Editing Almond (section)

=== Mandatory pasteurization in California ===

After tracing cases of [[salmonellosis]] to almonds, the USDA approved a proposal by the Almond Board of California to pasteurize almonds sold to the public. After publishing the rule in March 2007, the almond pasteurization program became mandatory for California companies effective 1 September 2007.<ref>{{cite press release  | title = The Food Safety Program & Almond Pasteurization  | publisher = Almond Board of California  | date = 17 September 2010 | url = http://www.almondboard.com/Handlers/FoodQualitySafety/Pasteurization/Pages/Default.aspx  | access-date = 17 September 2010 | url-status = dead  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100125013631/http://www.almondboard.com/Handlers/FoodQualitySafety/Pasteurization/Pages/Default.aspx  | archive-date = 25 January 2010}}</ref> Raw, untreated California almonds have not been available in the U.S. since then.

California almonds labeled "raw" must be steam-pasteurized or chemically treated with [[propylene oxide]] (PPO). This does not apply to imported almonds<ref>[[Agricultural Marketing Service]] (8 November 2006) "Almonds Grown in California: Changes to Incoming Quality Control Requirements" ({{Federal Register |71 |65373}}, {{Federal Register |71 |65374}}, {{Federal Register |71 |65375}} and {{Federal Register |71 |65376}})</ref> or almonds sold from the grower directly to the consumer in small quantities.<ref>{{cite news  |first= Garance  |last= Burke  |title= Almond pasteurization rubs some feelings raw  |url= http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_6260038  |agency= Associated Press  |date= 29 June 2007 |access-date= 8 November 2014 |url-status= live  |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141223060711/http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_6260038  |archive-date= 23 December 2014}}</ref> The treatment also is not required for raw almonds sold for export outside of North America.

The Almond Board of California states: "PPO residue dissipates after treatment". The [[U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] has reported: "Propylene oxide has been detected in fumigated food products; consumption of contaminated food is another possible route of exposure". PPO is classified as [[List of IARC Group 2B carcinogens|Group 2B]] ("possibly carcinogenic to humans").<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wlpEAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA36 |title=Improving the Safety and Quality of Nuts |editor=Harris LJ |year=2013 |publisher=Elsevier, Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition |isbn=978-0-85709-748-4 |pages=36–37}}</ref>

The USDA-approved marketing order was challenged in court by organic farmers organized by the [[Cornucopia Institute]], a Wisconsin-based farm policy research group which filed a lawsuit in September 2008. According to the institute, this almond marketing order has imposed significant financial burdens on small-scale and organic growers and damaged domestic almond markets. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in early 2009 on procedural grounds. In August 2010, a federal appeals court ruled that the farmers have a right to appeal the USDA regulation. In March 2013, the court vacated the suit on the basis that the objections should have been raised in 2007 when the regulation was first proposed.<ref>{{Cite web
 |title       = The Authentic Almond Project
 |publisher   = The Cornucopia Institute.
 |url         = http://www.cornucopia.org/almonds/
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100108124858/http://www.cornucopia.org/almonds/
 |archive-date = 8 January 2010
}}</ref>