This is an urgent message needing your immediate attention by April 30.

For me, sprouted raw almonds are a major part of my diet, so this is alarming.

The Almond Board of California has recently passed a regulation that will require ALL almonds produced in the state of California (which is effectively all almonds available in the US and Canada) to be PASTEURIZED.

This is because there were two salmonella outbreaks traced to almonds in 2001 and 2004, and they had to come up with an "action plan."

Incredibly, they will allow pasteurized almonds to be labeled as raw, which is a lie, and should be considered fraudulent. And: 'pasteurizing' can include fumigating almonds with propylene oxide, which the epa says causes cancer, and really shocking: "Its use in treating food for human consumption is banned in the European Union, Canada, Mexico, and most other countries." foodconsumer.org/7777/8888...onds.shtml

As you know, almonds have a high oil content, so roasting, toasting, or pasteurizing them creates toxic trans-fatty acids. Of course, it also kills the enzymes and damages other nutrients.

This legislation is to go into effect in August or September of 2007, for the 2007 - 2008 almond crop. Deadline for the final phase of public comment is April 30, so there is still time for a consumer uproar, and that is the only thing that will stop it.

For more details, go here: www.newstarget.com/021776.html

To sign a petition, go here:
www.gopetition.com/petition...rong.html

To write directly to the California Almond board, go here:
www.almondboard.com/utilitie...actUs.cfm
Their phone number is (209) 549-8262.

If you can take a moment to write them, our best strategy will be to request two things:
1) Truly raw organic almonds be available for sale, clearly labeled as "unpasteurized." (They may want to require a warning label stating that salmonella or other bacteria may be present.)
2) All pasteurized almonds be labeled as such, to allow consumers to make informed decisions about what they are ingesting.


You can also write to the California Certified Organic Farmers association, which has the power to contest this. Please write to Peggy Miars, Executive Director: peggy@ccof.org. Ask her to mobilize and protest.


To see the rules directly from the Almond Board of California (.pdf files), go here:
www.almondboard.com/files/Cu...-2007.pdf
www.almondboard.com/files/Handler.pdf