Raw and Organic Almonds Lawsuit Scores Its First Major Victory

August 10, 2010

almonds-vitamin-e-lgA group of almond growers has been fighting for three years to keep their almonds from being adulterated against their will. Now their plea will
finally be heard in federal court.

From 2001 to 2004, there was a string of salmonella outbreaks in California that were linked to almonds. In response, the Almond Board of California made a
deal with the US Department of Agriculture.

Effective September 2007, the USDA ordered all almond growers to “sterilize” almonds in one of several ways: heat them using steam, irradiate them
using a controversial ionization process, roast or blanch them, or treat
them with propylene oxide (PPO).

PPO is a known carcinogen, and most countries, including the EU, have banned imported nuts treated with PPO. The chemical is so nasty that it’s even been
banned by both the National Hot Rod and American Motorcycle Racing
Associations, where it had been used as a fuel additive before it was
deemed too dangerous.

The new rule created deceptive labeling. Almonds that have undergone chemical treatments or heating for pasteurization are still labeled “raw.”
Consumers who purchase “raw” almonds may well think that those almonds
are natural and unprocessed. Moreover, there will be no label
requirement to specify what kind of pasteurization treatment was used
among the many approved methods or combination of options.

In March of 2007, we instituted an Action Alert and joined with the Organic Consumers Association, the Cornucopia Institute, and other groups to
seek changes to the regulations.

Before the regulations went into effect, an exemption was given for small-scale growers, who were allowed to sell truly raw almonds, but only direct to the public from farm stands. It was still
illegal for them to say that theirs were untreated, thus denying them
the right to tell the truth and also any competitive advantage from
doing so.

Since the new requirement took effect, a group of raw and organic almond farmers continued the fight. Last Tuesday, a federal appeals court ruled that their challenge can proceed. “At long last the farmers who have been injured by this rule will have the opportunity to stand in court
and state why this poorly thought out regulation should be thrown out,”
said Will Fantle, research director at the Cornucopia Institute, a
Wisconsin-based sustainable agriculture advocacy group coordinating the
legal strategy for the farmers’ lawsuit.

One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, almond farmer Nick Koretoff, said, “I am very happy with this first step in overturning this destructive
regulation….My consumers want raw, untreated, healthy almonds, and I
have been denied the opportunity to sell them what they want.”

An attorney representing the farmers in the current lawsuit said, “We are pleased that the Appeals Court rejected USDA’s argument that courthouse doors are closed to farmers. We now intend to
demonstrate to the federal district court that USDA acted outside of
authority granted by Congress when it denied California almond growers a
consumer market for raw almonds.”

This is not the first time ANH-USA has battled over nuts. In April we issued an Action Alert over FDA’s censorship of the scientific evidence supporting health claim.... The FDA had sent a Warning Letter to a nut processor and distributor because the company dared to list some of the health benefits of walnuts
on its website. The FDA said that the walnuts were being “promoted [as]
drugs because these products are intended for use in the prevention,
mitigation, and treatment of disease.” In other words, if you say that a
food is healthy and may help protect against heart disease, or ease
arthritis or inflammation, your words have magically changed that food
into a drug, and that’s illegal!

The Free Speech About Science Act (HR 4913), which we strongly support to put a stop to FDA censorship ( and ultimately USDA censorship as well) is currently in committee.

http://www.anh-usa.org/raw-and-organic-almonds-lawsuit-scores-its-f...


Views: 112

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

Comment by Charles Magus on August 11, 2010 at 4:13am
You have a very good point Ironside!
Comment by Nikki on August 10, 2010 at 7:56pm
I think there's a strong possibility, Ironsides!
Comment by Ironsides on August 10, 2010 at 7:45pm
Who knows?--Maybe some or many of the reported cases of salmonella, ecoli, etc. in food over the years, was deliberately done to justify government controls!
Comment by Ironsides on August 10, 2010 at 7:43pm
"It was still illegal for them to say that theirs were untreated, thus denying them
the right to tell the truth and also any competitive advantage from doing so."

Isn't that their biggest fear?--The government knows people don't want their almonds and other nuts and seeds chemicalized to death, because their controlled market would go down the drain. The profits for raw foods would go sky-high!

It really demonstrates how anti-choice these Monsanto driven government mob-bosses are. If Patriot judges can preside over more cases like this, Monsanto and Global-Pharma will die!
Comment by Charles Magus on August 10, 2010 at 5:10pm
Thanks for the post Nikki! I would much prefer raw Almonds that the other nasty options! Irradiated food is just unacceptable!!!

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Doc Vega posted a blog post
20 hours ago
pohonemas33 team commented on tjdavis's photo
Thumbnail

DejaVu

"nice very goodjob, i wish you can visit official situs pohonemas33"
yesterday
Sandy posted a photo
yesterday
Doc Vega posted a blog post
yesterday
Saint Quinn favorited Burbia's video
Friday
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Thursday
Burbia commented on tjdavis's blog post The Jewish Couple That Taught Bob Dylan Hebrew and Introduced Him to Zionism
"Haaretz put this story behind a pay wall. Sali Ariel and Terry Noble were the names of the couple…"
Wednesday
William Heckman is now a member of 12160 Social Network
Wednesday
cheeki kea commented on tjdavis's photo
Wednesday
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's video
Thumbnail

This Woman DESTROYED Harley-Davidson's Future Forever

"It's a sad day on the highway. But I guess the show must go on. Watch out for the ruination of…"
Wednesday
cheeki kea posted a video

This Woman DESTROYED Harley-Davidson's Future Forever

This Woman DESTROYED Harley-Davidson's Future ForeverWelcome to Ride Radar – Your Frontline Source for Motorcycle Deals, Trends & Market Mayhem.Looking for t...
Wednesday
tjdavis posted a photo
Wednesday
Burbia posted a status
"Who knew releasing the MLK files and literally deflecting, it ends up implicating himself with the Epstein Files."
Tuesday
Burbia posted a video

Dan Bilzerian DEMOLISHES MAGA Nutjob Patrick Bet-David on His Own Show

Watch as two powerhouse personalities collide in this no-holds-barred debate on one of the world’s most contentious issues. Patrick Bet-David, known for his ...
Jul 21
Doc Vega's 7 blog posts were featured
Jul 20
tjdavis's 2 blog posts were featured
Jul 20
Less Prone favorited tjdavis's blog post Track AIPAC
Jul 20
FREEDOMROX's blog post was featured

MRNA VACCINES: Question

Hello my fellow sojourners,I know it has been five years since the Plandemic, but one question has…See More
Jul 20
Less Prone favorited FREEDOMROX's blog post MRNA VACCINES: Question
Jul 20
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's photo
Jul 19

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted