Do You Know Where Your Almonds Come From?

We always try to eat organic foods. Of course they are not always available. So there are choices to be made. Some foods are worse than others as far as chemical use to grow them. Some time ago, I found out that raw almonds from the US are fumigated. The fumigant is propylene oxide which is recognized as a carcinogen by the EPA. The USDA is being sued by the almond growers to stop the mandatory fumigation. The USDA's regulations allow these fumigated almonds to be labeled as "raw" which is deceiving the public. Fumigating the almonds destroys as much as 90% of their nutritional value by altering proteins & destroying disease-fighting phytonutrients. They should not be able to be sold as "raw" almonds. A large number of people make recipes using raw almonds & expect them to be safe. Raw almonds should be just that. Raw & not tampered with. Just like other foods that are raw. Best left in their natural state. Leave it to the USDA to meddle with Mother Nature & then not tell us about it. Nutrient destruction should be labeled as such. Most almonds come from California. Other countries are not required to fumigate. So much for eating locally (or foods from this country). I hate to say it, but don't buy almonds from the US. If your store shows the point of origin, make sure the almonds come from a different country. I feel sorry for the growers who had no say in the matter. I hope they win their lawsuit.