PPO and Almonds

On Sept 1, 2007, the USDA enacted a law causing all almonds to be pasteurized using heat or PPO (propylene oxide fumigation). For consumers, this means we must decided between almonds that are not truly raw (although they can still be labels as raw) or almonds that have been treated with a genotoxic chemical.

The Almond Board advocated mandatory pasteurization as a defensive move following two salmonella outbreaks in 2001 and 2004. Both outbreaks were associated with large, industrial almond farms.

PPO has serious health concerns:
- PPO is a genotoxic chemical recognized as a possible carcinogen
- PPO was removed from racing fuel in 1993 because of cancer-causing potential
- PPO fumigation is banned in the EU, Canada and Mexico

I've found that many stores don't know how the products they carry have been processed. Below are the results of inquiries that I've made to both stores and product manufacturers.

PRODUCTS
Larabar = multiple suppliers, some use PPO, some use steam (source: General Mills customer service rep. Larabar is owned by General Mills)

STORES
Traders Joes = store policy that all Trader Joes branded almonds are not treated with PPO (source: store associate)
Whole Foods = store policy to not carry almonds treated with PPO (source: store associate)
Costco = Kirkland almonds are pasteurized by propylene oxide fumigation (source: Costco Member Services)
New Seasons = no store policy. The only way to ensure you are purchasing PPO-free almonds is to buy organic almonds (source: New Seasons customer advocate)

Sources:
Cornucopia Institute, The Authentic Almond Project
USDA Demand that Raw Almonds Be Pasteurized Drives Consumers Nuts
Almond Action Plan: Pasteurization Treatments for Organic Growers and Handlers

http://commonmarket.com/news___events.html

Is Rice Milk Poisonous? Arsenic results from government study

According to a Feb. 2009 study by the UK government, organic arsenic levels in rice milk make it unsafe to be used as a milk substitute for children. Lovely.

My son is allergic to cow's milk, there is controversy about soy (personally, I'm more concerned with the processing than the estrogens) and goat milk tastes, well, goat-y. After reading a ga-zillion labels, I decided that rice milk was a safe alternative. I had been giving my 2 year old rice milk for a year when the UK government issues an alarming study that arsenic levels in rice milk make it unsafe for young children to use as a milk replacement. The concern is that children would ingest a potentially carcinogenic level of arsenic.

The FSA (Food Standard Agency) wrote: 'As a precaution, toddlers and young children between one and 4.5 years old should not have rice drinks as a replacement for cows' milk, breast milk, or infant."

Original report:
www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fsis0209arsenicinrice.pdf