weird because I used to love them and put gobbs of salt on everything. I would buy raw peanuts and eat them and raw almonds. This is so weird to people who are used to the ones that are freeze dried and smoked- they can’t imagine how anyone can enjoy the raw ones that don’t have any flavor (to them).

    But once you get used to the raw ones and try to eat some of the processed ones it makes you really shocked to think that people are wolfing down all that salt and not even noticing- in fact thinking that that is more normal. On top of that it isn’t just the taste the vitamin e is taken out and the b vitamins are destroyed when they are heated and roasted like that. I also noticed that blue diamond has bought the almond milk that is being sold in super markets now. I used to drink the almond milk and thought it was great but now I don’t know if it’s me or that blue diamond has changed the recipe of the almond milk but it’s horrible. It tastes like pure sugar and fake vanilla- seriously I felt like I was shaking there was so much sugar or whatever else in there.

    But if these big companies keep buying things and messing them up I will be forced to move to a farm and live like an Amish or Mennonite. It’s hard to even know what is being bought at Whole Foods now and I asked an employee how the vegetables were made – the dehydrated ones and she said oh- they are so good- just a little oil etc. Then I got home and my boyfriend started eating them and said these are really good- I can’t stop eating them- they must be fried- and I’m sure they were. Total lies that lady was saying. I noticed that the pumpkin seeds were being brought in from china too- why? I am also worried about what comes from there as all those things are being contaminated like toothpaste, dog food, and even pirates booty the healthfood junkfood.

    Thanks for the information queenfluff. I’d like to know if anyone is able to go out there and try to do something. Bravo if you can!

  • Has anyone heard of the website http://www.almonds-from-california.com? On another raw board I heard they would be selling raw almonds even after September 1st.

  • jenny2052jenny2052 Raw Newbie

    Great site, elizabeth! Thank you!! I was really getting worried about whether there would be a source, so I’m relieved to know that there will be.

  • spiritedmamaspiritedmama Raw Newbie

    Thanks for that site elizabeth! I just purchased a bulk, 25 pound bag of raw almonds from my local New Frontiers health food store. I get a 10% discount if I order in bulk. I am glad that I will be able to get the raw almonds after Sept. once my 25 pounds runs out!

    I will be picking up the bag today, soaking the almonds, and then dehydrating and storing in the freezer. Lot’s of work to do this weekend!

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    There is a lot of new things happening with almond issue. Lots of people are getting actions together. There was a conference call today by The Cornucopia Institute for anyone interested in the almond pasteurization issue but I missed it. I am sure there will be others – I will post when I hear something. I am sure will be be hearing lots more on this issue.

    I received this from a friend of mine who is working on the issue also. Apparently this farm at the website below. will be having unpasteurized raw almonds legally after Sept 1 because of some old historically farm law (don’t know the details on that one).

    http://www.wholesale-almonds.com/

    Are Your Almonds Pasteurized? Recently there has been much confusion in the popular press regarding the requirement of “pasteurization” of Almonds. We are asked over and over if our Almonds are “pasteurized”. The answer is NO they are not now, and they WILL NOT BE after Sept of 2007 ! Under legal precedence that dates back over 100 years we have a historical right as a farmer (grower) to sell produce directly off our ranch to you. We will defend this right at any cost! We are not “handlers” and we do not fall under the definitions of the new order! We are not required to pasteurize our Almonds under the recent addition the Almond Marketing Order (see http://www.almondboard.com/files/Rule.pdf for the entire lawyer written text of this order). The reason is that we are not a “handler”, we are a “grower”. “Handlers” are wholesale dealers that purchase Almonds from “growers”. They make a middle-mans profit and stay in business by marking up these purchased Almonds and reselling them to Trader Joes and Costco and Flemming Foods and so forth. They are ruthless businessmen that jammed thru the Almond Board (the legal entity that controls the Federal marketing Order) this “pasteurization” scheme, and got it printed in the Federal Register, therefore giving it the force of law. Why did they do this? Very simple. They want to drive out fair and honest free enterprise competition from the small handlers, ranchers, and dealers who now interfere with their “grand plans”. They know that small operations can not afford the expensive equipment or the employee cost of the expensive staff necessary to keep up with the new Federal paperwork. Their ultimate goal is to consolidate all Almond distribution to one or two mega-handlers. Further, and most important to them, the long range goal is to essentially control the spot market cash price from the growers of Almonds and thereby steal the product at cost of productions levels from the many ranches (like ours) in California. Once they accomplish this level of control, they stand to extract usurious and unconscionable profits from the once honest business of growing and selling Almonds. They will buy with one hand at artificially reduced prices and sell out of the other hand at whatever the market will tolerate. This will force many honest and small growers into bankruptcy. For those of you that are interested in researching historical examples of this behavior by “mega-handlers” in the State Of California via Federal Marketing Orders, I encourage you to read accounts of the raisin industry in the last twenty-five years. The mechanism (excuse) that was used in that case was not “pasteurization” but “market stabilization via the free-tonnage scheme”. It was a disaster that ruined hundreds of small family owned farms in the State Of California.

  • Thanks queenfluff. I still wonder if an individual state couldn’t buck a federal marketing order.

    But in this case, it’s pretty much irrelevant since it appears all U.S. almonds are grown in the state of California.

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