Nuts and dried fruits

breakthrough to more than 10,000 stores shortly expected
Paramount Farms continues launch of Wonderful Pistachios in German market
Paramount Farms, the world’s largest vertically integrated grower and processor of California Pistachios, again participate in Fruit Logistica - as part of the company’s ongoing launch support of Wonderful Pistachios in Germany - and have two great announcements:•After an intense year of marketing activities..... 0 comments

Vietnam builds international brand for cashew products
Vietnam plans to build up international brands for cashew products to match the stature of the largest cashew nut exporter in the world, said Binh Phuoc Province Chairman Bui Van Thach.“To reach the target, the country has to build brands for processing mills, producers and exporters following international..... 0 comments

AU: Nut man shells out macadamia advice
Take better care of your nuts.That's the message from a visiting South African farming consultant who visited Queensland macadamia growers last week.Dorran Bungay says Australian growers need to improve handling practices."Expenses have increased, the price of macadamias haven't gone up, so now they've got..... 0 comments

First-ever television campaign for pistachios elevates entire category, placing pistachios over peanuts in sales during ’09 fourth quarter
Wonderful Pistachios 'Get Crackin' advertising campain drives 233% increase in brand sales
It’s official. There’s a new favorite nut on the block and it’s making its competition green with envy. After the pistachio industry’s first television campaign aired October through December 2009, Paramount Farms’ Wonderful Pistachios brand increased sales by 233 percent. The unprecedented sales figures..... 0 comments

Mozambique: Cashew harvest of 95,000 tonnes expected
Mozambique's National Cashew Institute (INAJU) is optimistic that the 2009-2010 cashew harvest will reach 95,000 tonnes, reports Monday's issue if the Maputo daily "Noticias".According to an INCAJU source, up until 15 January 71,400 tonnes of cashew nuts had been marketed, which is 75 per cent of the..... 0 comments

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India: Pistachio down on sluggish demand
Pistachio prices drifted in the range of Rs 5-10 per kg in the national capital on Monday in view of sluggish demand from retailers and stockists at existing higher prices.Adequate stocks position following increased arrivals from overseas markets too put pressure on pistachio prices.Pistachio (Irani,..... 0 comments

Indonesia: Bali produces 3,850 tons of cashew nut last year
Bali province last year produced 3,850 tons of cashew nut, up 25 tons from the year before, a plantation official said."The cashew nut production last year is 50 tons higher than the target of 3,800 tons," Head of the Bali Provincial Plantation Office Made Sudharta said on Sunday.Nearly 2,600 tons of the..... 0 comments

Company Supports Team for its First Year of Professional Competition
Wonderful Pistachios announces sponsorship with Adageo Energy proffesional cycling team
Wonderful Pistachios today announced its product sponsorship of the Adageo Energy Pro Cycling team for the 2010 racing season. The Southern California based squad of 12 cyclists will compete in its first professional season, racing in nearly 30 domestic and international cycling events.Wonderful Pistachios..... 0 comments

US: Freeze-dried sweet cherries available year-round
Van Drunen Farms' Freeze Dried Sweet Cherries is sourced in the U.S. and E.U. which allows for year-round availability.Freeze-drying removes the moisture from the fruit while preserving the natural flavor, color and nutritional value. In this convenient form, they are easy to use, economical and reconsitute..... 0 comments

Go nuts on Australia Day
While there's been a noticeable push for Australians to eat meat on Australia Day, the Australian Macadamia Society is calling for macadamia nuts to be included on the menu tomorrow.Jolyon Burnett, from the Australian Macadamia Society, says that if people are trying to be patriotic, there is no better..... 0 comments

Turkey: Bodrum villages to produce pistachios
A local organization in the resort town of Bodrum has launched a project to produce pistachios in the villages of the region.Blue Way Initiative, a local environmental organization, has organized meetings in eight villages to inform the villagers about the project. The project aims to inoculate around 4,000..... 0 comments

AU: Hope for a recovery in nut crops
Macadamia nut growers in the Bundaberg district are hoping this is the year that will pull them out of a slump the industry fell into two years ago.With the harvest due to start in March, growers are anxiously watching their trees as they wait to see if their hopes are realised.Hinkler Park Plantation..... 0 comments

US: Researchers evaluate insecticides for peanuts
Peanuts have become a good commercial crop for Delta farmers, and Mississippi State University researchers are evaluating the effectiveness of a group of insecticides on hard-to-control pests that impact these little jewels.“Peanuts are an economically beneficial crop in Mississippi as more farmers are..... 0 comments

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A new study by the Human Nutrition Department at the Reus Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences has released these revealing results
One portion of nuts a day improves cardiovascular health and reduces the metabolic risk of diabetes
These results have recently been published in the prestigious journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease by the researchers on the EFINUT study, under the direction of the Human Nutrition team at the Faculty of Medicine of the Rovira i Virgili University and the NURETA group of the CIBERobn,..... 0 comments

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Vietnam metro finds lead, banned sweetener in dried fruit
Health authorities in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday said they have found dried fruits in the market containing lead and a banned artificial sweetener.The city Health Department took six dried fruit samples at random from three vendors at the Binh Tay wholesale market in District 6 and five of them failed..... 0 comments

US: Pistachio harvest yields good quality nuts this year
Pistachios by the hundreds rained down on the heads of Dayana Garcia, Yaneth Romero, Ramon Camacho and Pablo Garcia at Big Al’s Pistachio Farms in Newberry Springs on Thursday.The four pickers dislodged the nuts from the treetops, gathered them up in big blue tarps and poured them in wooden boxes designed to..... 0 comments

Senegal: Groundnut production in freefall
Farmers are complaining about a lack of technical assistance and the poor quality of seeds they've planted this year in the Kaolack region, Senegal's groundnut-producing area, 200 kilometres south of the capital Dakar.The production of groundnuts, Senegal's third-largest export product after fishing and..... 0 comments

US: People who eat dried fruit, drink 100 percent fruit juice are leaner
People who eat dried fruit and drink 100 percent fruit juice may be leaner than those who don’t, suggest two new studies presented at the 2009 Experimental Biology conference. In one of the studies, the people who drank fruit juice also exercised more and had more nutritious diets, which suggests that they..... 0 comments


Key Technology's Optyx sorter
Laser sorter for California walnuts
Sacramento Valley Walnut Growers, LLC (SVWG), a grower-owned processor and marketer of shelled walnuts, is focused on providing superior quality product. Consistently hitting high product specifications is key to their success. They recently installed Optyx with Raptor, a sorter from Key Technology that..... 0 comments

US: PistachioHealth.com wins two WebAwards
PistachioHealth.com, the leading online resource of information on the health and nutrition benefits of pistachios, was awarded both the Consumer Goods Standard of Excellence and the Food Industry Standard of Excellence awards by the Web Marketing Association.News ImagePistachioHealth.com received high marks..... 0 comments


New 28,000 Square-Foot Plant Meets Growing Demand for Processed Almonds With State-Of-The-Art Processing Enhancements
US: Paramount Farms opens new $24 million almond manufacturing plant
Paramount Farms, the world’s largest vertically integrated supplier of pistachios and almonds, today announced the opening of its new $24 million, 22,800 square-foot almond manufacturing plant. The facility is designed to meet the growing demand for manufactured almonds and to comply with today’s increased..... 0 comments

US: 18 lead-tainted dried fruits not sold in Malaysia - Ministry
The Health Ministry said on Monday all 18 lead-tainted dried fruits identified by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) are not sold in Malaysia.The ministry's Food Safety and Quality Division director Nooraini Datuk Mohd Osman said data obtained from the Food Safety Information System of..... 0 comments

Bio-oasis one of the largest producers and exporters of dates in Algeria
Bio-oasis is one of the largest producers and exporters of dates in Algeria. We founded the company in 2002 with the goal to fill a market need for Premium-Quality dates. Since its inception Bio-oasis has been engaged in marketing Premium-Quality Deglet Nour dates. We currently offer a wide range of..... 0 comments

Experts expect plentiful peanut yield for Georgia
Georgia, the No. 1 producing peanut state in the U.S., is expecting a record- breaking peanut yield this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.At the end of harvest, Georgia farmers can expect to have 3,500 pounds of peanuts per acre, according to an October report released by the National..... 0 comments

Israel levies pistachio tax to combat Iranian import
The Knesset Finance Committee, in a bid to block a covert import from Iran, on Tuesday approved a government plan to tax roasted pistachios.Most of the roasted pistachios in Israel are from Iran and are imported through Turkey, the finance committee said in a statement, citing remarks from an Israel Tax..... 0 comments

AU: Almond supplies diminishing, says grower
Australia's largest almond grower, Select Harvests, says the world won't have enough of the nuts within five years and it is in the right product, in the right place, at the right time. Select Harvest chairman Curt Leonard (Curt Leonard) says global demand for almonds is growing and prices likely to go..... 0 comments

Wind, wet no worry; '09 good year for wrinkly-hulled nuts
US: Central valley sees another good walnut harvest
Central Valley walnut growers are shaking the second-largest crop ever from their trees, undeterred by the recent windy storm."The weather is beautiful since we had that rain," grower John Kidd said Friday from his farm west of Modesto.Prospects look sunny for the industry, thanks to an uptick in demand that..... 0 comments

Raisin and dried fruit consumption associated with better overall diets
Data recently presented at the American Dietetic Association (ADA) Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in Denver suggest that raisin and dried fruit consumption are associated with better overall eating patterns and nutrient intake. In addition, dried fruit consumption was found to be associated with..... 0 comments

US: $4,500 in walnuts stolen from Poplar orchard
Tulare County sheriff's deputies are investigating the theft of about $4,500 in walnuts from a Poplar orchard.Deputies were called to Greenleaf Farms, in the area of Road 192 and Avenue 176, on Sunday, where a farm representative said about 5,000 walnuts had been taken from the orchard, according to a..... 0 comments

AU: Researchers to multiply rare macadamia tree
Researchers from the University of the Sunshine Coast will take cuttings of an endangered variety of macadamia nut tree near Miriam Vale this week for propagating.Ian McConachie from the Macadamia Conservation Trust says the Janseni tree is found in an area with high temperatures which will allow it to..... 0 comments

Vietnam: Cashew exports fall nearly 10%
Vietnam exported 134,000 tonnes of cashew nuts, earning an export turnover of US$621 million in the first nine months of the year, according to the Vietnam Cashew Association.The figure, the association said, was a 9.86 per cent increase in volume but a 9.86 per cent reduction in turnover over the same..... 0 comments

AU: Our nut is a real hit overseas
GYMPIE'S Suncoast Gold is the leading macadamia nut supplier in Australia and overseas taste buds are being tantalised too, as its export market continues to thrive despite tough economic times.On Wednesday night the company was a finalist in the agribusiness category at the 20th annual Premier of Queensland..... 0 comments

Mozambique: Bush fires damage cashew production
Uncontrolled bush fires are severely damaging Mozambique's cashew nut production, according to a report in Thursday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".Filomena Maiopue, National Director of the Cashew Promotion Institute (INCAJU), has warned that this is one of the factors jeopardizing the target of..... 0 comments

Vietnam: Lead fears in dried fruit
Inspectors from the Department of Health have begun testing samples of jam and dried fruit sold in the city’s markets for harmful additives.The move follows reports from Malaysian food control agencies on October 9 that 18 types of dried plum and prune from 15 Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers contained..... 0 comments

AU: Nut auction will help save the species
A hundred kilos of macadamia nuts have sold for more than $13,000 in a charity auction.The fundraiser was held at the annual macadamia conference gala dinner at Bundaberg in south-east Queensland last night.Growers and processors contributed to the final bid, and proceeds will go to the Macadamia..... 0 comments

India: Why JK Govt is allergic to garlic?
As if corroborating the allegations of traders, the government has not lifted the ban imposed on the import of more than six items that come from Pakistan Administered Kashmir.Interestingly the government enforced ban on items, which were gaining popularity in Kashmir. The banned items include Ginger,..... 0 comments

US: Douglas County hazelnut crops successful
Farmer Norm Lehne worked into the night last Monday, driving through his hazelnut orchard and mechanically picking up the nuts.In an orchard across the road, Ed Kytola worked almost until dark.They were working a long day in the lower Garden Valley area because they knew rain was coming and it's so much..... 0 comments

US: The FDA's pistachio safety steps
The Oct. 13 front-page article "A Vigorous Push From Federal Regulators" included a brief description of food safety issues with pistachios this spring that misrepresented what happened.Significant contamination of a major manufacturing facility led to positive tests finding the same strain of salmonella..... 0 comments

India: Cashew sales rise despite poor promotion
Despite poor product promotion, the domestic market of cashew nuts has seen a robust growth across the board in the recent past. The market has been growing at an annual average growth rate of 15% in the last decade, according to industry sources here.The total volume of cashew nuts sold in the market has..... 0 comments

US: Pistachio group launches nutty Web site
The Fresno-based Western Pistachio Association has teamed up with a national health magazine to create a Web site devoted to the health benefits of pistachios.TheGreenNut.org is billed as a "fun and interactive Web site that challenges and equips America to 'go green' in a nutritious way." The Web site was..... 0 comments

AU: Almond industry celebrates success
The Australian almond industry has recorded its most successful almond blossom season to date with record almond sales and festivities held across the almond growing regions.This year’s almond blossom season extended from late July through till late August.Throughout this year’s almond blossom season, the..... 0 comments

US: Walnuts recalled over contamination fear
A U.S. nut packager recalled walnuts and nut toppings possibly contaminated with a highly infective foodborne pathogen, the company said.John B. Sanfilippo & Son Food Inc. of Elgin, Ill., known for its Fisher brand of nuts, revealed Wednesday it has voluntarily recalled about 3,000 pounds of nuts sold in..... 0 comments

Kenya: NCPB fails to heed directive on cashew nuts
The National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) has failed to heed a government directive to buy cashew nuts from farmers, leaving them at the mercy of middlemen and private processors as the harvest season approaches.As a result, cashew nut processors are preparing to move to Coast province to buy the..... 0 comments

Domestic industry far from absorbing cashew production in Mozambique
The capacity to process cashew nuts in Mozambique is expected to total 60,000 tonnes within the next ten years, according to Mozambican newspaper Notícias.The paper added that even so capacity would be below the capacity of 75,000 tonnes per year that Mozambique had before the collapse of the cashew industry..... 0 comments

Processing plants fear shortage of African raw cashews
At a cashew industry conference in Abijan (Ivory Coast), the buzz was about African plans to develop processing plants at home, rather than export raw nuts to processors in, for example, Vietnam.Africa aims to climb the value chainAfrican cashew producers have decided that it is time to follow Vietnam’s..... 0 comments

California Walnuts' Popular Smart Menus Program getting smarter
The California Walnut Board is committed to educating and empowering Americans to embrace a healthier lifestyle. Today its Smart Menus Campaign, which launched in 2008, is expanding. Designed to provide approachable wellness and menu planning tips along with delicious, wholesome recipes that are easy enough..... 0 comments

Ministry restricts sale of imported dried fruits due to high lead content
The sale of 18 types of dried plum and prune from China, Taiwan and other Asian countries has been restricted by the Health Ministry after high degrees of lead was detected.The foodstuff - known as asam or jeruk in Malay and kiam sui tee (salty, sour and sweet) in Hokkien which are immensely popular as..... 0 comments

US: Black walnuts ready to be harvested
Now is a good time to begin harvesting black walnuts, according to Bob Frazee, natural resources educator for University of Illinois Extension.In general, the light colored black walnut kernels will have a milder flavor than the dark ones. If you prefer light colored kernels, Frazee recommends you hull the..... 0 comments


photo report (248 pictures)
PMA Fresh Summit 2009 in Anaheim, California
Last Friday, the exhibition PMA Fresh Stummit got under way in Anaheim, California. It was a great show and many people visited this exhibition. Of course FreshPlaza was present at this exhibition and made a photo report of the Fresh Summit 2009. Click here for the photo report 0 comments

Cashew festival in Bangalore to promote domestic consumption
In an effort to promote domestic marketing of cashew nuts, the Karnataka Cashew Manufacturers Association (KCMA) is holding a five-day cashew festival at Palace Ground, Bangalore, from October 1 to 5. In a press release, K Pramod Kamath, secretary, KCMA said the Indian domestic market had shown tremendous..... 0 comments

Almonds Grown in California; Revision of Outgoing Quality Control Requirements
This rule revises the outgoing quality control regulations issued under the California almond marketing order. The order regulates the handling of almonds grown in California and is administered locally by the Almond Board of California (Board). This rule revises the term "validation'' under the Salmonella..... 0 comments

UK: Nut-lover gets nasty surprise after peeling Tesco pistachio
An unlucky nut-lover got a nasty surprise when she peeled open a Tesco pistachio and found a dead maggot inside.Suzanne Taylor was horrified to find the bug's dried corpse still imbedded in the flesh of the salty snack, which she had been about to put in her mouth.The 33 year-old has vowed never to eat a..... 0 comments

US (WA): Deadly fungus threatens walnut trees in Prosser
A deadly fungus discovered last year in Prosser continues to wreak havoc on the city's walnut trees.Worse yet, there's no known treatment.Thousand canker was discovered in Prosser last summer when a Washington State University Extension educator found six walnut trees on her property were infected. They..... 0 comments

US: Date farmers see bountiful harvest
Temperatures in the low 100s and the absence of a “monsoon season” this summer have contributed to a high-quality date crop this year, Coachella Valley farmers say.Desert fields are expected to produce 35 million to 40 million pounds of dates this harvest, which runs through December. Quality will be better..... 0 comments

Yemen: Expensive dates, healthy dates, and dates at risk
The price of Saudi dates went up by around 70 percent this Ramadan compared to last year, as a 25-kilo tin this year cost YR 12,000 (USD 60) compared to YR 7,000 (USD 34) last year.A 10-kilo tin cost YR 5,700 (USD 27) this Ramadan, instead of YR 3,500 (USD 17).The price of Saudi-grown dates increased due to..... 0 comments

India: Cashew kernels exports down 4% on economic woes
Mainly on account of the global economic recession, there was a four per cent decrease in cashew kernels exported at 1,09,523 tonnes valued at Rs 2,988.40 crore last year, said Mr Bharathan Pillai, Chairman of the Cashew Export Promotion Council of India.The total foreign exchange earned through export of..... 0 comments

US (NY): 2009 Weather makes for healthy walnut crop
There might be some extra money just laying around in your yard. That's because this week is the start of black walnut season. And picking up some walnuts could get you some extra cash.Thanks to all the rain we had this spring, walnut production should be high this year.There are 220 buying stations in 13..... 0 comments

Russia remains the largest market for Californian almonds in Eastern Europe
Despite the economic crisis and a significant decline in food imports to Russia, the imports of Californian almond to the country decreased by only 2% during the last fiscal year (ended in September) amounted to 19.7 million pounds (8,669.13 tons) compared with 20,1 million pounds (9,125.4 metric tons)..... 0 comments

Introduction Coincides with Consumer Holiday Baking Contest
US: California Walnut Board Launches Fresh New Website
Walnut lovers visiting the California Walnuts website at walnuts.org will find even more reasons to love the consumer-favorite, tasty and nutritious nut. The California Walnut Board announced today that it has revamped its website that now offers more resource information for health, food, and industry..... 0 comments

US: Consumers warned not to eat certain imported dried plums
The Texas Department of State Health Services is warning consumers not to eat certain imported dried plums and products containing imported dried plums because they have elevated levels of lead.Most of the products typically are sold as salted or candied treats in Asian and Hispanic markets but also are..... 0 comments

The deadline to apply for the Value-Added Producer Grant program for pistachio growers is Nov. 30. There's $18 million available this round
US(CA): Grants available for pistachio growers
Grants may be used for planning activities and for working capital for marketing value-added agricultural products and for farm-based renewable energy.Eligible applicants are independent producers, farmer and rancher cooperatives, agricultural producer groups, and majority-controlled producer-based business..... 0 comments

US (CA): Nut company coming to Stockton
Kennfoods USA, a nut processing company, will move its operations to Stockton and expand its business with the help of $2.5 million in industrial development bonds recently approved by the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank.The company began operations in 2006 in a 7,600-square-foot..... 0 comments

US: Date chef competition to be timed
The California Date Administrative Committee has announced the date for The Perfect Date 2010 Chef Challenge.Past winners will be invited to a live, timed chef challenge celebrating the 10th anniversary of the date competition.The event is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 11 at the Special Events..... 0 comments