Page 75 - Winter2008

CORNUCOPIA INSTITUTE FILES ACTION SEEKING ALMOND PASTEURIZATION DOCUMENTS
Farm Policy Group Says Almond Board Withholding Key Research

Cornucopia, WI – The Cornucopia Institute has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the United States
Department of Agriculture and the Almond Board of California seeking public documents justifying the merits of the
almond pasteurization rule and the science supporting it.
Since the passage, in spring 2007, of the controversial rule mandating pasteurization of raw almonds grown in
California, policy analysts at The Cornucopia Institute have made numerous requests for public information from the
Almond Board of California (ABC). Repeatedly, the Almond Board has failed to turn over documents they allege prove
the effectiveness of pasteurization and the comparative nutrition, quality, and safety of pasteurized almonds and raw
untreated almonds. Some in the industry, family-scale growers, organic farmers and handlers, retailers and consumers
have vigorously protested the USDA-imposed pasteurization mandate of raw almonds and questioned whether it is
based on sound research.
“We have taken this step because we have been frustrated by the Almond Board and the USDA’s unwillingness to
share the science behind the rule, the science that purports to show that treatment with either a toxic fumigant or steam
heat is safe and does not affect the almond’s taste and nutritional qualities,” said Will Fantle, research director for The
Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy group.
The Almond Board claims that the EPA, the FDA, and the ABC’s own “Technical Expert Review Panel” have un-
dertaken “extensive research” to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of propylene oxide (PPO), the toxic chemical
approved for use with almond pasteurization. Furthermore, they claim that these tests have demonstrated that PPO
effectively kills Salmonella and other harmful bacteria, and that almonds treated with PPO are safe for consumption.
However, they have refused to reveal the results of these or any other tests, including the results of a $1 million study
commissioned by the ABC to assess quality degradation.
“If they have completed these studies, why won’t they share this research?” asks Eli Penberthy, a policy analyst with
Cornucopia. She notes that she has made multiple requests to the Almond Board asking for a number of their studies
and research documents.
One explanation may be that the studies are incomplete or unfinished. Cornucopia has learned that at least some
of the studies were still being conducted nearly a year after the raw almond treatment mandate was implemented on
September 1, 2007. Additional research results assessing the shelf life, oil stability, flavor, texture, and appearance of
treated almonds are also supposed to be available.
“We find it very troubling that the proponents of the almond treatment rule, who portray this as a food safety
measure, still cannot produce the science and studies upon which the rule is supposedly based,” said Penberthy. “The
lack of data proves that the rule was passed prematurely and without sufficient review.”
The Cornucopia Institute helped fifteen California almond farmers and raw almond wholesale handlers file a lawsuit
on September 9 challenging the pasteurization rule. The lawsuit contends that the USDA lacked regulatory authority
and acted illegally in implementing the almond pasteurization rule. Three more growers have signed on since then.
A Washington, DC, federal court will be ruling on the lawsuit, perhaps later this year. If successful, the raw almond
treatment mandate would be overturned.
“Many family-scale farmers producing almonds and fresh fruits and vegetables are now having their livelihoods put at
risk by a number of onerous ‘technological fixes’ that corporate agribusiness is looking to for solving food contamination
problems,” added Cornucopia’s Fantle. “These draconian regulations might very well push out of business the highest-
quality and safest farm operations in the nation and, in doing so, will shut out growing legions of consumers who are
seeking out a higher quality and more nutritious food supply.”
More information on the federal lawsuit and the almond pasteurization controversy can be found on the Almond
Project at Cornucopia’s web page, www.cornucopia.org. The Cornucopia Institute is dedicated to the fight for economic
justice for the family-scale farming community. Through research, advocacy, and economic development, our goal is to
empower farmers both politically and through marketplace initiatives.

MORE: Propylene oxide is so toxic that it is not even registered for use as a food processing agent in many parts of the
world, including most of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Canada. The Environmental Protection Agency recognizes it as a car-
cinogen and cause of disease, and as a suspected toxicant of the liver and the gastrointestinal, immune, developmental,
and respiratory systems.
Almonds imported into the U.S. are exempt from the pasteurization rule. This exemption has caused severe eco-
nomic hardship for many domestic family farmers and organic almond producers.

WINTER 2008 Wise Traditions 75