CONFUSING ANSWER FROM ALMONDS-FROM-CALIFORNIA... help, anyone?

[kaybee]

Hi all--

I disappointingly got a very confusing answer from almonds-from-california when i emailed them regarding pasteurization practices. Previously I had received an email from them regarding their new, govt approved process, which satisfies govt requirements, but leaves the almond intact. i think this was posted on our board here too. .... thing is,on their website, ONLY the organic almonds say "sproutable" and both the organic and the conventional say "raw nuts not roasted" but we all know that doesnt necessarily mean the same thing as "raw". i cant afford the organic ones, but it is now unclear from their website whether both types of almonds are pasteurized using the "raw foods acceptable" method. I say this based on their response to me below, where they refer me to the pasteurization page, but dont specifically answer my questions.. I wrote to them and asked them why ONLY the organic ones said sproutable, and SPECIFICALLY asked them whether the organic AND the conventional almonds were treated using the SAME method that is discussed on their pasteurization page, or if only the organic ones where treated using this method to keep the almonds intact and the conventional ones treated differently..its really puzzling to me why they would say sproutable for the organic and nothing for the conventional. ANYONE HAVE ANY OTHER INFO/CLARIFICATION? i emailed them back and they referred me to their pasteurization page, without answering my specific question about whether the organic and conventional were treated using different methods. I have found them to be a good company with quality product in the past and i was pleased enough with their new "pasteurization" method; it seemed the next best thing to getting entirely untreated almonds. i also like that they offered conventional that still seemed fairly toxin-free according to their website, as i cannot afford organic. below im attaching my questions and responses to/from them. i hope someone else has more info or can clarify becasue i'd really like to order from them but they have been very ambiguous regarding how their conventional almonds are treated and/or if they are treated differently than their new "state of the art" method--i.e. if that method is only for organic. i dont want almonds if they have been heat or even worse--chemically--treated. help anyone?

i am posting the text for the emails not because i want to say anything negative about this company but because i want to know if anyone else on this board can clarify..i just dont feel like i got a clear answer from them and my last email didnt receive a response...


here is the text from the emails:

Hi--]

I have a question about your almonds... I have purchased from you in the past and was happy with the quality of the product.
I know about the almond pasteurization laws and I read the pasteurization info on your website, however i noticed that ONLY the organic almonds say "sproutable" in the descriptions.

Are the non-organic almonds treated in the same way as the organic ones (i.e. with your state of the art pasteurization technology that leaves the almonds enzyme intact and sproutabel), or are only the organic ones sproutable and the non-organic ones been treated with some other pasteurization method?

thanks very much

Hello

I will send you our link about pasteurization. Since have been told by customers that our non pareils are sproutable, but we not put this on the website for we don't guarantee that , nor have we actually took a test. We get our organics from our neighboring organic rancher and they are over 90% sproutable. This the best we can answer your question.


Happy Holidays
D& S Ranches

Hi--sorry, could you just clarify for me if ALL your almonds are pasteurized using the SAME method that is described in the pasteurization link (i.e. the injecting stuff into a chamber and then sucking the air out etc so as to leave the almond intact), or is it only the organic almonds that you use this method for ? i.e. how are your non-organic almonds pasteurized. sorry, just trying to get clarification; its unclear from your website and I just want to know if the non-organics are treated differently i.e. pasteurized using a steam/hot water method other than the one described on your pasteurization page and/or pasteurized with chemicals.

Thanks very very much



thanks all

kaybee

[RawKnitster]

:eek: YIKES! That is confusing. I'd love to buy California almonds, but until they get it, I'm only buying Italian or Spanish almonds, that are labeled RAW, ORGANIC, NOT PASTEURIZED.

[kaybee]

yeah rawknitster--but it TOTALLY stinks because you can get 10 lbs from them for 60 bucks !!! total budget almonds, pretty much direct from farmers. yeah i wish they could just give me a straight answer. :(

[Veganforlife]

That's exactly what "they" want. To confuse the public.
I am using up my supply of almonds and then probably will only in rare instances use them and hopefully get them from a reliable source. www.rawfromthefarm.com usually has them; so does www.nutsonline.com

I e-mailed nuts on line and they said ALL California almonds are pasteurized.

[Eva]

LOL -- I guess you're trying to get them while you're in the States to schlep back over the Ireland? haha -- great -- I don't know what to say. I think this is a case where you get what you pay for in some respects. I want to support farmers, but -- if they're not raw, they're not raw. And I personally appreciate real answers to real questions. I don't like beating around the bush.

That's just me.

And -- my mom has had their almonds in the last couple months, says they're great. But still, I'm over here hand shelling my almonds to make sure they're raw. LOL. Whatever. It works, but I sure don't eat as many almonds!

[kaybee]

hey vfl--

i know all california almonds are pasteurized, but this is what they claim about their pasteurization. :

Are Your Almonds Pasteurized? [Back to Top]

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 to this is very complex, and we will be updating information about Un Pasteurized Almonds on a weekly basis. If you want to purchase Un Pasteurized Almonds, go here http://www.dansranch.com/ or if you want to read and stay current on the legal issues surrounding this topic, then please click here http://www.dansranch.com/unpasteurized.htm

Important News About Our Shippable 2008 Almond Crop !

D&S Ranches, an Orchard Grower in the San Joaquin Valley of California, has an Important Announcement to make regarding Pasteurization of our Naturally Grown California Almonds! After the Almond Board Rule went into effect we began to extensively research the Best, most Non-Intrusive methods available to reduce bacteria on the skin of the nut without affecting the nut meat itself.

The Good News:

The Good news is that we have found a process that does just that ! This method was developed for the Spices Food Group where any alteration or destruction of the interior of the nut or spice kernel would destroy the delicate value of the item. As it turns out we were able to get this technology approved for application on our Selma California Grown Nut Crop!

*

How It Works:

*

The process is very expensive and requires the latest in production technology. It is centered on Water Based Botanical Principles. We call this process H20-UN-Pasteurization. The almonds are held in a chamber that draws down the air to a vacuum, so all the air born bacteria and pathogens are removed from the chamber, then a computer controlled mist of sterile distilled water dry stream is injected in to the chamber. This steam is computer controlled and balanced against the known weight of each nut. As the small amount of Steam condenses on the skin of the nut it transfers only minimal heat energy just to the surface it contacts! The nut meat is never heated internally!
*

After the dry steam injection, a 4 to 6 second process, the chamber is then evacuated again causing the condensed purified water to evaporate from the skin of the nut. Next the chamber is brought back to normal conditions with HEPA Filtered Air.
*

This process preserves the internal natural balance of enzymes, amino acids, proteins, and most importantly it preserves the natural living nature of the nut! You can sprout these Almonds !
*

We are sure you will be very satisified with this process, and as far as we know we are the only Ranch Direct Almond Grower in the San Joaquian Valley of California that is using this expensive, and time consuming process, so that we may bring you the very finest in US Graded Fancy #1 California Almonds !

Please beware of other processes:

We are concerned that there are a good number of other processes out there that are very inferior and some are outright dangerous! The most common is simple autoclave sterilization and this is, essentially, just cooking the nut. After and autoclave process, the nut is no longer living, it is dead, and all the valuable nutrients of the nut have been cooked and destroyed. Unfortunately the Almond Board, under presser from the Big Almonds Handlers, Processors and Growers are calling and labeling, in the stores, these nuts as RAW ! They ARE NOT RAW! They are COOKED !

Other processes are using PPO (Propylene Oxide Gas). You should never, every under any circumstances eat nuts exposed to PPO Gas. PPO is a known carcinogen (causes cancer). It is toxic and poisonous!.. The European Union (EU) has prohibited the use of PPO Gas on any Human Food Product. The USDA and the FDA still allow it. Inquire with your store if their nuts have been exposed to PPO ! Make sure you know! This is serious business.

Use Your BACK Button to return to the Site from which you came! Thanks ! -OR-
If you would like to contribute to the Legal Fund to defend and win back you right to buy shippable un pasteurized Almonds then: CLICK HERE

How should I store Almonds I buy from you? [Back to Top]

Before they are sent to you the Almonds are held in industry standard cold storage at 32-40F. We recommend you store them the same way. When you receive them it is best to store Almonds (opened or unopened ) in the frig. Between 32-40 F. We do not recommend that you hard freeze them in Zero or Sub-Zero Freezers.

We vacuum pack our Almonds in Oxygen barrier bags before shipment. Next to heat, oxygen is the number two enemy of quality nuts. The Opened packages that you store in the Frig are best if placed in a sealing air tight jar, like a mason jar, to keep them away from other food odors, which they will slowly absorb. If you have a home vacuum sealer machine that would be ideal. Oxygen is a factor in the oils going rancid.


The nuts you have are from the current crop year and, if in cold storage, will store until Sept of the following year, at which time we will have a fresh crop available for you. Almond Industry standard is Two years maximum under cold storage, but we cut that in half just to be safe.



I hate getting almonds that are sourced from out of the country because it seems ridiculous to have to buy food with more air-miles just because the government is being difficult like this with their insane requirements... also, ive been living in ireland and the almonds we get over there sourced from europe are yuk. maybe i should try nuts online or something, but like eva suspected, i am trying to stock up while im here in the states to take back, and the almonds from california ones were so good before when i got them...

ARGH

[Veganforlife]

ARGH is right! Why mess with them at all? I don't get it. Well, I DO get it. It's all about control, but it's not right!

[kaybee]

hmm. i guess becasue i liked their almonds before, they werent pasteurized before even when others were becasue there was still the loophole that you could buy direct from the farmer online, AND theyre affordable. but argh. vague answers anyone? i could be playing off of something thats not a big deal; maybe they are trying to be clear, but its just not clear to me. im messing with them because i want their almonds...but not if theyve had "whatever" done to them. so insane we cant jsut get fresh, unmessed with food..that its actually "illegal" to do so. gggrrr.

[GlimR]

They are ambiguous because they have the "almond-police" breathing down their necks. I bought them recently, they all sprouted. They are vague because they are trying to be put out of business by those who want the "market" for themselves...nothing new for small time farmers. I will personally keep supporting them.http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=45762&highlight=almond+sprouts&page=2

[kaybee]

thanks glimr--u bought the non-organic ones?
im not trying to be negative towards them but i just felt like i got a tricky answer. i understand what youre saying though. but if their process is govt approved then i dont know why they seemed to give an ambiguous answer. but thanks for telling me your experience. i was just worried about getting something chemical treated or something, thats all.

kaybee

[RawKnitster]

Hazelnuts from Oregon are still raw! And delicious.

[rawviveyourself]

Here was the sign at my co-op in the bulk section this week:

"Raw almonds are gone! These are pasteurized but WILL sprout!"

I'll probably just use other raw nuts, but it is confusing, to say the least.

[GlimR]

kaybee...
they are not processed with chemicals and yes I bought the non-organic ones. I can't afford the organic ones either. If they sprout doesn't that mean they still contain life force? I am personally not such a purest that I won't use these. I love almond milk and think there is still great nutritional value in consuming these almonds. To each his own.

[kaybee]

yeah, glimmer, thanks for that. i think i will go ahead and get them anyway. yes, sprouting to me seems to indicate that the life-force is still intact. i cant afford the organic ones that seem to be less-iffy based on the info on their website, so my only other option is conventional ones and all conventional ones unless they are from outside of the states are going to be pasteurized. so yeah, i think this is the next best to totally untouched ones.... do you/you all think i should edit/delete this post then? is the post going to give them bad publicity that i should be more careful about??

kaybee

[GlimR]

kaybee,
I'd leave it as is...everyone has to make up their own mind. Wishing you the best~:)

[TaupeRawMan]

Not all almonds in California are pasteurized.....

[sophiaxsophia]

Hi,

Does anyone know if it is possible to purchase truly "raw" almonds?

If so, any leads at to where? Thanks in advance for the help.

Best,

Sophia