Chestnut campaign for customer awareness

Harvesting of the 1,000 tonnes chestnut crop has commenced in some parts of Australia and will continue through until late April.

'Cool your (chest) nuts' is the one single message that the Australian Chestnut industry wants the complete supply chain to implement” said Mr Trevor Ranford, Industry Development Officer, Chestnuts Australia Inc.

Fresh Australian Chestnuts should be stored as near as possible to 0° C from 'Paddock to Plate'.

“Chestnuts have a thin skin and are encased in a shiny brown shell but unlike most nuts, chestnuts are highly perishable. Due to their high moisture content (50%) chestnuts can dry out even in a cool environment if not stored correctly” said Mr Ranford.

Chestnuts Australia Inc has just release a new poster on the Cool Chain requirements for chestnuts and is circulating the information to growers, transport companies, market agents and retailers.

“The simple message for consumers is to look for chestnuts that are stored by retailers in refrigerated units and then take them home and store them in airtight containers, paper bags or perforated plastic bags in the crisper section of the refrigerator” said Mr Ranford

Chestnuts Australia Inc has produced a number of new recipes for Chestnuts which are now available at your local retail store.

For information on Chestnuts consumers can go to the Chestnut Industry website – www.chestnutsaustralia.com.au.