Raw almonds are an endangered breed...

(UPDATE: The almond rule was passed in the end and all raw almonds in the US are now subject to 'pasteurisation'. If you would still like to write to the US Secretary of Agriculture about this matter, Mike Johanns has now been replaced with Chuck Conner, whose email address is: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

It seemed recently that the law to pasteurise all almonds in the United States had gone through?however, we can ALL act now to try to turn this situation around. The rule is due to go into effect on September the 1st, 2007. The idea is that we act NOW to contact US Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns to let him know why raw almonds are important to us and we do not want to see them pasteurised. If we do not act NOW to turn this around, it may literally never be possible to purchase raw almonds in the US again?and it may even open a floodgate for similar laws requiring pasteurisation of other foods?eeeeeek ;) no thanks?so, please take a few minutes NOW, for you, me, all those we care about and all those yet to come, to preserve access to truly raw foods. Here are the contact details for Secretary Johanns:

Below are FOUR different messages recently sent to Secretary Johanns - by myself and other raw foodists, to express our displeasure on this ruling - feel free to cut and paste any of these messages into an email of you own... :

Here is the message I sent to Secretary Johanns about the raw almonds...


Dear Secretary Johanns,
I am really sad to hear that the rule recently passed about the mandatory pasteurisation of almonds is due to go into effect on September the 1st this year. As a raw foodist, raw almonds are one of my chief sources of protein, calcium, B vitamins and healthy fats, besides being the only nut to have an overall alkalising effect on the body, which helps people to heal from illnesses. Raw almonds help nourish the bones and teeth in particular. Raw almonds have been especially useful to me over the last 5 years as a raw foodist ? they are calming on the nervous system, packed with vital life-force energy and easy to use in many ways, from eating whole as snacks to making replacement milks/cheeses etc for people who are intolerant to dairy products.
When raw nuts are heated/pasteurised, they lose their vital life-force, the fats change composition and they no longer deliver the same nutritional benefits to the body (instead, becoming detrimental in fact, especially to the liver and gall bladder). Raw, living foods in their most natural whole state are extremely healing and have been documented as helping people reverse any number of health complaints, from obesity to cancers to infertility. It concerns me that if this new rule DOES go through in respect to the almonds, it will set a precedent for such laws in regard to other produce too and access to these healing raw foods will become limited.
I urge you to do whatever you can in your power to turn this rule around NOW, to ensure the continued availability of truly raw almonds (and other produce) for ourselves and those generations to come.
Yours sincerely,
Angela Stokes

Please take a few moments now to compose an email to Secretary Johanns ? even if it means just copying and pasting the above (with your own name ;) ? every message will count at this point to get the message across that we don?t want to lose access to raw almonds? :)

 ALSO included here below are 3 other example letters you are free to copy, cut and paste into an email of your own:

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Dear Secretary Johanns, 

I am extremely upset to hear that the rule recently passed about the mandatory pasteurization of almonds is due to go into effect on September the 1st this year.  If you do not AT LEAST allow raw almonds to be sold (at a fair price) in this country, you will be, in essence, assisting in destroying my health.
  
  Additionally, if you allow mandetory pasteurization of almonds to occur, it is only a matter of time when this practice will become mandetory for all nuts and seeds -- in essence destroying the nutrient content contained within -- and again, adding to the destruction of my health.
  
  Raw nuts and seeds are my PRIMARY source of quality proteins.  RAW almonds are also one of my chief sources of calcium.
  
  I am sure you are aware of the many health promoting aspects of almonds.  If not, it is time for you to do your research -- you have no right to make decisions affecting the health of people in this country if you do not have adequate knowledge about what foods are nutrient dense and how heating/cooking destroys the majority of nutrients in our foods.
  
  I am well aware of the "conflicting" research pertaining to "pasteurized" vs. "raw" and "organic" vs. "conventional".  Much of this research is funded by those who would benefit from the destruction of healthy food sources, thus the validity of these studies is suspect since statistics can be made to "lie".
  
  Businesses -- and the people who run them -- seem to be more interested in making a profit than in helping the general public.  They look for the shortest, most cost-effective way of providing "good enough" products to the public for the highest price feasible.  They are concerned only with IMMEDIATE results -- not LONG TERM EFFECTS.
  
  HOPEFULLY, you are NOT one of them -- and instead are one of the people who chooses integrity over personal gain, who "sees" the long reaching effects of these types of laws on not only the general population, BUT ALSO ON YOUR OWN CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN, and other relatives who are impacted by the quailty (or lack thereof) of the available food sources.
  
  IF SO -- PLEASE do thorough research on this subject.  Pay attention to the statistics AND THE VALIDITY OF THE STUDIES.  Pay attention to WHO PAID FOR the studies -- and be aware of any hidden agendas on their part.
  
  If you do, you will most likely discover the truth.
 
For example -- some of the "truth" as it pertains to almonds -- when the raw nuts are heated/pasteurised, the fats change composition and they no longer deliver the same nutritional benefits to the body (instead, becoming detrimental, especially to the liver and gall bladder).  Also, the calcium content becomes difficult for the body to assimilate and utilize.
  
  It is common knowledge that foods in their "raw" state are significantly healthier than cooked foods -- that is why we are advised to eat lots of RAW fruits and vegetables.
  
  PLEASE support the health of the people in this country by SUPPORTING HEALTHY SOURCES OF FOODS AND -- IF NOT ACTIVELY PROMOTING "RAW" (and organic) FOODS -- AT LEAST PROTECT THEIR AVAILABILITY FOR THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO EAT UNTAINTED, HEALTHY, "RAW" FOODS.
  
  A person of integrity could do no less.
  
  Thank you for your time.  Sincerely,
  
  <<name, city/state>>

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Dear Mike,

As you may know that there has been an uproar in the health industry about
this mandatory almond pasteurization act.  There is great reason for this.
There are many of us ranging from vegetarian to raw vegan that rely on these
almonds as our most valuable supply of concentrated proteins and fats.

Raw Food Pioneer, Dr. Norman Walker says; Almonds, when fresh, raw and
unsalted, are the most alkaline of all nuts, being particularly valuable as
nourishment for the bone structure of the body, and especially for
stengthening the enamel of the teeth.

He goes on to say that almonds which have been pasteurized are harmful on
account of the change which takes place in the fat under these conditions.
The reaction on the liver and gall bladder is then detrimental and may
sooner or later interfere with the complete and proper function of these
organs.

I personally eat Raw Almonds every day to get the proper nourishment that I
feel my body needs.  Raw Almonds are an invaluable food and to take them
away from our use could be the start of a snowball of pasteurization acts
limiting us to less and less nourishing foods.  I hope that you can see the
importance in standing up to this act.  We are depending on you.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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Dear Secretary Johanns,

I am a raw foodist, which means I enjoy eating plant-based food sources that
have been heated no higher than 118 F.

Recently, I learned that in response to two salmonella outbreaks traced to
almonds, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is requiring nearly all almonds
sold in the United States to be "pasteurized" -- "treated, either with short
blasts of steam or dry heat, or with a carcinogenic chemical that's used to
make bowling balls and foam seat cushions as well as insecticide." (1)

It's my understanding that the FDA, USDA and the California Almond Board
have developed a marketing order which mandates that all almonds must be
pasteurized. This came about because of "two outbreaks of salmonella,
associated with conventional farms several years ago". (2)

(My emphasis.)

No outbreaks have been associated with raw organic almonds to date.

This has everything to do with l"ack of biodiversity and the sterile farming
methods used on conventional farms." I have read that these farms which
produce almonds using "conventional farming" practice use "few weeds or
grasses grow on the floors and little sunlight reaches the floors." (3)

On the other hand "organic farms support and encourage biodiversity with
green floors in the orchards and this discourages pathogen growth.
Unfortunately, organic almonds are shelled and bagged on the same production
facilities as conventional and are being subjected to the same rules. (4)

Mike, please allow organic almond growers to continue to produce and
distribute almonds in their raw, unheated state.

Thank you!

Source:
1-4  The Weston Price Foundation "Mandatory Almond Pasteurization," March
2007

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Please do take a few moments now to compose your own email to Secretary Johanns - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it - time is running out for the almonds... ;)