Are raw almonds sold?

If you're looking for truly raw almonds, you should be specific about them not being pasteurized. It's not illegal to sell unpasteurized almonds directly to the consumer, so you can find some suppliers who will ship directly to you. A brand that sells truly raw and imported almonds is Terrasoul. There are probably others too.

If you know of any, please comment below. Almonds must be pasteurized before being sold; either that, or they must be chemically treated to ensure they are safe for consumption. Almost all almond growers prefer thermal pasteurization rather than chemical treatment. Both steam-treated and carbonated almonds can still germinate, so the FDA has ruled that they can be sold as “raw”.

A small proportion of almonds are pasteurized by oil roasting, dry roasting, or scalding in boiling water, but they are partially cooked and cannot be labeled as raw. Whole Foods, Sprouts, and other health food stores sell almonds that are truly raw. Those are the ones that are imported and are often much more expensive because they are not from California, which is where most of the world's supply of this particular nut comes from. The legal loophole to buy truly raw (unpasteurized) is through imported almonds, which, oddly enough, is legal to sell in their raw form in the U.S.

UU. In fact, you can find many brands of “raw almonds” in the grocery store, but they're just not raw. However, we have deviated from the topic a bit, because amygdalin content is NOT the reason that even the sweet variety of raw almonds is illegal in the United States. And over the past decade, pasteurizing almonds has become a common practice, but most consumers still don't know that the almond they eat has been pasteurized or how it occurs.

Many people are confused by what raw almonds really are, and this is completely and completely understandable. The process of fumigating raw almonds and other nuts involves placing them in a gas chamber, which is then injected with propylene oxide (PPO). In the world of almond growers and manufacturers of almond products, the word “raw” means something subtly different from what it usually does elsewhere. And there are problems with the two most common methods of pasteurization if a consumer is looking for a truly raw almond.

In fact, companies looking to buy real raw almonds in bulk end up importing them from Europe, where regulation doesn't exist. All California almonds, which would be virtually all almonds in the country, are heat pasteurized or treated with a fumigant. Steam pasteurization, for example, is a process by which almonds are jetted with heat, as the name suggests, from steam to kill any potentially harmful bacteria, but a steamed pasteurized almond has basically been cooked at 165°F and therefore cannot be truly raw, even if the nut is never cooked toast. before it grieves you.

To get your hands on raw almonds in the United States that have not been pasteurized by either steam or PPO, you must import them. The case-control study identified raw whole almonds as the source of infection (odds ratio, 21.1; 95% confidence interval, 3.6 to infinity). Fortunately, Marcona almonds, with their rounder shape, smoother texture, and sweeter flavor, closer to marzipan than a conventional American almond, are becoming increasingly popular in the United States, and as Americans learn about pasteurizing almonds, demand for these unpasteurized almonds. and the desire to know what exactly is happening with raw almonds on their way to the market.

Despite that, there is still a myth that raw almonds and apricot kernels can treat or cure cancer. .

Estelle Shawcroft
Estelle Shawcroft

Evil communicator. Avid pop culture advocate. Devoted analyst. Infuriatingly humble music buff. Award-winning introvert. Passionate twitter aficionado.