Raw Nuts and Seeds?

[daydreambeliever]

I went to the grocery store to get some raw nuts and found that they don't have as many raw nuts as they used to. All I could find were raw pecans but I was looking for cashews. Should I just assume that all nuts have been heated unless they specifically say raw? Because there were some "roasted" nuts and then just the nuts but it didn't say raw. But on other packages (the pecans) it said raw pecans and there were also roasted pecans but not just pecans.

I'm confused. :)

What about seeds? Are they labeled similarly to nuts? I have some golden flax seeds. Are they raw or does it have to say raw for them to be raw?

[Shels]

None are raw unless labeled as such (and even then, a lot are pasteurized).

[SevenKindsOfCookie]

There are no raw certifications. You can legally put a raw label on a pack of twinkies. :)

It seems like nut producers in the US often use the term raw for nuts that are simply not roasted and salted. But a lot of times they are still heat treated. For example, cashew nuts are usually steamed to get rid of the toxins in the shell. Some nuts, like brazil nuts are usually boiled in oil to make shelling them easier.
Seeds are usually raw if they aren't roasted. You can try germinating some seeds, like sunflower, pumpkin and almonds, to tell if they are raw.