EATING RAW NUT PRODUCTS

I recently made the following comment in reply to a subscriber who got sick from eating raw cashews. I feel that this information is important for anyone who believes in eating raw. Our government does not have the money or human resources to ensure the safety of the imported nut products we consume. Unfortunatly this responsibilty is in the hands of a small minority of businessmen who do not have safety and responsible sourcing as a primary concern. Many Imported nut products go through a water bath process as part of the shelling procedure. In many cases the water used overseas in the processing is non potable and highly concentrated with harmful bacteria which is transferred to the product.

Here is my comment:

I recently came across your comment on line and was very concerned about the fact that many people are eating raw nut products, especially imported varieties. At this time there is no regulation that requires overseas processing facilities to subscribe to good manufacturing practices. I have been in the imported nut and agricultural commodities business for 20 years and was shocked when I saw the conditions under which many of these produts were processed. I have been crusading for responsible sourcing for over 13 years with little response from the industry. Check out my website www.cashewconcern.com, click on the facilities section and scroll to the bottom of the page to see some of the facilities in India in which cashews are processed. I publish a blog called the responsible source. http://theresponsiblesource.blogspot.com This is not just cashews, many overseas nut and agri products are processed in substandard conditions. Unfortuanely most of these products are commodity driven therfore the importing is under the control of commodity traders who hold littie regard to the types of facilities they procure product from. The ultimate goal is to get the lowest price. Its not surprising that people are getting sick consumig these nuts in their raw form.

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