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Pasteurization Nation

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How fresh foods are freaking out the feds, and why you should care

If you're not nuts about nuts (sorry, we just couldn't resist), the USDA's recent ruling requiring all store-sold raw almonds to be pasteurized probably passed under your radar. And it's true, for the average occasional nut-eater, the raw almond ban was unlikely to raise an eyebrow. After all, a nut's a nut right? How much difference could there be between pasteurized and unpasteurized? Quite a lot, as it turns out. In the case of almonds, the difference is essentially one of life and death: a raw (living) almond can be sprouted and planted whereas a pasteurized almond cannot. And when you consider that almonds are just the latest target in the USDA's campaign to pasteurize-whenever-possible, you might find it worth paying closer attention. "Outlawing food products in their natural state is a slippery slope," says Janabai Amsden, co-owner of Euphoria Loves Rawvolution Café in Santa , California. "We are cheapening our food from both a price and nutritional standpoint." The U.S. laws restricting the sale of milk, juice and now almonds all share one thing in common: pasteurization. Named for turn-of-the-century French inventor, chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur, pasteurization is a heat process that kills microorganisms — such as bacteria, mold and yeast — by exposing them to temperatures of up to 158°f for durations as long as 30 minutes. "Flash" pasteurization involves much higher temperatures for shorter durations, 280°f for two seconds, for example. Because we live in an industrialized food nation that grows, processes, transports and consumes food in mind-boggling quantities (the average American downs 25 gallons of milk a year), pasteurization does have its merits. It helps keep potentially harmful bacteria out of our food while conveniently extending a food's shelf life and allows that gallon of milk to withstand the epic journey from the factory to your table without going sour. But, argue critics, the process also enables farmers and factories to maintain lower standards of cleanliness, relying on pasteurization to protect consumers from potential food-born illnesses. The thing is, pasteurization is far from a magic bullet; numerous outbreaks of salmonella, listeria and campylobacter have been traced back to properly pasteurized food items. Even Pasteur himself had some doubts about the method he invented, going as far as to recant his theory on his deathbed, saying "terrain is everything, the germ is nothing." Swayed by newer studies of internal pH and the nature of microorganisms as the body moves from an alkaline pH to an acidic pH, Pasteur made the connection between the onset of disease and the health of our own internal flora. Still, by the time of his death, pasteurization had taken a strong hold within the food industry as a much less expensive (and less variable) alternative to implementing safe, sterile handling procedures. The medical world largely wrote off Pasteur's revelation as the "madness of a dying man," and pasteurization became the standard. In a Nutshell: The Raw Almond DebateIf there were a "healthiest-and-most-versatile-nut" award, almonds would win hands down. Raw almonds are a rich source of calcium, folic acid, magnesium, vitamin E, protein, fiber and antioxidants — nutrients that many believe are significantly reduced by the pasteurization process. As of September 2007, the Almond Board of California (ABC), which oversees virtually 100 percent of almonds grown and consumed in the United States and Canada, requires all store-bought almonds (including those grown organically) to be pasteurized. Raw almonds are still available at farmers' markets, where farmers are allowed to sell to individuals in quantities of 100 pounds or less per person, per day. The push for pasteurization came on the heels of two isolated outbreaks of salmonella — in 2001 and 2004 — traced back to conventional almond farms. To date, salmonella has never been linked with organically grown almonds.The new ruling allows pasteurized almonds to be labeled as "raw." And the FDA does not require disclosure of the type of pasteurization process used, which can include high heat, steam and, alarmingly, fumigation using propylene oxide — a possible carcinogen according to the International Agency on Cancer Research. (Steam is theonly approved method that can be used on organically grown almonds.) Ozone treatment, considered an effective method for reducing microorganisms without high temperatures, would allow almonds to remain in their raw state, but was ultimately not accepted by ABC as an alternative.ABC states that the almond legislation was designed to provide a "safe, nutritious product to consumers," although not, it would seem, one that is accurately labeled. The organization has since washed its hands of this debate, and says that it has no consumer labeling authority; the FDA has indicated that, "raw almonds, whether or not they are pasteurized, do not differ in labeling requirements." Raw foodists and others interested in preserving consumer access to healthy food choices argue that exposing our food to carcinogens is not making it safer, and that this deceptive labeling should be illegal. With the new ban in place, growers will either be forced to fork over large sums of cash for pasteurization equipment, or pay a facility to pasteurize their almonds for them (about six cents a pound, which comes directly out of the grower's pocket). Lagier of Lagier Ranch in Escalon California produces 50,000 pounds of organic almonds annually. He sells 60 percent of his crop wholesale to stores and the other 40 percent directly to consumers at farmers' markets. He says he can tell the difference between pasteurized and raw almonds by the taste — and so can many of his customers. Lagier also believes the ruling wasn't meant to protect consumers. "It was set up by large growers to protect themselves and their market from their sometimes [poor handling practices]." Within the past decade, lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, green onions, peanuts, grapes, melons and sprouts have all been linked to salmonella outbreaks. Yet, at least for the moment, we are still able to purchase all of these foods in our grocery stores — in their raw state. "Some people equate this ruling with taking lettuce out of the ground and steaming it before making it available to the public," says Seath Leaf, founder of Living Nutz, a gourmet-raw food snack company that now imports its raw organic almonds from countries outside of the United States — a practice considered in accordance with the ban. When Amsden and her husband, raw food chef Matt Amsden caught wind of the ABC proposal (just four short months before it passed) they spearheaded a letter writing campaign at their café and sent off more than 500 letters to the USDA opposing the ban. They did not receive a single letter in reply. Meanwhile, Amsden points out, the FDA recently gave its stamp of approval to meat and milk from cloned animals. Raw industry insiders like Amsden worry that other foods may soon be caught in the crossfire of the mandatory pasteurization crusade. "Food is at the apex of our social, environmental and economic health," says Amsden. "Every time we eat something, we are voting." The more laws preventing consumer access to freshly-plucked-from-the-earth foods, the less voting power we have.

By Amelia Glynn

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