Nutfruit magazine, July 2016

Edition 68. Nยบ 2

Edition 68. Nยบ 2 JULY 2016

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SAN DIEGO

MORE THAN 1,400 PARTICIPANTS AT THE MOST ATTENDED WORLD NUT AND DRIED FRUIT CONGRESS

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JULY 2016

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INTERNATIONAL NUT AND DRIED FRUIT COUNCIL FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES Mark Mariani - Chairman Mariani Packing Company, USA Pino Calcagni - Vice Chairman V. Besana S.P.A., Italy Michael Waring - Vice Chairman MWT Foods, Australia Jordi Martí - Treasurer and General Secretary Borges S.A.U., Spain Asadollah Asgaroladi Hassas Export Co. Ltd., Iran Karsten Dankert Max Kiene GmbH, Germany Arie Endendijk Intersnack Procurement BV, Netherlands Giles Hacking CG Hacking & Sons Limited, UK Cheng Hung Kay CHK Trading Co. Ltd., China, Hong Kong Mark Jansen Blue Diamond Growers, USA Zhou Jinkui Fenzhou Yuyuan Native Produce, China Barry Kriebel Sun-Maid Growers of California, USA Ashok Krishen Olam International Limited, Singapore Jack Mariani Mariani Nut Company, USA Stephen Meltzer Balcorp Ltd., Canada Pratap Nair Vijayalaxmi Cashew Company, India Osman Oz Aegean Exporters Associations, Turkey Antonio Pont - Honorary President Borges S.A.U., Spain Sabit Sabir Sabirlar Findik Ihracat Ltd. Sti., Turkey Harry Sinclair Kraft Heinz Company, USA Berton Steir The Wonderful Company, USA Dick Walden The Green Valley Pecan, USA Chen Ying China Chamber of Commerce, China Cuneyd Zapsu Balsu A.S., Turkey EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Mark Mariani Pino Calcagni Michael Waring Giles Hacking Ashok Krishen Jack Mariani Antonio Pont Berton Steir Cuneyd Zapsu Goretti Guasch

Chairman Vice Chairman Vice Chairman Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Executive Director

NUTFRUIT MAGAZINE TEAM Goretti Guasch Executive Director goretti.guasch@nutfruit.org Xavier Puchades Production Editor xavier.puchades@nutfruit.org Irene Gironès Technical and Statistical Editor irene.girones@nutfruit.org Marc Centelles Advertising and Subscription Sales marc.centelles@nutfruit.org

INC HEADQUARTERS

Carrer de la Fruita Seca, 4 Polígon Tecnoparc, 43204 Reus, Spain Tel: +34 977 331 416 Email: inc@nutfruit.org

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Edition 68. Nº 2

JULY 2016

BUSINESS NEWS

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• How could Brexit impact on the food sector?

• Chilean walnut industry faces significant losses due to heavy rain.

• New nutrition facts label.

• Tesco & Starbucks launch initiatives to tackle food waste.

GOURMET 18 • Christopher Kostow, Chef at The Restaurant at Meadowood. INC Award for Excellence in Gastronomy 2016.

FEATURE ARTICLES • Sustainability in companies.

• Trends in nuts, a US perspective.

• Youth in African agriculture: reversing the exodus.

• Fostering a food safety culture.

24 • How to improve the quality of fumigation to reduce loss in nuts and dried fruit.

• Dried fruit: dispelling the sugar myths.

• The role of nuts in a vegan diet.

HEALTH NEWS

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• Marine and vegetable omega-3 fatty acids act synergistically and are partners: updates from the PREDIMED study.

• A research narrative about tree nuts and peanuts: their health benefits.

A CHAT WITH THE INDUSTRY

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• Steve Junqueiro, Co-President and COO of Save Mart.

INC CONGRESS

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• INC launches an executive educational program on nuts and dried fruits.

• INC Nutrition Research Update presents new findings on nuts and health.

• INC Scientific Seminar discuses spatial mapping technology: results, interpretations and applications.

• A Business Integrity Committee will tackle commercial transgressions in the industry.

• Highlights from San Diego 2016.

• INC Awards recognize outstanding contributions to the industry.

INC NEWS

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• INC presents the new Pavilion for SIAL-Paris 2016.

• Exploring new regions within the South-East Asian food market.

• Second meeting of the Spanish Almond Industry.

• International Peanut Forum 2016.

• Safe Food California.

• INC annual Call for Research and Promotion Projects.

INDUSTRY NEWS

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• Almond Board of California expands elementary school educational program.

• California Walnut Commission explores the role of walnuts in brain health.

• American Pistachio Growers continues to support consumer demand in China.

• Pistachio Health Institute partners with registered dietitians to amplify health messages.

• Australian Macadamias promotion reaches 6 million Korean consumers.

• Nuts for Life launches new promotional month #nuts30days30ways.

• Nucis Italia strengthens links between nuts and lifestyle.

• Chilenut celebrates Exponut 8th edition.

Legal Update

21 Advertisers list

Statistical 100 Global 69 Review

The Nutfruit magazine is published three times a year by the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council - INC (Fundació Privada International Nut and Dried Fruit CIF G-43738475). This magazine, including all articles and illustrations, is copyright protected. Any utilization beyond the light limits set by the Copyright Act is subject to publisher’s approval.

All the trademarks, brand identities and graphic images shown in this publication are the property of their respective owners.

While the publishers believe that all information contained in this publication was correct at the time of going to press, they can accept no liability for any inaccuracies that may appear or loss suffered directly or indirectly by any reader as a result of any advertisement, editorial, photographs or other materials published in the Nutfruit magazine.

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

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INC Foreword

A CONGRESS TO REMEMBER

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e continue to expand our reach as 1,410 participants from over 60 countries attended our most successful congress in San Diego.

Over a three day period, the INC provided 16 sessions, ranging from intensive round table discussions, seminars and keynote presentations. Mr. Steve Junqueiro, Co-President and COO of Save Mart, outlined changes and trends in the food industry that are shaping the future of American supermarkets.

Dr. Joel Kimmelshue, from Land IQ, presented the spatial mapping technology and its applications in almonds, walnuts, pistachios and dried plums in California. For the first time we held a Membership Integrity Forum, where the INC announced the creation of the Business Integrity Committee. This will be a new body to promote a code of conduct in commercial transactions within our industry.

Congratulations to all the individuals and organizations that have received the INC Awards, as they have widely contributed to the progress of the nuts and dried fruits business. We are pleased to recognize The Wonderful Company for the Corporate Golden Nut Award and Jack Mariani for the Individual Golden Nut Award. Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton received the Award for Excellence in Research, and Chef Christopher Kostow was given the Award for Excellence in Gastronomy. In addition, Blue Diamond Growers won the prestigious Innovation Award.

Our next INC Congress will be in Chennai, India, but before Chennai, the INC hopes to see you at SIAL-Paris, from 16 to 20 October 2016. After Paris, we will explore the many possibilities of the South-East Asian food markets at SIAL-Interfood Jakarta, from 9 to 12 November 2016. Attending this trade show, the INC will expand its global brand towards new potential markets.

INC will fund 6 projects through the 2016 Research Grant and Call for Promotion and Dissemination Requests.

(Please see reference to the grant recipients in this issue). By year end, INC will have funded research and promotion grants for a total of 800,000 Euros since the launch of the first Call in 2013.

We are very excited in the launching of “Nuts for Gifts”, a new global promotional initiative to encourage the use of nuts and dried fruits as a gift, with the aim to build consumers demand. It will result in an excellent opportunity to position nuts and dried fruits as a top of mind product.

Finally, I am pleased to announce that preparations for next year’s congress in Chennai are in full swing.

I had the pleasure of visiting Chennai (reminding me of our time in Singapore), and I was very excited about the extremely culturally rich, vibrant and probably the safest large city in India. The congress hotel, ITC Chola, is an architectural marvel and very comfortable air conditioned environments will provide the perfect site for our event.

Look for more details in late fall and register early.

Wishing you good harvests, good selling and continuing dedication improving global health!

Mark A. Mariani INC Chairman

Mark A. Mariani

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

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Business News

HOW COULD BREXIT IMPACT ON THE FOOD SECTOR? The UK is a food importing country. Its isolation from the internal EU market after the Brexit is likely to increase its costs of sourcing food products, while it also increases the costs of the technology needed to produce food.

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n 2015, the National Farmers Union (NFU) warned that the UK might need to import over half of its food within a generation.

It claimed that currently 60 percent of foods consumed in Britain are grown in the UK, as compared to 80 percent in the mid-1980s. This decrease is a combination of a growing population and stalling farm productivity.

Over time, Britain’s decision to leave the European Union will most likely result in higher costs of trading. As such it will impact trade flows and prices of food and agricultural products, both within and outside the UK. Additionally, nonUK based food and agriculture companies might decide to postpone investments in the UK until there is a clearer picture of how trade will settle following a transition period. Some companies might even cancel investments or relocate UK assets to a location within the European Union.

If anything, independence from Europe means no longer enjoying the benefits of having access to an abundantly supplied food market with opportunities to sell to a 500 million consumer market. Historically, the UK had a global empire (the Commonwealth) that supported its cheap food policy. Today, the world market is not such a reliable low-cost sourcing partner anymore.

In the longer term, the UK also risks higher costs, and later availability, of new agricultural production technology. The EU stamp of approval no longer suffices in the UK. Suppliers will have to invest in getting a stamp of approval for the UK market, too. It may well be that technology providers choose to not apply for a UK registration or certification especially in the early stages.

On the other hand, less regulation from Brussels might also have its advantages.

However, British exporters will still have to conform to EU regulations when they trade with the continent. And consumer prices? Let’s hope for Britons they won’t head towards Norwegian or Swiss levels!

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Rabobank FAR

Too Many Variables Make It Tough To Make Hard Predictions Over the past few months, dozens of studies have been published about what would happen if there’s a Brexit, but in all fairness, nobody knows exactly what is going to happen now that Britain has voted to turn its back on Europe. There are just too many variables and unknowns. What level of import duties and/or quotas to expect for what type of product, for example, or when this will be implemented? Will investments be delayed, cancelled or relocated? Will farmers lose out on CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) subsidies? Redirection of good flows can cause prices to go up or down, which will also cause follow-on effects.

Potential Implications for a Selection of Food & Agriculture Sectors: Animal Proteins The UK is well known for its bacon imports with only 55% self-sufficiency. In the short term we do not expect a dramatic drop in trade, though prices may go up if new border measures increase costs.

Consumer Foods A Brexit could potentially impact sales volumes and profitability of companies active in consumer foods, food service, food retail and wholesale in Britain, as well as on the continent.

Changes in currency rates could have a major impact on flows of consumer products. A wellknown impact is that of private label production.

In times of a weak currency, British food retailers reduce their buying of private label products from producers whose facilities are based on the continent. Companies that produce for the European Union might decide to postpone, cancel or redirect investments for new or extra production capacity to regions within the EU instead of the UK. On the other hand, some new

Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory.

capacity might also be planned for the UK to limit the impact from EU regulation.

Dairy The UK is a net importer of dairy products, even though it is the third-largest milk producer in the EU. Its main dairy import requirement is cheese, particularly Cheddar, although it takes a wide variety of soft cheeses too. The main contributors to these UK imports are Ireland and France.

Another important dairy import for the UK is butter—again Ireland provides the bulk of this.

The Brexit could provide significant challenges for Ireland (and a lesser extent France) given their level of exposure to the UK market.

Farm Inputs Seeds, crop protection products, fertilisers and machinery are not subject to the CAP. As such, the fact that after a Brexit the UK will no longer be part of the CAP, isn’t likely to change anything for farm inputs. However, a weaker pound will mean higher prices for imported products. Most farm inputs in the UK are imported.

In the longer run, the fact that the UK is no longer part of the UK market will increase the costs of selling farm inputs products in the UK market.

Horticulture Exporters of fruit & vegetables and flowers to the UK could be impacted as a result of bureaucracy/documentation at the border and a potential devaluation of the British pound following the Brexit. However, many exporters have been used to significant currency swings in the past and as such this is not something new to them.

Business News

CHILEAN WALNUT INDUSTRY FACES SIGNIFICANT LOSSES DUE TO HEAVY RAIN

Source: Chilean Walnut Commission

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he strong rainstorms experienced in Chile in April had a dramatic effect on the walnut industry. Chile received the greatest amount of precipitation for the month of April in the last 65 years. Rainfall was 1,900% above average compared to a regular year and walnuts have been one of the export industries most affected by the disaster.

Chilenut estimates that damage caused by heavy rain in walnut crop production reached 46,000 tons, where 10,000 of those are deemed total loss. In addition, and according to the Chilean Walnut Comission, losses for the industry are estimated at more than USD 100 million. The two main varieties of walnut produced in Chile are Chandler and Serr, with a total planted area of more than 40,000 hectares. Early production estimations for this year were at 80,000 tons. However, the strong storms that began right when the harvest was starting completely changed the situation.

First of all, production suffered serious

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effects in terms of volume, dropping from 80,000 tons to 65,000 (a 19% drop), especially affecting the Chandler variety. When the rain began, 80% of the Serr variety has been harvested, but the Chandler variety ran into serious trouble, as only 25% had been harvested.

According to a survey conducted by the Chilean Walnut Commission after the disaster, it was estimated that the economic losses for the walnut industry add-up to more than USD 100 million, mainly because of the drop in volume (19% less) and because more than 40% of the walnuts harvested after the rain suffered quality issues. “This is a major blow for an industry that was on the rise and must now face a USD 100 million loss, which represents more than 25% of the industry’s annual revenue”, said Andrés Rodríguez, Executive President of the Chilean Walnut Commission.

Daniela Perinetti, Chilenut International Manager, claimed that despite the strong efforts made by Chilean exporters, “since that

committed fruit, as a consequence of acts out of our hands occurring this year in Chile, completely unforeseeable, unexpected and out of our associate’s control, we see extremely difficult for Chile to fulfill all the contracts”.

Carlos Furche, Chilean Minister of Agriculture, regretted the damages suffered by walnut growers and exporters: “April rainfall, which was unseasonable in terms of quantity and concentrated in just a few hours, caused damages to several production areas, among them, walnuts”.

“This damage –claimed the Minister- affects, on the one hand, the volume of production and on the other hand eventually compromises quality, especially to those farmers who do not own or did not have available machinery for drying the walnuts both efficiently and quickly enough”. Mr. Furche agreed on the importance of evaluating ways of helping walnut producers affected by the rain through softening credit terms or by promoting specific investments.

Business News

NEW NUTRITION FACTS LABEL The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finalized the new Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods to reflect new scientific information, including the link between diet and chronic diseases such as obesity and heart disease.

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ccording to FDA, the new label will make it easier for consumers to make better informed food choices. Manufacturers will need to use the new label by July 26, 2018. However, manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales will have an additional year to comply.

Major changes have to do the nutrients required to be listed, the way the serving sizes are presented and the label design.

Updated Information about Nutrition Science • “Added sugars,” in grams and as percent Daily Value, will be included on the label. Scientific data show that it is difficult to meet nutrient needs while staying within calorie limits if consumers have more than 10 % of their total daily calories from added sugar. This is consistent with the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

• The list of nutrients that are required or permitted to be declared is being updated. Vitamin D and potassium will be required on the label.

Calcium and iron will continue to be required. Vitamins A and C will no longer be required but can be included on a voluntary basis.

• While continuing to require “Total Fat,” “Saturated Fat,” and “Trans Fat” on the label, “Calories from Fat” is being removed because research shows the type of fat is more important than the amount.

• Daily values for nutrients like sodium, dietary fiber and vitamin D are being updated based on newer scientific evidence from the Institute of Medicine and other reports such as the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report, which was used in developing the 20152020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Daily values are reference amounts of nutrients to consume or not to exceed and are used to calculate the percent Daily Value (% DV) that manufacturers include on the label. The %DV helps consumers understand the nutrition information in the context of a total daily diet.

Changes in Serving Sizes • By law, serving sizes must be based on amounts of foods and beverages that people are actually eating, not what they should be eating.

• Package size affects what people eat. So for packages that are between one and two servings, such as a 20 ounce soda or a 15-ounce can of soup, the calories and other nutrients will be required to be labeled as one serving because people typically consume it in one sitting.

• For certain products that are larger than a single serving but that could be consumed in one sitting or multiple sittings, manufacturers will have to provide “dual column” labels to indicate the amount of calories and nutrients on both a “per serving” and “per package”/“per unit” basis.

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Redesigned Label • Increasing the type size for “Calories,” “servings per container,” and the “Serving size” declaration, and bolding the number of calories and the “Serving size” declaration to highlight this information.

• Manufacturers must declare the actual amount, in addition to percent Daily Value of vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium. They can voluntarily declare the gram amount for other vitamins and minerals.

• The footnote is changing to better explain what percent Daily Value means. It will read: “*The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.”

Nutrition Facts 8 servings per container Serving size 2/3 cup (55g) Amount per serving

230

Calories

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 8g

Saturated Fat 1g

10% 5%

Trans Fat 0g

Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 160mg

Total Carbohydrate 37g Dietary Fiber 4g

0% 7% 13% 14%

Total Sugars 12g Includes 10g Added Sugars Protein 3g

20%

Vitamin D 2mcg

10%

Iron 8mg

45%

Calcium 260mg

Potassium 235mg

20% 6%

* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Business News almonds brazil nuts cashews dehydrated fruit dried fruit hazelnuts macadamia nuts peanuts pecans pine kernels pistachios pumpkin seeds sunflower seeds walnuts

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FDA REVERSES ‘HEALTHY’ RULING ON KIND LABELS

© KIND LLC

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he U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed that Kind Snacks is allowed to use again the term “healthy” on its labels, a reversal of the decision the FDA had made more than a year ago.

In March 2015, the FDA issued a warning letter to Kind, because the labels and labeling of Kind’s products bore a variety of nutrient content claims but the products did not meet the requirements to make such claims. Kind was asked to remove the word “healthy” from the back panel of four Kind wrappers and its website because the snacks contained more than 3 g of total fat or 1g of saturated fat per serving.

According to the company, nuts are a primary ingredient in Kind bars and they contain nutritious fats that exceed the amount allowed under this standard. While the company initially responded by removing healthy from its four wrappers, it maintained that its usage wasn’t a nutrient content claim. The FDA has since agreed its usage is permissible under the current rules.

“Following receipt of the closeout letter, Kind requested confirmation that it could use the phrase ‘healthy and tasty’ only in text clearly presented as its corporate philosophy, where it isn’t represented as a nutrient content claim, and

does not appear on the same display panel as nutrient content claims or nutrition information”, the FDA informed in a constituent update-.

“In our discussions with Kind we understood the company’s position as wanting to use ‘healthy and tasty’ as part of its corporate philosophy, as opposed to using ‘healthy’ in the context of a nutrient content claim”.

Kind considers that the current policy precludes foods generally considered to be good for people – like nuts, avocados and salmonfrom being labeled as healthy. “The current regulatory definition of healthy is inconsistent with federal guidelines and scientific research, as today we know it’s advisable to prioritize eating whole foods, including nuts, plants, whole grains and seafood,” said David L. Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP, Director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, who has served as a nutrition adviser to Kind.

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Business News

MONDELĒZ INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHES STRATEGIC E-COMMERCE PARTNERSHIP WITH ALIBABA GROUP

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ONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL has launched a strategic e-commerce partnership with Alibaba Group, the largest online and mobile commerce company in the world. The collaboration enables Mondelez International to further tap into the potential of e-commerce by expanding its reach and deepening its penetration in the Chinese market.

Chinese consumers are able to purchase a fuller range of Mondelez International products, including Oreo, Chips Ahoy!, belVita,Toblerone, Cadbury and Trident, through its flagship store on Alibaba’s Tmall.com platform, China’s largest third-party business-to-consumer e-commerce platform for brands and retailers.

Under this strategic partnership, the two companies work closely to further advance Mondelez International’s business strategy in China by leveraging Alibaba Group’s comprehensive e-commerce ecosystem.

Key areas of collaboration include consumer insight, cloud computing, branding and advertising solutions, product innovations and expansion of sales and distribution channels.

“This partnership with Alibaba is a significant step toward our goal of generating e-commerce revenues of at least $1 billion by 2020,” said Tim Cofer, Chief Growth Officer, Mondelez International.

Stephen Maher, President of Mondelez China, and Jing Jie, VicePresident of Alibaba Group, showcase Oreo Colorfilled as part of new strategic e-commerce partnership.

Source: Mondelez International, Inc.

“Snacking is a fast-growing sector for the e-commerce market in China and Alibaba is a powerful partner to help us capture our share of that growth by expanding our distribution channels and improving our brands’ accessibility in both rural and urban Chinese markets.”

OLAM INTERNATIONAL EXPANDS PEANUT SHELLING PRESENCE IN THE US BY THE ACQUISITION OF BROOKS PEANUT COMPANY

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LAM INTERNATIONAL LIMITED (OLAM), has acquired a 100 % interest in Brooks Peanut Company (Brooks) at an enterprise value of USD 85 million. Brooks is currently the sixth largest peanut sheller in the US and the largest Alabama-based sheller, processing approximately 110,000 Farmer Stock Tons (FST) with an annual capacity at 175,000 FST. Founded in 1959, the company is based in Samson, Alabama in the productive Southeast peanut growing region of the US. Olam’s acquisition of Brooks, which follows its acquisition of US peanut sheller McCleskey Mills Inc. in December 2014, further integrates its value chain into direct farm procurement and shelling. It strengthens Olam’s market position as the third largest peanut sheller in the US and helps expand its sourcing network into new areas in Alabama and Florida. With Brooks, Olam can further differentiate its product offering to

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customers globally and mitigate climate risks with a diversified presence across different growing areas.

President of Olam’s global peanut business, Anupam Jindel, said: “We are pleased to have the opportunity to acquire Brooks’ procurement and processing capabilities, which complement our footprint in the US and significantly strengthen our network and product offerings to our customers and growers. Given our strengths in the US peanut industry and global marketing reach, we feel quite confident that we will be able to take Brooks to its full potential fairly quickly.”

Said Barrett Brooks, President of Brooks stated: “Olam has a significant global presence in the peanut industry and we are excited to be joining their team. I believe the combination of our modern processing assets and strong procurement franchise with Olam’s expertise in peanut processing, marketing and risk management will be a very successful one.”

Business News

MARS ACQUIRES TURIN CHOCOLATES

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ARS CHOCOLATE has completed the acquisition of Turin, the manufacturer of high-quality chocolates in Mexico since 1928. Turin owns brands including Conejos, Exoticas, Huevitos, Cerezas, and Turin Specialty Chocolates.

Turin is a complementary addition to Mars Chocolate in Mexico and will create incremental opportunities to delight consumers and create growth in the Mexican chocolate category. In addition to leveraging Turin’s food service business, Mars Chocolate will also be able to bring products to the market in new and innovative ways.

With this integration, Mars Chocolate will add more than 800 associates from Turin, 20 chocolate boutiques and a manufacturing facility located in Toluca.

As family owned businesses, Mars and Turin share similar core principles and values. Like Mars, Turin has a strong commitment to quality, enabling them to build trusted brands that consumers love. With over 85 years of experience, Turin has a long history of building strong global partnerships, and Mars Chocolate pretends to continue that tradition.

“We are tremendously excited about our future together as a single company in a highly competitive market. It will be very rewarding to retain the essence of Turin, a heritage Mexican company, while leveraging Mars’ global expertise,” said Lucia Kuri, Integration Director for the acquisition.

“The combined operations will continue to innovate and deliver value for our consumers which is sure to create new opportunities in the Mexican chocolate category”, Lucia Kuri added.

AMERICANS ARE NUTS FOR ALMOND MILK Almond milk is now America’s favorite milk substitute, boasting sales growth of 250% over the past five years, according to Nielsen.

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uring that same period, however, the total milk market shrunk by more than $1 billion. And while almond milk still accounts for just a fraction of the total milk market (about 5%), it brings in more than twice the revenue of the other substitutes combined.

While this beverage could have a dairy godmother watching out for it, the uptrend in sales is more likely the result of current health and wellness trends. According to Nielsen’s 2015 Global Health and Wellness survey, consumers rated back-to-basics food attributes like “all natural,” “no artificial colors or flavors” and “made from vegetables or fruits” the most important.

While health attributes are important factors in purchase decisions for all age groups, certain attributes are more important to younger generations. Forty percent of Generation Z respondents in the global health and wellness survey said ingredients sourced sustainably are very important in their purchase decisions, followed by Millennial (38%)

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and Generation X (34%) respondents, compared with only 21% of Silent Generation respondents.

Dietary restrictions may also be playing a part in the rise of almond milk, as it lacks the lactose of traditional milk and the hormones found in soy. In fact, products labeled hormone or antibiotic free have posted double-digit growth over the past four years. They also generated $11.4 billion in sales last year. And products labeled as lactose free saw sales of $8.7 billion and grew 8.6% in the last four years.

Despite the huge growth in almond milk sales between 2011 and 2014, the pace did slow a bit in 2015, suggesting a potential plateau on the horizon. Regardless of the slowdown, it’s clear that when it comes to milk, health benefits play a major role in purchasing decisions. So whether you’re filling your glass with traditional, soy or almond milk, go ahead, have an udder one.

Business News

TESCO & STARBUCKS LAUNCH INITIATIVES TO TACKLE FOOD WASTE Several major players in the food industry have undertaken campaigns aimed at reducing the amount of food that goes to waste every day within the retail and distribution sector. wherever there’s surplus food at Tesco stores, we’re committed to donating it to local charities so we can help feed people in need”.

© Starbucks Corporation

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ESCO has set in a nationwide rollout of Community Food Connection with FareShare FoodCloud, which will redirect millions of meals of Tesco surplus food to charity by end of 2017. The move follows through a farm to fork commitment by Tesco to tackle food waste from its suppliers, through its stores, and customers’ homes.

The groundbreaking nationwide scheme was launched last March in 15 cities and regions across the UK including Manchester, Birmingham, Southampton and Portsmouth.

In the following months the initiative will be rolled out to Leeds, Leicester, Kent and the West Midlands. Tesco has said it will reach all large Tesco stores –numbering over 800– by the end of 2016, with all stores covered by the end of 2017.

Community Food Connection is powered

by FareShare FoodCloud, an open platform that helps store colleagues and charities work together seamlessly.

Dave Lewis, CEO of Tesco, said: “We believe no food that could be eaten should be wasted, that’s why we have committed that no surplus food should go to waste from our stores. We know it’s an issue our customers really care about, and

Starbucks Announces FoodShare FoodShare is a program to donate readyto-eat meals to food banks from Starbucks’ 7,600 company-operated stores in the U.S. Initially, this will be accomplished through an existing collaboration with Food Donation Connection and a new partnership with Feeding America.

In the first year alone, Starbucks FoodShare will be able to provide nearly 5 million meals to individuals and families in need of nourishing food. Starbucks intends to scale this program over the next five years and rescue 100 percent of its food available for donation from participating company-operated U.S. stores. That amounts to almost 50 million meals by 2021.

“Like many of our social impact initiatives, the innovation and inspiration comes from our partners who are volunteering in and contributing to their communities,” said John Kelly, senior vice president, Starbucks Global Responsibility, Community and Public Policy. “They saw the need for us to do more, and find a way to use our scale

to bring more nourishing and ready-to-eat meals to those in need.”

Since 2010, Starbucks stores have donated pastries through the support of Food Donation Connection (FDC), a service provider that collects pastries at the company’s stores after they can no longer be sold to customers. Starbucks worked with FDC to develop a safe process to add perishable food to the pick-up, which will be implemented in participating company-operated stores in the U.S. next year.

“This food is going to make a difference, whether it’s a child not going hungry for the night or a family that’s able to enjoy a protein plate that they would not have otherwise been able to afford at Starbucks,” said Kienan McFadden, a Starbucks store manager.

“Rescuing food in this way from being thrown away will change lives. It makes me proud to know partners are the heroes in this.”

“When we thought about our vast store footprint across the U.S. and the impact we could make, it put a fire under us to figure out how to donate this food instead of throwing it away,” said Jane Maly, brand manager, Starbucks Food team.

“The challenge was finding a way to preserve the food’s quality during delivery. We focused on maintaining the temperature, texture and flavor of the surplus food, so when it reached a person in need, they could safely enjoy it.”

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Business News

Kellogg has launched new breakfast and snack choices in U.S. The innovations include granola from Kellogg’s Raisin Bran and Cheez-It sandwich crackers. Special K debuts an innovative new crustless breakfast quiche, and there are new flavors of Pop-Tarts inspired by popular sodas.

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ELLOGG’S RAISIN BRAN expands its line up with two varieties of granola, each offering the familiar taste of the original cereal, but with the versatility and heartiness of granola.

Raisin Bran Raisin & Honey granola features granola clusters, puffed grains, crisp wheat bran flakes, raisins and honey. Raisin Bran Cranberry Almond granola includes granola clusters, puffed grains, crisp wheat bran flakes, raisins, honey, cranberries and almonds.

“Kellogg’s Raisin Bran granolas provide a variety of flavors and textures that will appeal to both Raisin Bran lovers and traditional granola fans,” said Cathy Schneck, vice president of Innovation for Kellogg U.S. Morning Foods. “We’ve stuck to our tradition of ‘two scoops of raisins’

and also included a carefully selected mix of other ingredients to provide a unique and delicious breakfast.”

In addition, the company is launching Special K Crustless Quiches, a new breakfast option that provides 10–11 g of protein and is ready from the microwave in 2 min. They are available in three varieties: Uncured Ham, Cheese, Quinoa & Peppers; Sausage, Quinoa, Peppers, Mozzarella & Asiago; and Portabella, Quinoa, Parmesan, Asiago & Kale.

According to Kellogg, these new products reflect people’s desire for wholesome foods with recognizable ingredients, the need for convenient options and the continued wish for food that is fun and delicious.

SIMPLE MILLS LAUNCHES GLUTEN-FREE ALMOND FLOUR CRACKER LINE

SOLA SNACKS PRESENTS SOLA BARS

S

S

IMPLE MILLS is extending its reach beyond the baking aisle with a new line of almond flour crackers. Each variety © Simple Mills –including Fine Ground Sea Salt, Rosemary & Sea Salt, Sundried Tomato & Basil and Farmhouse Cheddar– is Non-GMO Project Verified, certified gluten-free, paleo-friendly, and made with clean, whole food ingredients with no grain, soy or artificial flavors or fillers.

The base flour of the line is a proprietary blend of almonds, sunflower seeds and flax seeds. This combination yields a higher vitamin and mineral content than many competitive products as well as a lower carbohydrate count and glycemic impact.

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© Kellogg Co.

KELLOGG INTRODUCES RAISIN BRAN GRANOLA

OLA SNACKS has introduced Sola Bars, a blend of crunchy peanuts, seeds, spices and herbs offering great flavor and nutrient-dense ingredients through a patent-pending process that binds ingredients without the need for sugar. The bars contain 1 g of sugar.

“Many find it hard to believe that we are able to deliver healthy bars with such simple ingredients and near zero sugar content in flavors that were previously almost exclusive to salty snacks” remarks Sola Lamikanra, founder of the new startup company. “Binding compounds in our blend of healthy ingredients take the place of added sugars.”

Sola Bar’s ingredients optimize protein and fiber with culinary-inspired flavors that can stand on their own or be paired with other foods: salads, soups, main courses... Sola Bars come in four varieties: Roasted Garlic with Sea Salt, Jalapeno, Chipotle and Cinnamon.

Gourmet

“ are the best qualities of nuts and dried fruits in cuisine”

GREAT TEXTURE AND DEPTH OF FLAVOR

CHRISTOPHER KOSTOW

CHEF AT THE RESTAURANT AT MEADOWOOD. INC AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN GASTRONOMY 2016 Photo: Courtesy of The Restaurant at Meadowood

A Michelin-starred chef before the age of 30, Christopher Kostow takes a thoughtful approach to food that belies his age. Drawing upon his own American upbringing but more importantly the bounty of the surrounding valley, Christopher creates a transcendent experience for diners every night at The Restaurant at Meadowood.

as one of Food & Wine Magazine’s Best New Chefs 2009. In February 2010, Christopher garnered a rare four stars in the San Francisco Chronicle and was soon awarded the highest ranking of three Michelin Stars from the esteemed 2011 Guide. Christopher is the second American-born chef and third youngest chef ever to receive three Michelin Stars.

Christopher, a Chicago native, trained in kitchens far and wide: from a Paris bistro to the Michelin-starred Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier. Upon returning to the States, Christopher worked as sous chef under Daniel Humm in San Francisco. He soon became top toque at Chez TJ in Mountain View, California, garnering the restaurant many accolades including two Michelin stars and a coveted spot on Food & Wine’s list of Top Ten Dishes of the Year in 2007.

Christopher and The Restaurant at Meadowood team have since retained the three stars from Michelin in the 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 editions of the San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country Restaurants Guide; as well as the four stars in San Francisco Chronicle. In May of 2013, Christopher was awarded Best Chef: West by the James Beard Foundation.

Upon arriving at The Restaurant Meadowood in February of 2008, Christopher maintained two Michelin Stars, was nominated for Best Chef: Pacific by the James Beard Foundation and named

Ten Speed Press published Christopher’s debut book, A New Napa Cuisine, in October of 2014. In March of 2015, his work was awarded “Book of the Year” by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP).

You have a degree in Philosophy.

Does that experience help you in your work?

It teaches you how to absorb information and distill it into something more personal.

Christopher Kostow had already received three Michelin Star at the age of 34. Being so young, did it change you somewhat?

Earning three stars certainly provides some confidence and encouragement to continue on the path that you are on. It truly made me appreciative of the contributions that everyone has made to those stars (because they are certainly not mine), including the front of house, kitchen team and our financial partners.

How has the project evolved since you arrived at The Restaurant at Meadowood in February 2008?

It’s an entirely different restaurant - more personal and less formal. It is more creative and artistic. The food, the service, and the physical space has changed as a reflection of those things.

Were you to mention a mentor as a chef, who would you choose?

You aim to open a new restaurant in the short term. What will make The Charter Oak different from The Restaurant at Meadowood?

I’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing chefs. Daniel Humm has an uncompromising sense of quality and Trey Foshee is very good at showing the context, why things have value and the value of good products.

It will be a more casual experience with a lower price point and seemingly simpler style of cooking. Simple is often times harder to accomplish. The experience will be familiar and celebratory. The Charter Oak will have © Photo by Peden+Munk from ‘A New Napa Cuisine’.

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Gourmet

Matsutake plankton almond Yield: 4 servings

Matsutakes 20 grams (3 tablespoons) | marine phytoplankton 100 grams (1/2 cup) | water 4 matsutakes, whole, peeled

Marcona almonds 400 grams (2 3/4 cups) | marcona almonds 800 grams (3 ½ cups) | water 30 grams (2 tablespoons) | crème fraiche Maldon salt

To serve 28 ice lettuce leaves Plankton slurry

1. In a small metal bowl, mix the plankton and water together until smooth.

2. Brush the plankton slurry onto the matsutakes, allow the slurry to dry slightly and repeat with a second brushing of plankton.

3. Once the matsutakes are well coated, dry at room temperature for 4 hours, or until the slurry is completely dry.

4. Slice thinly on a mandolin, about five perfect slices per mushroom. Hold between parchment paper in the refrigerator.

5. Reserve the remaining slurry for garnishing the plate.

1. Roast the marcona almonds in an oven set at 325 °F (163 °C) for 10 minutes, or until golden brown and fragrant. Reserve 10 almonds and put the rest in a pressure cooker.

2. Add to the pressure cooker 800 grams (3 1/3 cups) of water and run a high pressure cycle for 30 minutes.

3. Strain the liquid from the almonds and put into a blender top, reserving the liquid separately. Add the crème fraiche and mix on high for 1 minute, or until smooth.

4. Add some of the cooking liquid from the almonds if the puree is not turning freely in the blender. Season with maldon salt and strain through a chinois into a bowl set over an ice bath. Once cool, place in a squeeze bottle.

Streak the plankton slurry on a plate in a random order. Place a few dots of the puree and put a couple of toasted almonds on the puree. Lay five slices of the matsutakes on the puree.

Garnish with the ice lettuce.

Credit photo: Courtesy of ‘A New Napa Cuisine’

the same ethos of good products and good cooking as The Restaurant.

Which are the main trends emerging in cuisine?

Why Napa Valley has had a major influence on your perception of cooking?

Hyper-locality and live-fire cooking are not necessarily emerging but something that is being discussed more often. Revisiting and re-examining the dining process as a whole is also a topic of conversation.

I am constantly inspired by the beauty of this place and the creative and dynamic people who live here.

What makes a dish memorable?

What’s the way you combine nuts and dried fruits in your culinary creations?

First and foremost, that it’s delicious, that it showcases the product in a way you haven’t seen before. That it’s intelligent in its simplicity.

California is home to America’s premiere nut and fruit growing regions, including Napa Valley which, for example, has a long history as

a producer of walnuts and prunes. We certainly try to incorporate those products in our cooking today. We use unripe walnuts for nocino, Armenian style black walnuts, and dried fruits in many preparations; it’s something that we are very mindful of.

In your opinion, what are the best qualities nuts and dried fruit can add to your cuisine?

Certainly, great texture and depth of flavor.

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

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Legal Update

LEGAL UPDATE PESTICIDES CANADA: MRLs UPDATE

CHINA, TAIWAN: MRLs UPDATE

The proposed maximum residue limit (PMRL) for mandestrobin in raisins has been adopted at 7.0 ppm.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare of the separate customs territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu has notified the World Trade Organization of the Draft Standards for Pesticide Residue Limits in Foods.

The draft includes the following maximum reside limits (MRL) in nuts and dried fruits.

JAPAN: MRLs UPDATE

Pesticide

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan has notified the World Trade Organization of the “Revision of the Standards and Specifications for Foods and Food Additives under the Food Sanitation Act (revision of agricultural chemical residue standards)�, which includes the following maximum residue limits (MRL) in nuts and dried fruits.

Pesticide Chlorobenzilate

Product

MRL (ppm)

peanuts, dates, pecans, walnuts, almonds and other nuts

0.01

Thifensulfuron

peanuts

0.01

Diethofencarb

peanuts, apricot, plum, cranberry, grape, date, pecans, walnuts, almonds and other nuts

0.01

apricot, cranberry, grapes, dates, pecans, almonds, walnuts and other nuts

0.01

peanuts

0.09

Dinoseb Thiometon

Tepraloxydim Fenobucarb Fluopyram

Fluazifop-butyl

5.0

peanuts

2.0

apricot, pecans, cranberry, grapes and other nuts

USA: MRLs UPDATE The Environmental Protection Agency has established the following maximum residue limits (MRL) in nuts and fruits.

0.01

MRL (ppm)

hazelnut, almond

Acequinocyl

plum, apricot

0.5

Chlorantraniliprole

peanut

0.3

Cyflumetofen

almond, pecan

Fenazaquin

grape

0.1

Acetamiprid

peanut

1.0

Carfentrazone-ethyl

hazelnut

0.1

Deltamethrin

peanut

0.1

Fluazinam

plum, apricot

0.5

almond, pecan

0.02

peanut

0.04

grape

3.0

Flupyradifurone Fluopyram

Formetanate Isoprothiolane Sulfoxafor

Pesticide

0.05

0.01

fig

Fluxapyroxad

apricot and grapes

Product

Chlorothalonil

2.0

almond

0.05

pecan

0.06

peanut

0.1

grape

0.4

apricot

0.1

grape

2.0

raisin

6.0

MRL (ppm)

Adoption Date

Diflubenzuron

tree group 14-12

Product

0.20

12-02-2016

Penoxsulam

stone, group 12-12; nut, tree, group 14-12

0.01

02-03-2016

grape, raisin Fluopyram Cyprodinil Abamectin Carfentrazone-ethyl Chlorantraniliprole

3.0

nut, tree, group 14-12; plum subgroup 12-12C

0.05

peanut

0.20

nut, tree group 14-12; except almond and pistachio

0.04

fruit, stone, group 12-12

0.09

nut, tree, group 14-12

0.01

fruit, stone, group 12-12; nut, tree, group 14-12

0.10

fruit, stone, group 12-12 nut, tree, group 14-12

2.5 0.02

08-03-2016 19-04-2016 02-05-2016 02-05-2016 14-06-2016

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

21

Legal Update EU: MRLs UPDATE The European Commission has issued the following regulations amending maximum residue limits (MRL) of pesticides in nuts and fruits.

Pesticide 1-methylcyclopropene

Product

MRL (ppm)

Adoption date

Regulation

16 August 2016

Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/71 of 26 January 2016

26 August 2016

Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/156 of 18 January 2016

10 August 2016

Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/60 of 19 January 2016

19 October 2016

Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/452 of 29 March 2016

0.02 * 0.06 * 0.03 * 0.3 0.03 * 0.02 * 0.01 * 0.02 * 3 0.01 * 1 0.01 * 0.15 0.02 * 0.02 * 0.01 * 0.1 * 0.1 * 0.1 * 0.07 * 0.03 * 6

Tolclofos-methyl

Tree nuts, peanuts Tree nuts, peanuts Apricots Plums Grapes, cranberries, dates, figs Tree nuts Apricots, cranberries, dates, figs Tree nuts, peanuts Apricots, plums Grapes, dates, figs Cranberries Apricots, plums, grapes, dates, figs Cranberries Peanuts Tree nuts, peanuts Apricots, grapes, cranberries, dates figs Plums Tree nuts, stone fruit, grapes, cranberries, dates, figs, peanuts Tree nuts, stone fruit, grapes, cranberries, dates, figs, peanuts Tree nuts and peanuts Apricots, plums, cranberries, dates, figs Grapes Almonds, brazil nuts, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, walnuts Pistachios, peanuts Apricots, grapes Plums Cranberries Dates, figs Tree nuts, plums, cranberries, dates, figs Apricots Grapes Peanuts Almonds, brazil nuts, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, plums, cranberries, dates, figs Pecans, peanuts Apricots Grapes Tree nuts, apricots, plums, grapes, cranberries, dates, figs, peanuts

Chlorpyrifos

Grapes

0.01 *

Tree nuts, peanuts Apricots Plums Grapes, cranberries, dates, figs Almonds, brazil nuts, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, plums, dates, figs, peanuts Pecans Apricots Grapes, cranberries Apricots, plums, cranberries, dates, figs Grapes

0.07 * 6 10 0.03 *

Tree nuts, peanuts, fruits

0.05 *

13 October 2016

Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/440 of 23 March 2016

0.01 0.6 0.6 1 2

5 May 2016

Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/567 of 6 April 2016

Flonicamid

Flutriafol

Pirimicarb

Prothioconazole

Teflubenzuron Indolylacetic acid Indolylbutyric acid Folpet

Boscalid

Clothianidin

Thiamethoxam

Captan

Propiconazole

Spiroxamine Atrazine Cyflumetofen Fenamidone Fluopyram Myclobutanil

Tree nuts Grapes Grapes Apricots Plums

* Indicates lower limit of analytical determination.

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July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

0.05 * 1 5 3 15 0.01 * 0.01 * 0.15 0.7 0.02 * 0.01 * 0.02 * 0.07 0.4 0.01 *

0.01 * 0.02 * 0.15 0.3 0.01 * 0.6

Legal Update

CONTAMINANTS AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND: RAW APRICOT KERNELS

THAILAND: AFLATOXINS IN PEANUTS; NEW CONTROL MEASURES

EFSA: APRICOT KERNELS, SCIENTIFIC OPINION

The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has approved the Proposal P1016 Hydrocyanic Acid in Apricot Kernels & Other Foods, which amends the Food Standards Code for hydrocyanic acid in raw apricot kernels.

The regulatory measure prohibits the sale of raw apricot kernels and their use as an ingredient unless the kernels have been or will be subject to processing or a treatment that renders them safe for human consumption.

The National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards of Thailand has notified the World Trade Organization of the Draft Thai Agricultural Standard “Peanut Kernel: Maximum Level of Aflatoxin”, establishing maximum level of total aflatoxins (sum of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2) in peanut kernel at 20 μg/kg (ppb). The standard also establishes the control measures to reduce aflatoxins in raw dried peanut kernel intended to be used as food. The standard will enter into force on January 6, 2017.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently published the “Scientific Opinion on Acute health risks related to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides in raw apricot kernels and products derived from raw apricot kernels”, concluding that eating more than 3 small raw apricot kernels (370 mg) in a serving can exceed the safe levels (known as the Acute Reference Dose, or “ARfD”).

EU: INCREASED LEVEL OF OFFICIAL CONTROLS On 24 March 2016, the European Union published the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/443 amending the list of feed and food of non-animal origin subject to an increased level of official controls on imports. As for nuts and dried fruits, the control frequency is listed as follows:

Feed and food

Country of origin

Hazard

Frequency of physical and identity checks (%)

Dried grapes (vine fruit) (Food)

Afghanistan

Ochratoxin A

50

Almonds (in shell, shelled)

Australia

Aflatoxins

20

Groundnuts (peanuts), otherwise prepared or preserved

Gambia

Aflatoxins

Madagascar

Aflatoxins

Sudan

Aflatoxins

Dried apricots

Turkey

Sulphites

10

Pistachios (in shell, shelled)

United States

Aflatoxins

20

Dried apricots

Uzbekistan

Sulphites

50

50

PACKAGING AND LABELING EU: PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION FOR STAFIDA SOULTANINA KRITIS The Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/80 of 13 January 2016 has awarded sultanas Stafida Soultanina Kritis produced in Crete (Greece) as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). The Regulation entered into force on 15 February 2016.

EU: PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN FOR DRIED FIGS “AYDIN INCIRI”

USA: NUTRITION FACTS LABEL On 20 May 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalized the “Food Labeling: Revision of the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels” amending the labeling regulation for conventional foods and dietary supplements to provide updated nutrition information on the label.

Manufactures with more than $10 million in annual food sales will be require to use the new label by July 26, 2018. The others manufactures will be an additional year to comply with the new rules.

The Nutrition Facts label regulations apply to packaged foods except certain meat, poultry and processed egg products, which are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/215 of 1 February 2016 has recognized the Turkish dried figs “Aydın Inciri” as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product in the EU. This Regulation entered into force on 8 March 2016.

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

23

Feature Articles

SUSTAINABILITY IN COMPANIES Nowadays, implementing sustainability for companies is not a ‘nice to have’ but a ‘must do’. With the adoption of the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ in 2015 by the United Nations there exists a binding normative framework for that purpose.

T

oday in particular, industrialized nations are operating as if they had the resources and systemic services of more than one earth at their disposal. Projection is that the ecological capacity of the earth will be exceeded by 180-220 % until 2050.

That means that we are strongly endangering our livelihood. The food sector is affected in a particular fashion: today, still 795 million people are undernourished meaning that one in nine humans in the world has simply not enough to eat. On the other hand, two in nine people are overweight or even obese. This discrepancy shows that limited resources are not only an ecological problem, but also a social one.

Due to changing lifestyles as well as rising economic prosperity, also dietary patterns have significantly changed in the past decades. In particular, the dramatic increase in the share of animal-derived products such as meat and dairy products since the beginning of the 1950s has to be mentioned. These changes influence agricultural land needed to produce food. Although agriculture has become more and more productive in the last decades, due to more land consuming nutrition habits and population growth, land use conflicts will enhance in the future and climate change affecting agricultural production will even increase these conflicts.

Thus, the ecological and social problems related to food consumption will become more serious globally in the future and a change towards more sustainable food consumption and production is urgently needed.

Sustainable Development In 1987, the Brundtland report defined sustainability as follows: “Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the

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present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

In 1992, the United Nations (UN) adopted sustainable development as a general principle that should lead activities worldwide. But it took another 23 years until the world’s nations could agree upon 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in September 2015 reflecting the challenges we have to solve. Amongst others, these are poverty and hunger, health and wellbeing, good education and gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, responsible consumption and production, climate change, and biodiversity losses. Furthermore, also in 2015, 195 nations adopted the first universal climate agreement to combat climate change.

Sustainability Issues in the Food Sector The most relevant sustainability issue in the food sector is the environmental performance particularly in agriculture. Issues are water, pesticides, fertilizers, and land use with its impacts on societies and biodiversity, but also greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, ethical issues like fair payment, compliance with the conventions of the International Labour Organization and animal welfare are relevant.

Regarding environmental issues related to nuts and dried fruits, climate change aspects are less important, in particular if fruits are sundried.

However, water scarcity, pesticides, fertilizer and also land use with its impacts on biodiversity are very important environmental issues that have to be tackled. Additionally, socio-ethical issues are relevant for the sector. For example, in some regions forced labour and child labour are still a problem. In general, fairness along the value chain has clearly to be borne in mind.

Dr. Ulrike Eberle, Dr. Christian Geßner, Dr. Axel Kölle

Centre for Sustainable Corporate Leadership (ZNU) at Witten/Herdecke University, Germany.

Contact: ulrike.eberle@uni-wh.de

Thus, this means that our nutrition would be sustainable if it was environmentally friendly, healthy and constitutional, and ethically responsible. But furthermore it has to fit in everyday’s life and has to allow socio-cultural diversity. Moreover, there is not just one way to achieve more sustainability in the food sector.

Every company and every individual has to define its own way through the sustainability jungle.

Sustainable Business In 1987, Gro Harlem Brundtland stated that “more market freedom brings along a greater responsibility“. Therefore, first of all, sustainable business requires to assume more responsibility: for humans and nature, for the value chain and also for an open dialogue with stakeholders.

More general, sustainability implies to safeguard the company for the future. Hence, sustainable leadership is oriented towards a mission statement that follows the principles of sustainable development. In 2015, Ban Ki Moon, Secretary-General of the UN, invited companies to actively contribute to the SDGs: “Business is a vital partner in achieving the SDGs. Companies can contribute through their core activities, and we ask companies everywhere to assess their impact, set ambitious goals and communicate transparently about the results."

If sustainability is implemented well in the core activities of a company, it will lead to more added value. Orienting a company’s activities towards the guiding principles of sustainability is a management task and requires to implement a Sustainability Management System. It implies to align company’s activities to economically viable sustainability principles. Sustainable business is not just a technical management task, but also an ethical challenge and an essential task for leadership.

Feature Articles

Doing it Well: Learning Path to Sustainable Business Companies which seek to implement sustainability have to be aware of the following four principles: • Sustainable business is more than complying with legal requirements. It rather takes the fulfilment of laws and regulations for granted.

• Sustainability has to be part of all activities, but the company decides which activities and sustainability issues are most important.

This requires to systematically analyze main sustainability impacts of the company’s activities.

• Sustainability management takes stakeholders requirements into account: interests of internal and external stakeholders have to be identified, assessed and brought in line with the company’s interests.

• Sustainability management has to be based on the principles “reflect– act–check–communicate”. The basic guidelines and targets have to be planned, implemented, controlled and evaluated within the organizational structure and process organization to assure continuous improvements.

To accompany companies on their way through the sustainability jungle, the Centre for Sustainable Corporate Leadership (ZNU) has developed a learning path to sustainable business.

First step is that companies have to be sensitized for sustainability issues like climate change and energy efficiency, the severity of biodiversity losses, resource efficiencies and social aspects such as labour and health issues along their products’ value chains.

Next step will be to carry out a ‘sustainability check’ to identify the status quo regarding sustainability issues within the company and to get an internal benchmark.

Furthermore, persons in charge for sustainability in the company can participate in a training – the ‘Sustainabilty ManagerFood’.

This training has been devised by ZNU and is carried out regularly. Purpose is to enable staff members to manage sustainability issues.

And last but not least, companies are encouraged to have their sustainability activities certified by a Sustainability Management System. For that purpose, the certifiable ZNU standard ‘Sustainable Business’Food has been developed. The standard consists of two

parts, sustainable corporate management and sustainability issues: Within the first part, the well-known principle ‘plan-do-check-act’ has been further developed to ‘reflect-act-check-communicate’.

‘Reflect’ includes prognosis, mission statement and goals; ‘act’ refers to the institutional capacity and learning/education process; ‘check’ is related to diagnosis and ‘communicate’ to the internal and external stakeholder dialogue.

The second part refers to environmental, economic and social sustainability issues: climate change and energy, ressources, biodiversity; animal welfare; sustainable value creation and fair payment, quality and consumer protection, influence on society and anticorruption; human rights, health, diversity and demography.

Today, in Germany 30 sites of 14 food companies like Ültje, Bahlsen and Ritter Sport are certified according to the ZNU standard ‘Sustainable BusinessFood’. In the next years, the standard will go more and more international.

First step starting in 2016 is an international stakeholder dialogue assuring ISEAL conformity.

Amongst others, also companies are invited to contribute to improve the standard.

Fig. 1. ZNU standard ‘Sustainable BusinessFood’

Sustainable corporate management

Reflection Prognosis Mission statement Objectives

Evaluation Diagnosis

Action Institutional capacity Learning process

Communication Internal and external stakeholder dialogue

Sustainable issues

Environment Climate / Energy Resources Biodiversity / Animal welfare

Social aspects Human rights Health Diversity / Demography

Economic aspects Sustainable Value creation / Fair payment Quality / Consumer protection Influence on Society / Anticorruption

© ZNU

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

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Feature Articles

TRENDS IN NUTS, A U.S. PERSPECTIVE

Lynn Dornblaser

Nuts of all kinds, used in a wide range of ways, easily fit into consumers’ lifestyles.

A look at the overarching trends behind food and beverage product development illustrate how nuts fulfill essential consumer needs.

N

uts can serve several essential functions for consumers. They can satisfy a craving for a salty snack. They provide essential nutrients, including “good fats.” They are good sources of protein, important for the growing number of vegetarians in the US market.

And, quite simply, they offer taste and texture variety.

Because of those factors, and others, we have seen the number of new product introductions that contain nuts (see Fig. 1) continue to grow in the US market in the last five years. Mintel’s Global New Products Database, which tracks new product innovation in 52 countries, reported more than 2,500 new product introductions in the US in 2015 that contained nuts. That number is more than twice the number of similar products introduced in 2012. While most of the introductions appear in the Snacks category (snack nuts, snack bars and the like), other categories have shown growth over time, especially Bakery Products (think cookies and crackers), Breakfast Cereals and Sweet Spreads (think alternatives to standard peanut butter).

The area of greatest growth has been in snack and energy bars, as nuts provide an additional protein source (in addition to soy protein, pea protein or other proteins), plus textural interest and “natural” cues.

Another area of growth has been in snack mixes, where nuts and other components come together for a sweet and savory snack. One of the more unusual recent introductions of this type comes from a company called Dick Stevens, with its Original Blen Beef Jerky Mix, which contains beef jerky bits, raw almonds, macadamia nuts and dried blueberries.

What’s behind this growth? We know that virtually everyone snacks (Mintel’s consumer research indicates that 95% of consumers say they snack). We also know that they snack on a variety of things, with 76% saying they snack on nuts, with only potato chips being more popular (81%). It appears that the healthy halo of nuts works in their favor, as we see that consumers look for “naturalness” in the snacks they purchase. And, although “natural” as a term is under fire at the moment, the idea behind the word is what consumers are looking for: easy-to-understand ingredients in a form they can recognize. That helps to underscore the popularity of snacks such as Kind bars or Mars’ new Goodness Knows bars.

To better understand what is driving this popularity of nuts, it is useful to look at big-picture trends that drive consumption. We have identified three major trends that apply to nuts and nut consumption. Let’s look at each one in turn to understand what is happening in the market and in consumers’ minds.

TREND #1: Alternatives Everywhere Veggie burgers and non-dairy milks have escaped the realm of serving as substitutes primarily for people with dietary concerns, consumers with allergies, and followers of vegetarian or vegan diets, and now have broader

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Mintel’s Director of Insight and Innovation.

appeal. That almond milk or non-dairy yogurt is no longer for the consumer who has an allergic reaction to dairy ingredients, but rather for consumers today who are more interested in experimentation than ever before. We see in our data, for example, that 29% of consumers say they like to have occasional Meatless Mondays, illustrating how consumers are cutting back on animal-based protein sources. And a fifth of consumers say they are trying to get more of their protein from plant sources.

Perhaps, the most important point with this trend, though, is that more than half of consumers say they prefer to get their protein from sources that are naturally rich in protein. Meaning, they are looking to nuts, grains, and other easily-understood protein sources over the vegetarian version of “mystery meat.” That is extremely good news for nuts, and key to growth in introductions.

As we look more closely at dairy alternative beverages, we see that almond as a base ingredient is the most prevalent, although it is coconut and cashew that showed growth in 2015. Soy-based beverages continue to decline, and we also see some new non-nut base ingredients appear on the market. The success of almond-based dairy alternative beverages is likely partly due to good promotion and to superior taste to many of the other choices in the market.

But we see these dairy alternatives moving beyond just beverages, with companies such as Kite Hill with a line of yogurts billed as “artisan almond milk yogurt.”

They are premium priced (and premium looking) cup yogurts that are positioned as soy and dairy free. The company says the peach variety, for instance, is made with “creamy almond milk, local peaches, and live active cultures.”

Fig 1. US new product introduction with various types of nuts, 2011-2015 3,000

2,500 2,000

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Peanut

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Feature Articles We can expect, moving forward, that dairy alternative beverages will continue to grow, and that the number of type of base ingredients used ot make them will continue to increase. Nuts can play a role here because of their familiar taste and natural appeal. It should be noted that we do not see more consumers converting to a vegetarian lifestyle, but rather we see more consumers willing to experiment and try a variety of new things.

TREND #2: Artificial, Public Enemy #1 As stated previously, consumers are demanding more natural and “less processed” food and drink, which in turn is forcing companies to reformulate and remove artificial ingredients. The primary reason: Consumers are paying more attention to what is in their food. The reason they are doing this is not one that seems logical to the food and beverage industry, however.

Our research reveals that 71% of consumers agree “there are probably more harmful or excess ingredients in food than manufacturers are telling us.” What they likely mean by that is that certain ingredients are ones they have been taught are bad for them by food activists. That would include artificial colors, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, and essentially, any ingredient they cannot easily recognize or understand, unfortunately.

Companies across the board have been reformulating or pledging to reformulate. In the foodservice arena, for example, Kraft has taken out artificial colors and flavors from its traditional Mac & Cheese, while Pepsi has reformulated Diet Pepsi to take out aspartame and substitute sucralose.

When looking at new product development, we see the percent of products globally that contain artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners has gradually dropped over time. This reflects how companies have been slowly reformulating (or, when introducing completely new products, choosing natural ingredients to start with). One great nut-based example of this more “simple” formulation trend comes from General Mills with its Nature Valley Simple Nut Bars. The company says the bars contain “simple ingredients from nature including nuts, seeds, honey, and sea salt.”

In 2016 and beyond, expect to see more products with a focus on this type of simplicity. Consumers expect products to be closer to nature, and that the claims companies make about the products are clear and truthful.

When it comes to products that contain nuts, we see items that are from smaller companies, focusing on the naturalness and “better” formulation than others, such as the nut butter blends in individual sachets from Justin’s. This brand, now owned by Hormel, is one of a growing number of small companies that have been purchased by larger ones, yet essentially left to their own devices. Justin’s headquarters will remain in Boulder, CO, for example, and one can assume that the company will continue to develop and market products with the all-natural “good for you” positioning it has always had. That tactic is one that many large companies turn to in order to deliver on authentic food experiences. Other, larger companies, look instead to products that have simple ingredient statements or are easily understood. One example of that comes from Abbott Labs, with its Zone Perfect Perfectly Simple bars, which have a smaller, more easily understood ingredient statement.

Summing Up Nuts are perfectly placed today to deliver on the benefits consumers are demanding. Whether the end product is healthy or indulgent, familiar or unique, nuts have a place to play. In addition, as simple formulations and “naturalness” continue to grow and drive consumer choices, nuts can help many companies deliver those benefits. Moving forward, look for more development in nut-based dairy alternative beverages, more activity in snack and nutrition bars where the nuts can be the star, and also likely in ethnic cuisines that already have a strong focus on nuts.

TREND #3: Based on a True Story Consumers have been romanced by the stories products are telling about their origin, ingredients, or inspiration, but confusion arises when similar claims are being made by legitimately hand-crafted products as well as mass-produced food and drink.

This trend has its roots in the fact that consumers tend to trust smaller companies more than larger companies. In fact, Mintel’s data reveals that 42% of US consumers say “I would expect food produced by smaller companies to generally be more ethical.” Larger companies understand this, and are actively trying to find ways to deliver authentic, genuine food experiences to consumers.

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Feature Articles

YOUTH IN AFRICAN AGRICULTURE: REVERSING THE EXODUS The dynamism, energy and innovative potential of young people will be a key resource as agricultural systems adapt to a range of challenges in the decades ahead. The myriad challenges facing farming communities –notably increasing food production to meet global demand that is expected to rise by 60% by 20501 adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change, redressing biodiversity loss and preserving ecosystems and competing in more interconnected and demanding national and global food markets– will be impossible to address without the engagement of today and tomorrow's youth. These challenges are especially notable in sub-Saharan Africa, where the need to increase productivity is greatest. Given this background, observations of a youth exodus from rural farming communities should raise alarms and require urgent attention.

David Suttie

has worked for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) since 2010, mostly as Policy Analyst.

He previously worked at the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

C

onsider that in Africa today, over 60% of the population are below the age of 252; the youth population will continue to rise in sub-Saharan Africa throughout the 21st century even as it is projected to decline in other regions (see Figure 1). These numbers of young people represent a potential demographic dividend and an opportunity to transform agriculture on the continent – but only if enabling policies and investments create incentives for young people to engage in the sector.

widespread withdrawal from work on the land as an emerging norm". And in western Kenya, Oucho, Oucho and Ochieng'8, while acknowledging potential employment opportunities associated with youth rural out-migration, report that younger working-age people are often leaving rural areas, leaving behind only young children and elderly people who have limited resources and energy to make the most of agricultural resources.

Figure 1. Growing youth populations in sub-Saharan Africa

Projections

Millions 500 450

Eastern Asia Middle East & North Africa South-Central Asia Latin America and the Caribbean South-Eastern Asia & Oceania Europe & Northern America Sub-Saharan Africa

400 350 300 250 200 150 100

Source: Based on United Nations (2011)3 data cited by Proctor and Lucchesi 2012.4 Available at http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/14617IIED.pdf#page=13

50 0

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Youth Abandoning Agriculture There are legitimate concerns around agriculture and rural areas losing a significant share of their young and educated labour force through migration, particularly given that young people are observed to be more likely to migrate than older adults.5 These concerns are even greater in a broader context of urbanization that sees a growing numbers of food consumers relative to producers –both in sub-Saharan Africa and globally– suggesting that young people may be abandoning farming at a time when they are most needed.

Recent qualitative research conducted by UNESCO addressing youth interest and capacity with respect to agricultural work found that young people generally did not view agriculture as an attractive or interesting way of making a living.6 Similarly, research by Leavy and Hossian (2014)7 demonstrates that "emerging evidence about the material realities and social norms and desires of young people... indicates a reasonably

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2040

2050

2060

Despite Improvements, Continuing Concern Around African Agricultural Productivity These trends are of particular concern when one considers the urgent need to improve agricultural productivity across sub-Saharan Africa.

Despite encouraging improvements in recent years – agricultural labour productivity increases, including on smallholder farms, have been of the order of 24 per cent compared to the early 1990s9 – agricultural productivity remains significantly lower than other developing regions. To illustrate the scope of the problem, consider that in West Africa farmer yields from rainfed crops are reported to be typically below one half of their potential.10 Further, ACET11 estimates cereal yields across sub-Saharan Africa to be significantly lower than the yields of benchmark comparator early transforming countries from Asia and Latin America (see Figure 2). These low levels of productivity limit potential for agricultural transformation and for feeding the continent's estimate 220 million undernourished people.12

Feature Articles

Cereal yields (kilograms per hectare)

Figure 2. Gaps in agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa PRODUCTIVITY IN AGRICULTURE 5,000

4,568

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0 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2011 Sub-Saharan Africa

Earlier transformers

Source: Extracted from World Development Indicators by ACET (2014)11 Available at http://africantransformation.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2014-africantransformation-report.pdf#page=41

Youth Needed in African Smallholder Farming in the Decades Ahead Given this broad context, it is important to highlight the role of smallholder family agriculture, which dominates agricultural production and employment across sub-Saharan Africa. Smallholder units represent an estimated 80 per cent of farms in the region and contribute up to 90 per cent of food production in some countries13, despite facing significant constraints in accessing and using new technologies, inputs and technical support, and accessing to output market opportunities.14 Smallholder agriculture is of particular interest in the context of African youth considering its potential in: • Employment creation - smallholder farming creates relatively more jobs than larger scale models due to its labour intensity.

• Driving multiplier rural economic benefits due to the retention of value in local communities and short links with downstream (e.g. input provision) and upstream (e.g. storage, processing) segments of food value chains.15 • Contributing to overall structural transformation processes.16

The Building Blocks of Change So the key emerging question is: how to make smallholder family farming attractive to youth in sub-Saharan Africa?

First, shaking-up the image of agriculture to make it appealing to young Africans means investing in smallholder farming, recognizing the key role this group is already playing in improving agricultural productivity across the continent. Key will be ensuring smallholders have access to

modern technologies, training, markets and extending and adapting financial services to the needs of young farmers. Innovative partnerships that empower especially young smallholders and their organizations to have an effective and equitable role in the design and implementation of contractual arrangements across food value chains must be promoted.

And specific, targeted measures are needed to expand the access and rights to land of young people, with particular focus on the needs of young women.

Second, Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) can play a major role in upgrading and improving the appeal of agriculture, developing young people’s capacities, and creating agri-entrepreneurship opportunities by easing access to business and market (especially pricing) information. Investing in extending these technologies to rural areas –often through risk-reducing arrangements between public and private actors– targeting young people in an important element of bringing about an attractive, viable and profitable agriculture that young people want to be a part of.

Third, specific efforts are needed to include the voices of young rural people in policy and planning processes surrounding food and agriculture.

While youth issues are receiving greater attention across Africa, young people living in rural areas are all too absent from relevant debates and their specific needs and aspirations are all too often unknown or not taken into account. Supporting and engaging with youth organizations – particularly in rural areas – as well as facilitating youth engagement in farmers', rural workers' and women's organizations will be a key step to building a policy and institutional environment capable of developing an agriculture sector that is attractive to young people.

Fourth, if young people are to engage in productive, profitable agriculture responding to the environmental, economic and nutrition challenges of the future, they will need opportunities to develop suitable capacities. Education policies and investments are urgently needed to upgrade formal schooling in rural areas, adapting curricula to address key agricultural issues and competencies, and taking concrete steps to widen access (for instance through conditional social transfers), especially among girls, who are particularly likely to drop out.17 Most broadly, specific policy attention to the dynamics around agestructure of agriculture will be essential going forward. From an efficiency and an ethical perspective, targeted attention, investments and inclusion of young people into planning around food systems will be indispensable to achieving the agricultural transformation needed to reduce and eradicate hunger and malnourishment in the decades ahead.

References. 1. Alexandratos, N. and Bruinsma, J. 2012. World Agriculture towards 2030/2050: The 2012 Revision. ESA Working Paper No. 12-03. Rome: FAO. 2. UNDESA. 2013. Cross-national comparisons of internal migration: An update on global patterns and trends. Population Division Technical Paper No. 2013/1. New York: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 3. United Nations. 2011. World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. New York. 4. Proctor, F. and Lucchesi, V. 2012. Small-scale farming and youth in an era of rapid rural change. London and The Hague: International Institute for Environment and Development & Hivos. 5. UN-Habitat. 2010. State of the urban youth 2010/2011: Levelling the playing field. Nairobi: UN-Habitat. 6. IFAD and UNESCO. Forthcoming: Learning knowledge and skills to improve agriculture and rural livelihoods: Draft synthesis report. Paris: IFAD and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. 7. Leavy, J and Hossain, N. 2014. Who wants to farm? Youth Aspirations, Opportunities and Rising Food Prices. Brighton: IDS. 8. Oucho, J.O., Oucho, L.A, and Ochieng', V. 2014. Is migration the solution to poverty alleviation in Kenya? Rural-urban migration experiences of migrants from western Kenya to Kisumu and Nairobi. Migrating out of Poverty Research Consortium. Working Paper 21. University of Sussex. 9. Wiggins, S. 2014.

African agricultural development: Lessons and challenges. JAE, Vol. 53, No.3. 10. Nin-Pratt, A., Johnson, M., Magalhaes, E., You, L., Diao, X., Chamberlin, J. 2011. Yield Gaps and Potential Agricultural Growth in West and Central Africa. Research Monograph. Washington D.C.: International Food Policy Research Institute. 11. African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET). 2014. 2014 African Transformation Report: Growth with Depth. Accra: ACET. 12. FAO, IFAD and WFP. 2015. The state of food insecurity in the world 2015. Meeting the 2015 international hunger targets: taking stock of uneven progress. Rome: FAO. 13. Wiggins, S. and Keats, S. 2013. Leaping and learning: Linking smallholders to markets. London: Agriculture for impact, Imperial College London and Overseas Development Institute. 14. Suttie, D. and Benfica, R. Forthcoming.

Fostering Inclusive Outcomes in sub-Saharan African Agriculture: Improving Agricultural Productivity and Expanding Agribusiness Opportunities. Rome: IFAD. 15. Haggblade, S., 2005. The Rural Nonfarm Economy: Pathway out of Poverty or Pathway in? Paper prepared for the Research Workshop 'The Future of Small Farms' Wye, Kent, 26-29 June 2005, IFPRI, ODI, Imperial College. 16. High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE), 2013. Investing in smallholder agriculture for food security. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security. Rome: HLPE. 17. UNESCO. 2012. Youth and skills: Putting education to work. EFA Global Monitoring Report 2012, chapter 7: Skills for rural youth – an escape route from poverty. Paris: UNESCO.

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Feature Articles

WHEN NOBODY’S WATCHING: FOSTERING A FOOD SAFETY CULTURE As a food processor, one of your top priorities is to produce the safest, highest quality products you possibly can. One of the most important drivers for achieving this goal is fostering the right culture amongst employees so you’re confident in what they’re doing when nobody’s watching. Doing a quick training isn’t enough, nor is posting signs as reminders around the plant.

It’s often more complex than simple cause and effect. Here are some ideas that will help with fostering a food safety culture within your facility.

EDUCATE Many food processors don’t provide sufficient time for training to ensure that employees understand food safety principles. And time isn’t the only factor; the approach is also important.

Employees need to not only understand what to do, but they need to understand why. The focus shouldn’t be on training, but on education.

It starts with clear expectations. Educating people about food safety means helping them understand what the “rules” are, such as GMP practices and operational practices on equipment. It also means helping them think critically by providing guiding principles, such as “Be vigilant for any potential sources of contamination. It’s our job to ensure that food remains pure and is not contaminated.” It’s important to communicate which items are most critical, and which are “nice to have” so that when faced with a choice employees can prioritize.

Remember that people learn in different ways, so use a variety of approaches. Integrate verbal communication, written reminders, and graphical communication. Videos can also be very effective.

MOTIVATE Once employees understand what to do, and they understand the why, it’s the leader’s job to make sure that they’re motivated to do it. In the same way people learn in different ways, they are also motivated in different ways. Take a variety of approaches to both communication and motivation so that you effectively reach everyone on your team.

Positive and negative reinforcement:

“The carrot and the stick” involves both rewards and discipline. If you’re overlooking the

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rewards, the approach is imbalanced. Rewards can include public recognition, a gift card to Starbucks, or a bowl of fresh fruit in the break room for everyone.

The ethical appeal: Reminding team members that producing safe food is the right thing to do, and appealing to their sense of duty or honor.

Logic: It’s a great approach, because it just makes. For example, if we don’t produce safe food, we won’t be able to continue doing business.

Emotional appeal: This can be one of the most persuasive approaches. Testimonial videos from those affected by past outbreaks, or using arguments like “we want to produce food we would feed to our own families”, can be very powerful.

EVALUATE If you don’t measure and evaluate on an ongoing basis, you won’t have any idea what level compliance is at. Don’t wait for the annual audit to see how things are going.

Define: What are the “Key Performance Indicators” that are critical to your operation? Is food safety included?

Measure: Internal audits, in-plant observations, process measurements, defect monitoring, and customer complaints are all measurements that can be used.

Analyze: Look for trends, discuss as a team, understand what the data show. Determine the root cause of any gaps or issues. It’s difficult to make meaningful improvements until you understand what needs to change.

Improve: Now that you understand what’s going on, make strategic, targeted changes designed to improve your processes and programs.

Jon Kimble

Food Safety Services Manager, DFA of California.

Control: This involves ongoing maintenance of the program. See “reinforce,” below.

REINFORCE A manager at a food plant walked out into the production area, and an employee stopped him.

She pointed out that he had forgotten to put on a hair net. He thanked her, gave her a gift card, and told her to keep up the good work. The manager would periodically do something similar to reinforce food safety culture. Food safety starts at the top, and you need to establish a culture where employees hold each other accountable.

Here are a few practical ideas.

Getting everyone involved through a team approach, direct feedback, or a suggestion box, can help foster involvement and helps avoid placing all the responsibility on one person.

Regular tailgate meetings with employees allows time for reminders about food safety principles and the opportunity to discuss with the team. You’ll find that given the opportunity, they will ask questions or make suggestions.

KPIs or metrics should be used on an ongoing basis to reinforce culture – particularly when rewards are involved. Share charts or graphs with employees, let them know what’s gone well, and where improvement may be needed.

Effective root cause analysis, beyond simply “the procedure wasn’t followed”, helps you to understand and improve the operation and helps reinforce values.

The ultimate goal is continual improvement of the operation. It’s a continual journey, and it starts today! Keep pushing forward as you face new challenges, and keep your team involved throughout the journey of food safety improvement.

Feature Articles

HOW TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF FUMIGATION TO REDUCE LOSS IN NUTS AND DRIED FRUIT

products that were treated with it and evaporates very quickly after application. So there is no reason to fear the presence of residues in fumigated goods.

Its positive properties with regard to ecotoxicity also speak for this agent. The simple gas molecule is quickly degraded into harmless metabolites in the atmosphere. So there is no danger of an accumulation of the substance in the environment.

In spite of all these positive aspects, phosphine and phosphine products are hazardous substances which make it necessary to ensure maximum user safety and worker protection during use. Therefore, phosphine products should only be used by qualified personnel who have been trained to use them.

With regard to requirements which aim for good and sufficient efficacy of the gas during practical application, the factors described below must be considered. In practice, these factors are frequently not observed adequately and can have a negative impact on fumigation success.

The goal of fumigation is to achieve a sufficiently high gas concentration for a specified exposure time. That is the only way to ensure that all developmental stages of the corresponding pests in the stocked goods are safely eliminated.

With regard to the gas concentration, it should be a given that the dosages recommended by the manufacturers are always observed. They have been tested in elaborate efficacy trials which verify their effectiveness against pests and guarantee successful elimination.

Another important factor in this connection is the quality of the sealing measures. Because insufficiently sealed locations are frequently used for fumigation purposes, gas is lost to a large

Agricultural Engineer Head of application Technique Detia Degesch GmbH. Dr.-Werner-Freyberg-Str. 11, D-69514 Laudenbach, Germany.

Fig. 1. Indian meal moth infestation of dried apricots.

Š Detia Degesch

In

order to prevent loss in quality and quantity of nuts and dried fruit caused by stored product insect pests, it is necessary to take measures against an existing pest infestation in good time. The most important pests which can pose a major threat to stored nuts and dried fruit include various moth species such as the Indian meal moth (Plodia interpunctella) or the Chocolate moth (Ephestia cautella) (Fig. 1).

Several beetle species such as the Sawtoothed grain beetle (Oryzaephilus surinamensis) or the Red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) can also cause considerable damage in nut and dried fruit stores (Fig. 2).

Despite all preventive measures, it is not always possible to entirely prevent invasion or infiltration of these insect pests. Once the infestation exists, effective extermination measures have to be carried out as soon as possible.

The most important agent used for exterminating insect pests in many areas of stored products protection is the fumigant phosphine. Also in nut and dried fruit storage, this substance is tested and approved with regard to its efficacy against stored product insect pests found there and is applied very successfully.

The advantages of this gas are its excellent penetration capacity and its extremely high efficacy against all stored product insect pests.

Therefore, extermination of the pests including all of their developmental stages is possible without any problem. Developmental stages that live hidden in the goods are also reliably destroyed thanks to these properties.

Phosphine also stands out due its favourable properties with regard to innoxiousness and residue formation in treated food and feed.

The gas does not have any negative effects on

Dr. Gerhard Jakob

Š Detia Degesch

Phosphine gas is the most important active ingredient worldwide used for protecting stored products. Therefore, it is also an indispensable tool for the control of insect pests in stored nuts and dried fruit. A successful fumigation depends on various parameters that have to be taken into consideration such as the importance of temperature and moisture conditions, the management of dosage/exposure time and the monitoring of gas concentration.

Recommendations for better fumigation practice in regard to these parameters are given.

Fig. 2. Sawtoothed grain beetle infestation of dried figs.

extent despite sufficient gas dosage. Therefore, it is often not possible to reach a completely effective gas concentration. Such objects have to be sealed with suitable measures before fumigation. The properties of the sealant are very important in this aspect. For example, it should be ensured that fumigation sheets meet the criteria with regard to sufficient impermeability to phosphine gas. Not every seemingly gas-tight sheet is also suitable for sealing purposes during phosphine fumigation.

For the most part, phosphine fumigation is performed with products that consist of aluminium or magnesium phosphide. In the form

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Feature Articles Š Detia Degesch

Fig. 3. Chemical reaction of metal phosphides to phosphine

Magnesiumphosphide Mg3P2

Aluminiumphosphide AlP

+ +

Room humidity / commodity moisture

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Phosphine

6 H2O

Room humidity / commodity moisture

of pellets, bags or plates, these products are chemical precursors and develop the effective phosphine gas after application (Fig. 3). This process requires sufficient humidity and an appropriate minimum temperature. With regard to humidity, product moisture or general relative humidity suffices to trigger the development of the gas from the metal phosphide formulations.

Generally, temperature is rather the limiting factor.

It is recommended performing fumigation at best in a temperature range between 15 and 30 °C. Due to the lower biological activity of the pests at low temperatures and the resulting lower intake of phosphine, fumigation is generally not recommended at temperature conditions below 10°C in the stocked goods to be treated.

Another important factor for successful fumigation is the exposure time. A sufficiently long exposure time is just as important as a sufficiently high gas concentration. Therefore, compliance with manufacturer specifications must be ensured in this area as well. Generally, the exposure time of the gas to the pests should be extended as long as possible within the specified limits and should not be shorter than a period of 2.5 days for magnesium phosphide

34

Temperature

2 PH3

Temperature

Phosphine

3 H2O

fumigation and a period of 5 days for aluminium phosphide fumigation.

To ensure that fumigation proceeds successfully and that no gas is lost due to possibly occurring leaks, it is necessary to monitor the gas concentration in the fumigated goods. For this purpose, measuring lines can be laid inside the fumigation object or the treated goods in the run up to fumigation prior to sealing to easily enable measurement of the gas concentration during the fumigation phase.

Furthermore, it is necessary to monitor the gas concentration in the area surrounding fumigated objects. This ensures reliable protection of workers and surrounding areas and also makes it possible to determine whether and in which areas gas is potentially lost. In this case, additional sealing measures can be performed if necessary in order to safely reach the required gas concentration in the fumigated goods.

Past experience shows that insufficient gas concentrations are frequently applied in phosphine fumigation. The reasons for this are primarily insufficient dosage or inadequate sealing measures. In addition, short exposure times can be the reason why fumigation often does not

PH3

+ +

Powdery residues 3 Mg(OH)2

Powdery residues Al(OH)3

achieve one hundred percent efficacy in all pest stages. Whilst the visible active developmental stages such as imagines or larvae are eliminated, more inactive developmental stages such as eggs or pupae can partially survive the treatments and cause renewed infestation.

Ultimately, these surviving insects not only pose a risk with regard to renewed infestation; they can be the source of less sensitive insect populations if fumigation fails repeatedly and therefore also be a hazard with regard to the development of phosphine tolerance. This gas is one of the few substances still available for stored product pest elimination. For this reason, every effort should be made to preserve this active substance and not jeopardise another possibility for successful stored product protection through incorrect application in the long run.

In conclusion, it should be noted that phosphine products should only be applied by specialist companies or adequately qualified personnel according to proven best professional practice. At the same time, it is also necessary to consider the above-mentioned factors with regard to sufficient efficacy and appropriate user safety.

Feature Articles

DRIED FRUIT:

Jennette Higgs

Consultant Dietitian, California Prune Board.

Dispelling the Sugar Myths Traditional dried fruits have historically been considered a nutritious snack choice in parts of the world where abundant sunshine enabled drying fruits for preservation, such as the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East.

T

hey all provide dietary fibre, are virtually fat and salt-free and each provide a range of essential micronutrients, such as potassium, copper, manganese, iron and vitamins A, E, K and niacin. Being a carbohydrate food, dried fruits tend to be higher in sugars and given the current emphasis on sugar reduction their wholesome track record is being brought into question, especially in regions where dried fruits were not historically a local food.

Increasingly, ‘free’ or ‘added’ sugars are being reviewed by some health experts, due to the association of high sugar intakes with poor dietary quality, obesity and increased risk of noncommunicable diseases – heart disease, cancers, diabetes, asthma and dental diseases being the most prevalent globally. Free sugars include monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods and beverages by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, and sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates.1 A World Health Organization report recommends reducing free/added sugar to less than 10% of daily energy intakes, with consideration for additional reductions down to 5%.

Apparently, emphasis is on reducing sugarsweetened beverages and the sugar contributed by fruit juices and smoothies, because of the large volumes of these energy-rich drinks consumed to simply quench thirst! Unlike the whole fruit, their juices tend to be low in dietary fibre, the protective health role of which is well recognised. The UK’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition recommends increasing fibre from 25g to 30g/day, alongside reducing free/added sugars to less than 5% energy.2 So are dried fruits being recommended by health professionals as part of the solution? It seems not, for a number of reasons: The popularity of processed fruit snacks, with varying quantities of fruit pieces, fruit juice concentrate and other forms of added sugar (e.g.,

glucose syrup in yoghurt coatings), is blurring the boundaries between confectionary at one end (high free/added sugar) and traditional dried fruits (with no added sugar) at the other.

Processed fruit snacks with added sugar have been promoted as healthy, some boasting a contribution to 5-a-day and convenient for children’s lunch boxes, with consumers not until now questioning this claim. A 2015 UK survey3 of children’s healthy fruit snacks revealed that 85% contained over 4tsp sugar/serving- that’s more than most sweets. Such reports have contributed to the industry taking a more discerning look at the role of fruit and sugar, but there’s a long way to go since it seems consumers and health professionals alike do not automatically distinguish between fruits with added sugar and those that are 100% pure fruit. As nutrition professionals, policy makers and consumers review the role of foods with added sugar in a healthful diet, the industry is encouraged to take steps that consistently communicate the nutrient benefits of traditional dried fruits without added sugar.

Furthermore, traditional dried fruits are being included on lists of foods to be limited to mealtimes due to their supposed detrimental effect on teeth.

The UK’s NHS website states: ‘A 30g portion of dried fruit, such as currants, dates, sultanas and figs, counts as one of your 5 A DAY, but should be eaten at mealtimes, not as a between-meal snack, to reduce the impact on teeth'.4 This is a potentially serious case of urban myth, with supposition being perpetuated down the years, unchecked, then included as fact within new official health advice. The California Prune Board has taken this matter seriously and commissioned a review of the research literature to clarify matters. Oral health is a complex issue, and preliminary findings highlight a lack of consistent data such that more research is needed to recommend evidence-based practice.

Early research focused on dried fruit sticking to

teeth, but improved research methods challenge these assumptions. As an example, prunes can provide some potential dental health benefits, such as encouragement of salivary flow through chewing; anti-microbial properties due to their high polyphenol content; fibre’s cleansing action; and a low fermentability due to prunes high sorbitol content .

Traditional dried fruit is simply fresh fruit with water removed, so whole dried fruit should be

recognised as a convenient alternative to fresh.5

Some key influencers only see the relative sugar content of dried fruit, so it’s been quite easy to adopt the dental health advice and recommend limiting consumption of dried fruit to mealtimes. Positioning traditional dried fruit as a close cousin with confectionary rather than an option to their fresh fruit siblings is misguided and undermines their potential as a nutritious alternative to popular snacks that can be high in sugar, fat and salt.

Indeed an excellent report was published in 20116 summarising the view of scientists that traditional dried fruits could and should be considered alongside fresh and so contribute towards achieving the increased fruit and vegetable intakes so necessary for improved health outcomes.

To correct misinformation, the dried fruit

industry needs to communicate the nutrient content and potential health benefits of

traditional dried fruits based on accurate and high quality research.

On balance, we can continue to enjoy some confectionary, so there’s a place for processed fruit snacks, but traditional dried fruits are the important food choices that can improve consumers’ snacking habits.

1. WHO, 2015. Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children. 2015 Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization. 2. SACN, 2015. Carbohydrates and health. Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. London, TSO. 3. http://www.actiononsalt.org.uk/actiononsugar/Press%20Release%20/156530.html 4. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/5ADAY/Pages/Whatcounts.aspx. 5. Sadler, M 2016, in press Review: dried fruit and dental health. 6. http://www.nutfruit.org/en/traditional-dried-fruits-valuable-tools-to-meet-dietary-recommendations-for-fruit-intake_36948

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

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Feature Articles

THE ROLE OF NUTS IN A VEGAN DIET Ute Dujardin

(Dipl.-Oecotroph.), nutritionist at the Clinic for Internal, Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Essen.

She is specialized on individual counseling and special diets.

Ute Dujardin regularly collaborates with Nucis Germany.

In recent years there has been a slow but continuous increase in attraction to vegetarian or even vegan diets, especially among younger individuals.1 They offer many health benefits but in order to avoid nutritional deficiencies and to provide all essential nutritional components a vegan diet needs to be planned with more consideration and more knowledge than an omnivorous.

Including nuts can be a cornerstone in a well-balanced and palatable food-pattern.

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vegan diet is a strict form of vegetarianism and is characterized by the total avoidance of products derived from animals. Vegans do not consume any kind of meat, seafood, dairy-products, eggs or any other animal product, such as honey or gelatin. A balanced vegan diet is consisting of plant based foods including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and grains.

There are only few studies including vegans as an experimental group, but when vegan diets are directly compared to vegetarian and omnivorous diets, they show a variety of protective health benefits. Vegetarian diets conferred protection against metabolic and cardiovascular diseases and also some cancers.2 Vegan diets in particular provided additional protection against obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular mortality and showed a reduced risk of incidence from total cancer.3 A current scientific review4 pointed out that higher nut consumption is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular diseases, which are still No. 1 when it comes to causes of death worldwide, according to the WHO-statistics. However, a 100 % plant-based diet may increase the risk of certain nutritional deficiencies including protein, iron, zinc, calcium, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12 and vegans needs to plan the composition of their nutrition with due care.

Adding various kinds of nutrient -dense nuts makes a significant contribution to a vegan diet because each kind of nut offers different dietary benefits.5 Nuts do not only provide energy, complex carbohydrates with a low glycemic index, fiber and essential fatty acids but also high amounts of

protein. Pistachios, almonds and peanuts are among the protein-rich foods, only 50 g of pistachios contain more protein than a typical egg. The combination of fiber, protein and fat in nuts provides satiety to meals and snacks. Whereas in a mixed diet vitamin B2 (riboflavin) is covered by milkproducts and cheese vegans can add almonds, pistachios and cashews.

Walnuts are an excellent source of alpha-linolenic acid, an important essential omega 3 fatty acid. Macadamias provide the highest content of health-promoting monounsaturated fatty-acids and are also rich in omega7-fatty-acids, which are getting more into the scientific focus.

Calcium can be obtained from plant-based foods like almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts and Brazil nuts. In addition, the last mentioned has the highest coverage of selenium. When it comes to the supply for zinc, vegans need to make smart choices because the highest amounts are naturally found in animal products like meat and cheese. Again, nuts can make a contribution, especially Brazil nuts and pine nuts. It is more difficult to obtain iron from plant-based foods, but the combination with vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables helps absorbing iron from cashews, almonds, pistachios or hazelnuts.

If people choose to live raw-vegan they do not eat cooked foodstuffs and nuts are even more important because they exclude legumes as protein-sources from their diet.

In a vegan diet nuts do not only provide essential nutrients to prevent deficiencies and one-sidedness but are also an enrichment in flavor and variety. Nuts are characterized by being “ready to eat” and easy to transport as a snack. They can be added to various dishes either cooked, raw or soaked and finely ground for spreads, ice-cream and milk. It can be expected, that vegan eaters can boost the demand for nuts.

References: 1. Dyett PA, Sabaté J, Haddad E et al. (2013): Vegan lifestyle behaviors: an exploration of congruence with health-related beliefs and assessed health indices. Appetite, 67:119-24 2. Le Lt, Sabaté J (2014): Beyond meatless, the health-effects of vegan diets: findings from the Adventist cohorts. Nutrients, May 27;6(6):2131-47 3. Dinu M, Abbate R, Gensini GF, et al. (2016): Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: a systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. Feb [Epub ahead of print] 4. Ekmekcioglu C, Wallne P, Kundi M, et al. (2016): Meat, diseases and healthy alternatives: A critical review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. Apr 29 [Epub ahead of print] 5. Mayhew AJ, de Souza RJ, Meyre D, et al. (2016): A systematic review and meta-analysis of nut consumption and incident risk of CVD and all-cause mortality. Br J Nutr. Jan 28;115(2):212-25

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Health News PROF. JORDI SALAS-SALVADÓ

MARINE AND VEGETABLE OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS ACT SYNERGISTICALLY AND ARE PARTNERS: UPDATES FROM THE PREDIMED STUDY Results from PREDIMED support and reinforce the beneficial properties of omega-3 and alpha-linolenic acid, suggesting that marine and vegetable omega-3 fatty acids act synergistically and are partners rather than competitors in reducing death risk.

T

he presence of fats in our daily diet is essential to maintain a correct health status. However, among fats, saturated, unsaturated and their subtypes, have a differential role. Actually, the quality of dietary fat is well-recognized as being even more important than the total amount of fat for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including coronary heart disease (CHD) and overall death.¹ Generally, CVD risk can be reduced by decreasing the intake of trans-fat intake from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Moreover, it can also be diminished by reducing saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and replacing them with a combination of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs).1.2 In 2013, the main findings from the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) study, a randomized primary-prevention nutrition trial, in individuals at high CVD risk³, showed that Mediterranean diets, which were high in MUFAs and PUFAs, as they were supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts (15g walnuts, 7.5g almonds and 7.5g hazelnuts), and low in SFAs and trans fat, were effective for the prevention of clinical events of CVD compared with a low-fat control diet.³ In fact, last prospective subanalysis from PREDIMED trial expanded these results as researchers evaluated the role of fats on CVD. We showed that the intakes of MUFAs and PUFAs were associated with a lower risk of CVD and death, whereas SFA and trans-fat intakes were associated with a higher risk of CVD. Importantly, we also found that replacement of SFAs with MUFAs, and PUFAs or of trans-fat with MUFAs was inversely associated with CVD.4 Beyond the effects of SFA versus MUFA and PUFA, different studies suggest a cardioprotective role of some fatty acids (FA) belonging to the omega 3 (ω-3) category. These are essential fatty acids as the body cannot make them from other intermediators. Omega-3 fatty acids are an integral part of cell membranes throughout the body and affect the function of the cell receptors in these membranes. Moreover, they provide the basis for generating hormones that regulate a series of blood processes and cellular inflammation, and bind to receptors in cells that regulate genetic

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Pablo Hernández-Alonso Prof. Jordi Salas-Salvadó Human Nutrition Unit from the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Hospital Universitari de Sant Joan de Reus, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, IISPV (Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus (Spain). CIBERobn (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid (Spain).

function.5 According to these effects, ω-3 FA have been shown to help prevent coronary heart disease and stroke, and may play protective roles in cancer and other metabolic conditions.6 There are three main subtypes of ω-3. Long ω-3 FA, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), come mainly from fish, so they are sometimes called “marine ω-3”.

Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is shorter than EPA and DHA and it is the most common ω-3 fatty acid in most Western diets. It is found in vegetable oils and nuts (especially walnuts), flax seeds and flaxseed oil, leafy vegetables, and some animal fat, especially in grass-fed animals.

EPA and DHA have been widely studied and their intake has been associated with a lower risk of CHD.7 However, the human body generally uses ALA for energy, and conversion into EPA and DHA is very limited.

Despite of this, since few years, ALA is being a new focus of attention due to its putative preventive role on CVD,8 but results are somewhat controversial according to the latest systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by Pan and collaborators.9 In fact, the combinatory effects of ALA and EPA plus DHA, or the effects of ALA in the context of high EPA and DHA have not been assessed yet.

To evaluate it, Aleix and collaborators have recently studied the role of ALA in a background of high marine ω-3 FA (EPA and DHA) intake in the PREDIMED cohort. This work has been published in the prestigious Journal of the American Heart Association.10 We investigated whether meeting the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids’ recommendations for dietary ALA (at least 0.7% of total daily energy) and/ or long ω-3 (≥500 mg/day) at baseline was related to different outcomes through the follow-up (approximately 5 years) in the PREDIMED trial. We showed that meeting the ALA recommendations was associated with a significant 28% lower risk of all-cause death and non-significantly to fatal CVD. On the other hand, meeting the long ω-3 fatty acid consumption recommendations was associated with a 39% lower risk of CVD and 46% of CHD. The association was found non-significant for all-cause

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The highest protection against all-cause death occurred in participants meeting both recommendations (alpha-linolenic acid and long omega 3 fatty acids) showing a reduction of 37%.

death. However, the highest protection against all-cause death occurred in participants meeting both recommendations (ALA and long ω-3 FA) showing a reduction of 37%. Interestingly, in these analyses we found that ALA intake was highly correlated with walnut consumption, reinforcing the high amount of ALA present in walnuts, the highest amount of ALA among nuts (8.493g/100g dry roasted walnuts).11 In fact, the health promoting benefits of the consumption of walnuts and other types of nuts have been widely ascribed but not limited to its fatty acid profile.12–14 Therefore, as a complex matrix of different macro- and micronutrients and antioxidant molecules, nuts may act on different modulatory pathways to exhibit their beneficial health properties including CVD prevention.

Overall, beyond dietary quantity and quality of fat, the different types of unsaturated FA play an important role on health. Results from PREDIMED support and reinforce the beneficial properties of ω-3 FA intake, and demonstrate the fact that even in a context of frequent high consumption of seafood, ALA is inversely associated to all-cause death even though protection from cardiovascular and cardiac death is limited to long ω-3 (EPA plus DHA). Importantly, higher protective role is found when both recommendations are met. This suggests that marine and vegetable ω-3 FA act synergistically and are partners rather than competitors in reducing death risk.

REFERENCES 1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

Hu, F.B., Manson, J.E., Willett, W.C., Types of Dietary Fat and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A Critical Review. J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 2001, 20, 5-19.

Michas, G., Micha, R., Zampelas, A., Dietary fats and cardiovascular disease: Putting together the pieces of a complicated puzzle. Atherosclerosis 2014, 234, 320-328.

Estruch, R., Ros, E., Salas-Salvado, J., Covas, M.-I.I., et al., Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet. N. Engl. J. Med. 2013, 368, 1279-90.

Guasch-Ferré, M., Babio, N., Martínez-González, M.A., Corella, D., et al., Dietary fat intake and risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in a population at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2015, 102, 1563-73.

Marion-Letellier, R., Savoye, G., Ghosh, S., Polyunsaturated fatty acids and inflammation. IUBMB Life 2015, 67, 659-67.

Calder, P.C., Functional Roles of Fatty Acids and Their Effects on Human Health. JPEN. J. Parenter.

Enteral Nutr. 2015, 39, 18S-32S. De Caterina, R., n-3 fatty acids in cardiovascular disease. N. Engl. J. Med. 2011, 364, 2439-2450.

Khawaja, O.A., Gaziano, J.M., Djoussé, L., N-3 fatty acids for prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Curr. Atheroscler. Rep. 2014, 16, 450.

9 10

11

12 13 14

Pan, A., Chen, M., Chowdhury, R., Wu, J.H.Y., et al., α-Linolenic acid and risk of cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2012, 96, 1262-73.

Sala-Vila, A., Guasch-Ferré, M., Hu, F.B., Sánchez-Tainta, A., et al., Dietary α-Linolenic Acid, Marine ω-3 Fatty Acids, and Mortality in a Population With High Fish Consumption: Findings From the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) Study. J. Am. Heart Assoc. 2016, 5.

US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Nutrient Data Laboratory. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 28 (revised). Version Current: May 2015. n.d.

Kamil, A., Chen, C.-Y.O., Health benefits of almonds beyond cholesterol reduction. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2012, 60, 6694-702.

Bulló, M., Juanola-Falgarona, M., Hernández-Alonso, P., Salas-Salvadó, J., Nutrition attributes and health effects of pistachio nuts. Br. J. Nutr. 2015, 113 Suppl , S79-93.

Hayes, D., Angove, M.J., Tucci, J., Dennis, C., Walnuts (Juglans regia) Chemical Composition and Research in Human Health. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 2015.

Your Distributor for Germany Work hand in hand with the nuts & dried fruits import and marketing experts.

PALM NUTS & MORE · Nuss und Trockenfrucht GmbH & Co. KG Lindenstrasse 17 · D - 21244 Buchholz · Germany Telefon: + 49 4181 9091- 0 · Fax: + 49 4181 9091 - 80 mail@ palm-nutsandmore.de · www.palm-nutsandmore.de

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

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Health News

A RESEARCH NARRATIVE ABOUT TREE NUTS AND PEANUTS THEIR HEALTH BENEFITS

The tree nut and peanut research conducted to date has led to dietary recommendations that have been widely adopted for health promotion and reduced risk of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease.

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primary goal of the research conducted in my program has been on understanding the role that tree nuts and peanuts play in modulating cardiometabolic risk factors and the underlying mechanisms that explain their biologic effects. Since the early 1990s, my team at Penn State has been focused on peanuts & peanut butter, walnuts, almonds, and pistachios clinical nutrition and laboratory-based studies. This research has resulted in multiple papers that have collectively contributed to the robust evidence base that demonstrates many remarkable health benefits of tree nut and peanut consumption in all populations studied.

The tree nut and peanut research conducted to date has led to dietary recommendations that have been widely adopted for health promotion and reduced risk of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Adherence to these dietary recommendations on a population-wide basis is expected to significantly benefit public health.

My impetus for starting to conduct research with tree nuts and peanuts was when evidence of their health benefits began to emerge (Fraser et al., 1992; Sabate et al., 1993; Hu et al., 1998). In addition, in the 1990s there was the start of a paradigm shift in our understanding about the health effects of unsaturated fat. It also was becoming clear that low-fat, high carbohydrate diets adversely affected important CVD risk factors (e.g., increase triglycerides and decrease HDL-cholesterol). At the same time, there was growing interest in the Mediterranean diet and it’s many health benefits. In the United States, it was viewed as both a healthy and enjoyable dietary pattern. As a result, it was becoming an accepted alternative dietary pattern in place of the widely endorsed low-fat, high carbohydrate dietary pattern. Collectively, these seminal events were the impetus for so much tree nut and peanut research conducted over a 25-year period that yielded strong and consistent evidence of multiple health benefits. This research was the basis for dietary recommendations for consumption of tree nuts and peanuts.

Our early studies were conducted with peanuts and peanut butter and were designed to evaluate health benefits of a moderate fat diet (designed with peanuts and peanut butter) compared to low-fat, high carbohydrate diet on lipids and lipoproteins (Kris-Etherton et al., 1999). Both diets were healthy (low in saturated fat and cholesterol) and also met foodbased recommendations (for fruits and vegetables, grains, low-fat dairy and lean protein foods). As expected, both diets lowered total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol similarly, but the moderate fat diet with peanuts and peanut butter also decreased triglycerides and increased HDL-cholesterol compared to the low-fat, high carbohydrate diet. Since peanuts and

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Dr. Penny M. Kris-Etherton Distinguished Professor of Nutrition, The Pennsylvania State University.

INC Award for Excellence in Research 2016.

tree nuts are an energy-dense food, and our peanut study employed a controlled feeding design, there was interest in knowing whether peanut and tree nut consumption was associated with a higher body weight.

The question was: would recommending them result in weight gain and, thereby, negate their health benefits? We evaluated data from the 19941996 Continuing Survey of Food Intake by Individuals and Diet and Health Knowledge Survey (CSFII/DHKS), and reported that peanut and peanut butter consumers versus non-consumers did not have an increased body weight (Griel et al., 2004); in fact, mean BMI for peanut users was lower for all gender/age categories.

Shortly after conducting our early peanut research, we evaluated the health benefits of walnuts on cardiometabolic risk factors including lipids, lipoproteins, blood pressure and other vascular health measures, as well as newer risk factors for coronary diseases (e.g., inflammatory markers and adhesion molecules). Using a controlled feeding design, we showed that both diets containing walnuts elicited favorable effects on important established and emerging risk factors for CVD (Zhao et al., 2004). Of importance is that the research that was conducted at the time demonstrated benefits of nut consumption on many very significant risk factors for CVD. These studies provided mechanistic support that explained the results of the previous epidemiologic studies.

Other research we have conducted over the years with walnuts, almonds, pistachios and peanuts evaluated their effects on traditional CVD risk factors (e.g., lipids and lipoproteins) and also newer risk factors that may explain the mechanisms of their cardioprotective effects. Relative to the latter, evidence of a beneficial effect of walnut oil (Berryman et al., 2013) and suggestive evidence for pistachios (Holligan et al., 2014) on reverse cholesterol transport is another important mechanism that explains cardioprotective benefits of these nuts. Almonds have been shown to decrease small dense LDL and remnant lipoproteins (Berryman et al., 2015). In addition, peanuts consumed with a meal have been shown to prevent a decrease in postprandial flow mediated dilation of the brachial artery (Liu et al., Unpublished Data). This research in conjunction with other studies continues to demonstrate many cardiovascular health benefits of tree nuts and peanuts. Continued research with nuts and peanuts and CVD is expected to show further benefits and provide a better understanding of the many mechanisms by which tree nuts and peanuts decrease risk of cardiometabolic diseases.

Moving forward, there is still much to be learned about the many health benefits of tree nuts and peanuts. Many chronic diseases are increasing

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globally at alarming rates. Research is needed to better understand how nuts and peanuts can prevent and treat these diseases. We have some evidence, albeit emerging, for the benefits of tree nuts and peanuts on dementia, cancer, diabetes and metabolic syndrome but as always, we still have much to learn.

In summary, impressive progress has been made in the nutrition field in identifying the many health benefits of “good fats�. This science has been translated to pivotal dietary guidance about tree nuts and peanuts as sources of good fats, micronutrients, dietary fiber and bioactives in the diet.

It has been so rewarding to be part of the scientific endeavor that has shown remarkable benefits of tree nuts and peanuts on chronic disease prevention and to have witnessed the translation of this science to meaningful nutrition guidance.

REFERENCES Berryman CE, Grieger JA, West SG, Chen CY, Blumberg JB, Rothblat GH, Sankaranarayanan S, Kris-Etherton PM. Acute consumption of walnuts and walnut components differentially affect postprandial lipemia, endothelial function, oxidative stress, and cholesterol efflux in humans with mild hypercholesterolemia.

J Nutr. 2013;143:788-794.

Berryman CE, West SG, Fleming JA, Bordi PL, Kris-Etherton PM. Effects of daily almond consumption on cardiometabolic risk and abdominal adiposity in healthy adults with elevated LDLcholesterol: a randomized controlled trial. J Am Heart Assoc. 2015 4:e000993.

Fraser GE, Sabate J, Beeson WL, Strahan TM. A Possible Protective Effect of Nut Consumption on Risk of Coronary Heart-Disease the Adventist Health Study. Arch Int Med. 1992;152:1416-1424.

Holligan SD, West SG, Gebauer SK, Kay CD, Kris-Etherton PM. A moderate-fat diet containing pistachios improves emerging markers of cardiometabolic syndrome in healthy adults with elevated LDL levels. Br J Nutr. 2014;112:744-752.

Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, Rimm EB, Colditz GA, Rosner BA, Speizer FE, Hennekens CH, Willett WC. Frequent nut consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in women: prospective cohort study. BMJ, 1998;317:1341-1345.

Kris-Etherton PM, Pearson TA, Wan Y, Hargrove RL, Moriarty K, Fishell V, Etherton TD. High-monounsaturated fatty acid diets lower both plasma cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1999;70:1009-1015.

Sabate J, Fraser GE, Burke K, Knutsen SF, Bennett H, Lindsted KD. Effects of Walnuts on Serum-Lipid Levels and Blood-Pressure in Normal Men. New Engl J Med. 1993;328:603-607.

Zhao G, Etherton TD, Martin KR, West SG, Gillies PJ, Kris-Etherton PM. Dietary alpha-linolenic acid reduces inflammatory and lipid cardiovascular risk factors in hypercholesterolemic men and women. J. Nutr. 2004;134:2991-2997.

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Health News

NEW SCIENTIFIC STUDIES Sala‐Vila A, Guasch‐Ferré M, Hu FB, Sánchez‐Tainta A, Bulló M, Serra‐Mir et al.

Dietary α-Linolenic Acid, Marine ω-3 Fatty Acids, and Mortality in a Population With High Fish Consumption: Findings From the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) Study.

J Am Heart Assoc. 2016 Jan 26; 5(1).

Estruch R, Martínez-González MA, Corella D, Salas-Salvadó J, Fitó M, Chiva-Blanch G, ... & Serra-Majem.

Effect of a high-fat Mediterranean diet on bodyweight and waist circumference: a prespecified secondary outcomes analysis of the PREDIMED randomised controlled trial.

Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2016.

Wang W, Yang M, Kenfield SA, Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, Fuchs CS, Giovannucci EL & Bao Y. Nut consumption and prostate cancer risk and mortality.

British Journal of Cancer. June.

2016.

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BACKGROUND: Epidemiological evidence suggests a cardioprotective role of α-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant-derived ω-3 fatty acid. It is unclear whether ALA is beneficial in a background of high marine ω-3 fatty acids (long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) intake. In persons at high cardiovascular risk from Spain, a country in which fish consumption is customarily high, we investigated whether meeting the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids recommendation for dietary ALA (0.7% of total energy) at baseline was related to all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. We also examined the effect of meeting the society's recommendation for longchain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (≥500 mg/day). METHODS AND RESULTS: We longitudinally evaluated 7202 participants in the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) trial. Multivariable-adjusted Cox regression models were fitted to estimate hazard ratios. ALA intake correlated to walnut consumption (r=0.94). During a 5.9-y follow-up, 431 deaths occurred (104 cardiovascular disease, 55 coronary heart disease, 32 sudden cardiac death, 25 stroke). The hazard ratios for meeting ALA recommendation (n=1615, 22.4%) were 0.72 (95% CI 0.56-0.92) for all-cause mortality and 0.95 (95% CI 0.58-1.57) for fatal cardiovascular disease. The hazard ratios for meeting the recommendation for long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n=5452, 75.7%) were 0.84 (95% CI 0.671.05) for all-cause mortality, 0.61 (95% CI 0.39-0.96) for fatal cardiovascular disease, 0.54 (95% CI 0.29-0.99) for fatal coronary heart disease, and 0.49 (95% CI 0.22-1.01) for sudden cardiac death. The highest reduction in all-cause mortality occurred in participants meeting both recommendations (hazard ratio 0.63 [95% CI 0.45-0.87]).

CONCLUSIONS: In participants without prior cardiovascular disease and high fish consumption, dietary ALA, supplied mainly by walnuts and olive oil, relates inversely to all-cause mortality, whereas protection from cardiac mortality is limited to fish-derived long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

BACKGROUND: Because of the high density of fat, high-fat diets are perceived as likely to lead to increased bodyweight, hence health-care providers are reluctant to recommend them to overweight or obese individuals. We assessed the long-term effects of ad libitum, high-fat, high-vegetable-fat Mediterranean diets on bodyweight and waist circumference in older people at risk of cardiovascular disease, most of whom were overweight or obese.

METHODS: PREDIMED was a 5 year parallel-group, multicentre, randomised, controlled clinical trial done in primary care centres affiliated to 11 hospitals in Spain. 7447 asymptomatic men (aged 55–80 years) and women (aged 60–80 years) who had type 2 diabetes or three or more cardiovascular risk factors were randomly assigned (1:1:1) with a computer-generated number sequence to one of three interventions: Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil (n=2543); Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts (n=2454); or a control diet (advice to reduce dietary fat; n=2450). Energy restriction was not advised, nor was physical activity promoted. In this analysis of the trial, we measured bodyweight and waist circumference at baseline and yearly for 5 years in the intention-totreat population. The PREDIMED trial is registered with ISRCTN.com, number ISRCTN35739639. FINDINGS: After a median 4.8 years (IQR 2.8–5.8) of follow-up, participants in all three groups had marginally reduced bodyweight and increased waist circumference. The adjusted difference in 5 year changes in bodyweight in the Mediterranean diet with olive oil group was −0.43 kg (95% CI −0.86 to −0.01; p=0.044) and in the nut group was −0.08 kg (–0.50 to 0.35; p=0.730), compared with the control group. The adjusted difference in 5 year changes in waist circumference was −0·55 cm (–1.16 to −0.06; p=0.048) in the Mediterranean diet with olive oil group and −0.94 cm (–1.60 to −0.27; p=0.006) in the nut group, compared with the control group. INTERPRETATION: A long-term intervention with an unrestricted-calorie, high-vegetable-fat Mediterranean diet was associated with decreases in bodyweight and less gain in central adiposity compared with a control diet. These results lend support to advice not restricting intake of healthy fats for bodyweight maintenance.

BACKGROUND: Little is known of the association between nut consumption, and prostate cancer (PCa) incidence and survivorship. METHODS: We conducted an incidence analysis and a case-only survival analysis in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study on the associations of nut consumption (updated every 4 years) with PCa diagnosis, and PCa-specific and overall mortality. RESULTS: In 26 years, 6810 incident PCa cases were identified from 47 299 men.

There was no association between nut consumption and being diagnosed with PCa or PCa-specific mortality. However, patients who consumed nuts five or more times per week after diagnosis had a significant 34% lower rate of overall mortality than those who consumed nuts less than once per month (HR=0.66, 95% CI: 0.52–0.83, P-trend=0.0005).

CONCLUSIONS: There were no statistically significant associations between nut consumption, and PCa incidence or PCa-specific mortality. Frequent nut consumption after diagnosis was associated with significantly reduced overall mortality.

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Carughi A, Feeney MJ, Kris-Etherton P, Fulgoni V 3rd, Kendall CW, Bulló M, Webb D. Pairing nuts and dried fruit for cardiometabolic health.

Nutr J. 2016 Mar 5; 15(1): 23.

Chang SK, Alasalvar C, & Shahidi F. Review of dried fruits: Phytochemicals, antioxidant efficacies, and health benefits.

J Funct Foods. 2016. 21: 113-132.

Su Q, Yu B, He H, Zhang Q, Meng G, Wu H, Du H, Liu L, Shi H, Xia Y, Guo X, Liu X, Li C, Bao X, Gu Y, Fang L, Yu F, Yang H, Sun S, Wang X, Zhou M, Jia Q, Zhao H, Song K, Niu K. Nut consumption is associated with depressive symptoms among Chinese adults.

Depress Anxiety. 2016 Apr 20.

Certain dietary patterns, in which fruits and nuts are featured prominently, reduce risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, estimated fruit consumption historically in the U.S. has been lower than recommendations.

Dried fruit intake is even lower with only about 6.9 % of the adult population reporting any consumption. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee identified a gap between recommended fruit and vegetable intakes and the amount the population consumes. Even fewer Americans consume tree nuts, which are a nutrient-dense food, rich in bioactive compounds and healthy fatty acids. Consumption of fruits and nuts has been associated with reduced risk of cardiometabolic disease. An estimated 5.5 to 8.4 % of U.S. adults consume tree nuts and/or tree nut butter. This review examines the potential of pairing nuts and dried fruit to reduce cardiometabolic risk factors and focuses on emerging data on raisins and pistachios as representative of each food category. Evidence suggests that increasing consumption of both could help improve Americans' nutritional status and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

Peanut is an important crop grown worldwide. Commercially it is used mainly for oil production but apart from oil, the by-products of peanut contains many other functional compounds like proteins, fibers, polyphenols, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals which can be added as a functional ingredient into many processed foods. Recently it has also revealed that peanuts are excellent source of compounds like resveratrol, phenolic acids, flavonoids and phytosterols that block the absorption of cholesterol from diet. It is also a good source of Co-enzyme Q10 and contains all the 20 amino acids with highest amount of arginine. These bioactive compounds have been recognized for having disease preventive properties and are thought to promote longevity. The processing methods like roasting and boiling have shown increase in the concentration of these bioactive compounds. In the present paper an overview on peanut bioactive constituents and their health benefits are presented.

Daily consumption of 50 g of dried plum (equivalent to 5-6 dried plums) for 6 months may be as effective as 100 g of dried plum in preventing bone loss in older, osteopenic postmenopausal women. To some extent, these results may be attributed to the inhibition of bone resorption with the concurrent maintenance of bone formation. INTRODUCTION: The objective of our current study was to examine the possible dose-dependent effects of dried plum in preventing bone loss in older osteopenic postmenopausal women. METHODS: Forty-eight osteopenic women (65-79 years old) were randomly assigned into one of three treatment groups for 6 months: (1) 50 g of dried plum; (2) 100 g of dried plum; and (3) control.

Total body, hip, and lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) were evaluated at baseline and 6 months using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Blood biomarkers including bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP-5b), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and sclerostin were measured at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Osteoprotegerin (OPG), receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL), calcium, phosphorous, and vitamin D were measured at baseline and 6 months. RESULTS: Both doses of dried plum were able to prevent the loss of total body BMD compared with that of the control group (P < 0.05). TRAP-5b, a marker of bone resorption, decreased at 3 months and this was sustained at 6 months in both 50 and 100 g dried plum groups (P < 0.01 and P < 0.04, respectively). Although there were no significant changes in BAP for either of the dried plum groups, the BAP/ TRAP-5b ratio was significantly (P < 0.05) greater at 6 months in both dried plum groups whereas there were no changes in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm the ability of dried plum to prevent the loss of total body BMD in older osteopenic postmenopausal women and suggest that a lower dose of dried plum (i.e., 50 g) may be as effective as 100 g of dried plum in preventing bone loss in older, osteopenic postmenopausal women. This may be due, in part, to the ability of dried plums to inhibit bone resorption. This clinical trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02325895.

BACKGROUND: Affective disorders, especially depressive symptoms, bring such a burden to mortality and morbidity that they are associated with physical and psychological health and quality of life. Nuts, a foodstuff rich in multiple micronutrients, macronutrients, and other useful components, were considered to be a protector against depressive symptoms. Here, we conducted an analysis to examine the relationship between nut consumption and depressive symptoms. METHODS: The study performed a cross-sectional study to examine whether nut consumption is related to depressive symptoms among 13,626 inhabitants in Tianjin. Nut consumption was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire and depressive symptoms was assessed using the Chinese version of 20-item Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) with four cutoffs (40, 45, 48, and 50) to indicate elevated depressive symptoms. RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 38.7, 19.1, 11.4, and 7.3% for SDS ≥40, 45, 48, and 50, respectively. After adjustments for potential confounding factors, the odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of having elevated depressive symptoms with SDS ≥40 by increasing frequency of nut consumption were 1.00 for <once per week (reference), 0.82 (0.75, 0.90) for 1-3 times per week, and 0.82 (0.73, 0.92) for ≥4 times per week. Similar relations were observed with the use of other cutoffs as a definition of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: The present study is the first to find that nut consumption is independently associated with depressive symptoms. It is suggested that nut consumption may be beneficial to the prevention of depressive symptoms.

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“

A Chat with the Industry

WE HAVE TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE CUSTOMERS ENJOY BEING IN

”

Steve Junqueiro is responsible for overseeing Save Mart’s supply chain in its 210 stores and 3 distribution centers. He is in charge of store operations, merchandising, labor relations, human resources, and organizational effectiveness and engagement functions.

Steve is passionate about the grocery business. With over 41 years with the company, he has risen through the ranks holding operations and merchandising positions until being appointed to the position of Co-President and Chief Operating Officer. Steve’s leadership has built an operational team that works with conviction, credibility and compassion.

STEVE JUNQUEIRO CO-PRESIDENT AND COO OF SAVE MART

How do you envisage the experience of shopping in a supermarket in 10 years?

I think the shopper will have a more multi-type channel experience with shopping. They will use online shopping for home delivery and, at some point, they will also use quick-and-collect, meaning that they can order online and pick up the products by themselves. I think we will see a multi-type channel approach to the way people shop in supermarkets. I think all different channels are important and will have the future.

Smartphone is not just to communicate, but also to communicate digitally with business.

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He receives the INC after delivering a presentation about ‘The future of American Supermarkets’ in the frame of the XXXV World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress in San Diego. He firmly believes that this future will be driven by food transparency, convenience, connectivity, emotional connection, and local and sustainable supply.

Will the future of supermarkets be driven by Apps, robots, smartphones and new technologies?

I do. Nearly 70 % of population in the next few years will own a smartphone. And I believe that this is not just to communicate, but also to communicate digitally with business.

This year, we have seen the first supermarket that opens 24 hours a day and works without employees.

Is this a trend that we might expect to come?

We will see it because of the rising cost of labor. We will see new innovations to allow the model to work. With certain recent regulations that we have experienced, the cost of labor per hour will drive changes in the way we operate in supermarkets, so it’s very interesting what we have already seen globally. And I believe we will see some of that in the US.

Which are the megatrends dominating the food retail market?

The megatrends that survived the recession and continue today are sustainability, organics,

locally grown and, of course, health and wellness. I think they will continue. They survived a very, very difficult economic time and continue to grow today. And I believe they will continue to grow into the future.

Although rates are slightly improving year after year, food items are not among the most purchased products online.

Why consumers are still reluctant to buy food stuff via internet?

What is driving the reluctance is the experience people haven’t had yet. Once customers experience it, and are successful with it, that will continue to grow. I have communicated with some companies that have a brochure-online-ordering-program with their customers. The surprising thing they have seen is the acceptance of ordering fresh products and how well that is doing for the companies. It is a very human experience: touching, feeling and smelling the products.

We are always in need for that but I think once people experience the success that they can have, that will grow.

A Chat with the Industry

Steve Junqueiro presents ‘The Future of American Supermarkets’ in the frame of the XXXV World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress.

Are you prepared to interact with the generation of digital natives?

We are working feverishly to catch up because it moves so quickly. We are looking at online ordering, we are looking at quick-and-collect order products that you can get in a store. We are interacting by brand with our customers, communicating via social media and website.

So yes, we are engaged and the important thing we have seen is that when you are engaged, things can happen very quickly and the growth is very fast. That’s what we have experienced.

These digital natives are willing to live new experiences. Are supermarket stores prepared to provide consumers with a memorable experience of shopping?

We are preparing ourselves for that. We have to create an environment where that customers enjoy being in, a very interactive and connective environment. We are looking at how we develop and offer that experience for customers. It is so important to make that connection with customers. You are exposed to more and more people who have experiences with you, so making that connection is vital to our future.

How is Big Data helping the food retail sector to get an accurate knowledge about consumers?

Big Data is essential in understanding what is happening in every transaction, in every basket.

We have large quantities of data. Our challenge is to make sure that we use, decipher and have the entire business understanding the data. It is essential to create that experience in order to understand consumers. They are telling us what they like, what they don’t like, their preferences... All is in the data, and that will help us to create the experience we are looking for by understanding customers.

The so called ‘collaborative economy’ has had a major impact on markets such as transport or tourism. What are you doing to deal with it? Do you expect many changes in the near future?

The way customers approach to food has been impacted by technology. If you have a meal location you can collaboratively act as a chef, a nutritionist and also as a provider of products.

They can collaborate on how that meal looks like based on your needs and wills. Not only are supermarkets providing goods, but maybe is

Big Data is essential to create that experience in order to understand consumers. the chef who provides culinary insights, or the nutritionist who provides how to prepare food for a specific guest. There is a way in which that will become mainstream in the future about people preparing products in events.

What’s the role of supermarkets when it comes to tackle food waste?

Our company, for a long time, has tackled this problem through donation programs, rescue programs of products that are going out to code and offering those products to groups that can use them. It is a supermarket’s responsibility to continue to find ways to tackle food waste issues, to repurpose food or to redistribute food. There are many ways in which it could be addressed. And we are putting efforts on these areas.

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SAN DIEGO 2016 HOSTS THE MOST ATTENDED WORLD NUT AND DRIED FRUIT CONGRESS

We thank all sponsors, advertisers, speakers and participants for contributing to the success of the XXXV INC Congress

PREMIUM TREE NUTS

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INC Congress

More than 1,400 participants from 60 countries

www.nutfruitcongress.org July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

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INC Congress ANNUAL REPORT OF ACTIVITIES 2015-2016

THE INC ANNOUNCES AN EXECUTIVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM ON NUTS AND DRIED FRUITS The INC Academia was presented at the Annual Report of Activities session in the frame of the 2016 Congress in San Diego.

INC Executive Director, Goretti Guasch, presents the Annual Report of Activities.

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he INC will offer an Executive Program on Nuts and Dried Fruits.

The INC Academia was presented by Ms. Goretti Guasch, INC Executive Director, at the Annual Report of Activities session in the frame of the XXXV World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress host in San Diego, on June 1, 2016. The INC Academia is aimed at providing executive educational programs to industry-related companies and INC members, with specific knowledge about key industry facts. The first program of the Academia will offer education to learn in detail about basics of the nut and dried fruit industry, from its origins to soil and climate, production, processing, sorting, food safety, quality, trade and negotiation. The project is still under development and courses are planned to be delivered in the short term. “This first course will include an online program with readings, videos and self-assessment tests, combining visits to factories and orchards to learn the basics of the nut and dried fruit industry”, announced Ms. Guasch.

The Annual Report of Activities’ session also served to announce the launching of a new global promotional initiative to encourage the use of nuts and dried fruits as gifts, aiming at building consumers demand.

Under the theme “Nuts for Gifts” this initiative intends to “position nuts and dried fruits as a top mind gift by developing a campaign that will target consumers, bloggers, public health organizations, national associations and health professionals”.

Ms. Guasch defined the promotion of nutrition research and dissemination as the one that “continues to be at the forefront of the INC”. In 2015, INC funded 350,000 € for research, promotion

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and dissemination projects. In 2016, a total of 300,000 € have been allocated to the Call for Research Projects in addition to an allocation of 100,000 € annually for general research programs. When it comes to the Call for Dissemination Projects, grants for the past two years have resulted in programs of 100, 000 €.

The first results of the Analysis of the Impact of Scientific Research and Promotion on the Consumption of Nuts and Dried Fruits were also announced. A total of 744 studies have been published in the last three decades, showing a positive correlation between nut consumption and the number of studies. The analysis also show that the rise in consumption coincides with the growth in the industry efforts on health research and marketing programs.

The INC has put a great effort to provide its members with the most updated industry data resources through its digital Database.

Furthermore, the INC has started to develop a new data service that will increase user’s possibilities to work with maps and graphics, with a more interactive look, allowing the future addition of new statistical data, such as planted hectares, statistics by varieties, forms and usage, and FOB destination prices.

To finalize Ms. Guasch also highlighted the new Nutfruit magazine, launched in March 2016 with a fully renewed design, new contents and sections; the results of this year Communication and social media plan, to reach broader audiences in the digital world; and the INC Pavilion in the main international shows that remains a pivotal activity to promote nut and dried fruit businesses within an exclusive platform.

INC Congress

NUTRITION RESEARCH UPDATE NEW FINDINGS ON NUTS AND DRIED FRUITS AND HEALTH PRESENTED IN THE INC CONGRESS During the Nutrition Research Update, Prof. Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton and Dr. Cesarettin Alasalvar highlighted the benefits that have been associated to nut and dried fruit consumption and the most relevant studies published in the last year.

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he Nutrition Research Update was chaired by Prof. Jordi SalasSalvadó, Chairman of the INC World Forum for Nutrition Research and Dissemination, and featured two leading experts in nutrition as guest speakers, Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, Distinguished Professor of Nutrition at Pennsylvania State University (USA) and Dr. Cesarettin Alasalvar, Associate Professor and Director of Food Institute at TÜBITAK Marmara Research Center (Turkey).

Prof. Salas-Salvadó presented the priorities, activities, role and composition of the INC World Forum for Nutrition Research and Dissemination, highlighting the annual Call for Research Projects. A total of 11 projects from 6 countries were submitted in February 2016.

This year, the INC will fund up to 300,000 EUR on research projects. In addition, he highlighted the participation of the Forum in international scientific symposia, including the International Symposium on Diabetes and Nutrition, the European Nutrition Conference and the International Congress of Nutrition.

During his presentation, the most relevant studies published during the last year were summarized. A recent study conducted in China with more than 13,000 participants suggests that nut consumption may be beneficial in the prevention of depressive symptoms. In 2015, a meta-analysis of clinical trials associated nut consumption with lower blood pressure in participants without type 2 diabetes, and another meta-analysis associated nut intake with lower cholesterol. On the other hand, a meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies linked nut consumption with lower risk of all cause mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality, coronary heart disease mortality and sudden cardiac death.

Recent scientific studies suggest that nut consumption may be beneficial in the prevention of depressive symptoms and associate nut intake with a lower risk of mortality.

To conclude, Prof. Salas-Salvadó shared some new results from the landmark PREDIMED trial. The latest findings show that a longterm adherence to a Mediterranean (Med) diet supplemented with nuts counteracts age-related cognitive decline. In addition, the results of the study suggest a beneficial effect of a Med diet supplemented with nuts in the primary prevention of breast cancer and may also protect against diabetic retinopathy -the first cause of blindness in industrialized countries.

The PREDIMED-PLUS trial is currently underway to investigate the effect of an intensive weight-loss lifestyle intervention on a hypocaloric Med diet (including nuts and olive oil) compared to a non-intensive intervention Med diet (including nuts and olive oil) without caloric restriction.

Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton opened her presentation with an overview of the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the specific

Prof. Jordi Salas-Salvadó presents the Nutrition Research Update.

recommendations for tree nuts and peanuts. Over the past three decades, the quantitative advice for total dietary fat has changed from “avoid too much” to “no longer considered a nutrient of concern”. The new U.S. Dietary Guidelines state that a healthy eating pattern includes, among others, a variety of protein foods, including nuts. The recommended serving of nuts per week is 5 oz (14 oz in the vegetarian eating pattern). In addition, Dr. Kris-Etherton summarized the results of some key studies that have associated nut consumption with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, reduced mortality and decreased age-related increases in body weight.

According to the new U.S. Dietary Guidelines, regular consumption of nuts and legumes and moderate consumption of alcohol are shown to be components of a beneficial dietary pattern in most studies. The strength of the evidence for this is rated as strong.

She also remarked that, in general, the average consumption of nuts, seeds and soy products is below the recommended intake ranges, both in males and in females, particularly among young people ranging in age from 14 to 30 years.

Last but not least, Dr. Cesarettin Alasalvar gave an update of new findings concerning the health benefits of dried fruit consumption. He outlined that dried fruits are rich sources of essential nutrients and health-promoting bioactive compounds. Dried fruits provide a wide range of phytochemicals, such as phenolic acids, flavonols, phytoestrogens, and anthocyanidins and possess strong antioxidant activities. They are also essential sources of potassium and dietary fibre with a low content of fat. According to the recent “Review of dried fruits: Phytochemicals, antioxidant efficacies, and health benefits”, published in the Journal of Functional Foods, dried fruits have been associated with the following health effects: lipid-lowering, cardioprotective, antioxidative, hepatoprotective, anti-diabetic, anti-glaucoma, anticancer, antibiotic, osteoprotective and satiety control.

Dried fruits provide a wide range of phytochemicals which gives them great antioxidant characteristics and broad health benefits.

Dr. Alasalvar concluded stressing the importance of dried fruits as good sources of nutrients, bioactives and phytochemicals. About 30-43 g of dried fruits, depending on the fruit, are considered nutritionally equivalent to fresh fruits in current dietary recommendations in different countries.

Finally, he noted the need of more human intervention and clinical studies to further validate the health benefits of various dried fruits, especially peaches, figs and pears.

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INC Congress SCIENTIFIC SEMINAR

CALIFORNIA STATEWIDE SPATIAL MAPPING OF ALMONDS, WALNUTS, PISTACHIOS AND DRIED PLUMS RESULTS, INTERPRETATIONS AND APPLICATIONS The following article summarizes the results of a newly developed technology capable of mapping all crops on a field by field or orchard by orchard basis across large landscapes. In particular, this article features mapping of almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and dried plums (prunes).

A

ccurate and current information on constantly changing agricultural crop acreage and the distribution of those crops is critical for environmental, economic and resource management applications.

Understanding the impacts of crop type and associated spatial distribution, crop change over time, and acreage location is fundamental to accurate analyses and conclusions.

Never in California’s history has spatial crop data been as important as it is now. It informs agricultural decisions for managing a fragile water supply, environmental stressors such as changing climates, increasing regulatory requirements at the state and federal levels, and expanding global markets. These decisions require comprehensive information about crop acreage and location.

Collectively, remotely sensed crop mapping data are valuable for: • Annual crop acreage determinations.

• Permanent crop age determination.

• Economic and land use trend analysis.

• Surface and groundwater modeling and assessments.

• Groundwater recharge enhancement.

• Following trends and locations.

• Evapotranspiration estimations and models.

• Permanent versus annual crops and locations.

• Drought and climate impact analysis.

• Water use efficiency and water infrastructure planning.

Past efforts to categorize and/or spatially map land use (specifically field by field identification) throughout California has either been inconsistent or inaccurate. As a result, the Almond Board of California (ABC), the California Walnut Commission (CWC), the California Pistachio Research Board (CPRB), and the California Dried Plum Board (CDPB) contracted with the private

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Dr. Joel Kimmelshue, CPSS

Owner and Principal Soil and Agricultural Scientist with the scientific and private research firm of Land IQ, LLC. He holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Soil Science with a concentration in Water Resources and Crop Production systems in addition to his Certification as a Professional Soil Scientist (CPSS). He has worked in the field of soil science and agronomy for nearly 20 years.

Contact: jkimmelshue@landiq.com

+1 916.265.6350 www.landiq.com

Figure 1. Base Layer Mapping - Statewide distribution of almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and dried plums in 2014 including inset image showing mapping detail.

science and research firm Land IQ, LLC (Land IQ) to jointly develop an orchard by orchard spatial mapping product. The result is an accurate, completely comprehensive spatial database of almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and dried plums (prunes) throughout the entire state of California (Figure 1). Resultant mapping accuracies range from 96-98% depending on crop type.

The purpose of this statewide effort was to produce a field by field spatial crop database using remote sensing analysis, and to apply that base layer information for additional analyses and other informed interpretations. This ultimate map of almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and dried plums represents about 1.5 million acres of those irrigated tree crops in California’s Central Valley.

This mapping effort began in 2014 and can now be updated on an annual basis utilizing the original mapping product and current tree crop distribution knowledge. This database addresses the need for accurate, timely and cost-effective nut crop acreage data, which previously did not exist as a comprehensive spatial data product.

This project is important and timely because nut and dried fruit commodity organizations

currently acquire annual, non-spatial crop acreage data that, in its final form, is available no earlier than April or May of the following year.

These data historically underestimate acreage, are mostly non-spatial, and when spatial, can be less than 75 % accurate. In response, the method used for this project is highly accurate, completed sooner, and samples 100 % of the population (without subjective surveys).

The spatial database that was completed during this project can be used in subsequent years because it provides a base layer on which annual updates can be conducted with less effort than the original mapping effort. Applications of the spatial data beyond the scope of this project have already begun by some of the groups involved. For example, spatial orchard data has been used in conjunction with other spatial data resources to determine orchard age, evaluate suitability of utilizing crop acreage as groundwater recharge sites, and identify previous cropping systems. Moving forward, the commodity organizations are now investigating the relationship to solar installations and various proximity analyses.

INC Congress MEMBERSHIP INTEGRITY FORUM

A BUSINESS INTEGRITY COMMITTEE WILL TACKLE COMMERCIAL TRANSGRESSIONS IN THE INDUSTRY

Michael Waring, INC Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Membership Integrity Forum, with panelists Giles Hacking, Ago Dermenjian and Andrew Wanger.

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he INC has announced the formation of the Business Integrity Committee (BIC). INC Chairman Mr. Mark Mariani, initiated the formation of this Committee and subsequently appointed Mr. Michael Waring, INC Vice-Chairman, to lead it. The objective of the committee is to promote a Code of Conduct within the INC Membership and in the wider business community. BIC will aim at preventing commercial transgressions and cases of defaults similar to the ones that have hit the nut and dried fruit industry in the past months. This Committee was officially announced at the XXXV World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress in San Diego, on July 1, 2016. Although its formation, structure and criteria still need a great deal of discussion and analysis, the Membership Integrity Forum session held in San Diego served to clearly define its objectives and its role within the industry. As it was stated, the intention of the INC in creating this Committee is to ensure the integrity of the market while preserving the public interest.

“We can’t be policemen and we don’t intend to be that. But we will try to make sure that if you are member of the INC, and do business with other members of the INC, you can have a certain confidence”. This sentence, stated by Mr. Giles Hacking, member of the Executive Committee of the INC at the Membership Integrity Forum, summarizes the spirit by which the BIC was officially presented to the sector. Mr. Hacking acted as member of the panel along with Mr. Ago Dermenjian, from Derco Foods, and Mr. Andrew Wagner, from the international law firm Clyde & Co. US LLP. The panel was chaired by Mr. Waring, who remarked the importance of determining, as a preliminary step, “the arbitration institutions and jurisdiction” from which rulings will be recognized. “INC, through BIC, will work to be sure we have identified the jurisdictions under which we will quote and then if we decide to exclude or not from membership”, said Mr. Waring.

The possibility of excluding or not defaulters from membership was precisely the one that raised more questions, sparking a great deal of interest from the audience. Although definitive criteria have not been established yet, Mr. Wagner emphasized the importance of clearly defining what a defaulter is before undertaking any type of action. “There are many steps in that process. We need to be careful when labeling someone as a defaulter”, affirmed Mr. Wagner. He also suggested the INC should include a clause within its membership application rules in which it reserves the right to either reject the application, or remove from membership, based on whatever this definition of defaulter is going to be. “Whatever this qualifying factor is going to be, it should be disclosed to applicants”, he considered. Mr. Dermenjian added that “we want to do business with everybody in this room and sleep well at night. And if people don’t want to play by the rules of the game they shouldn’t be allowed in.”

This Committee will promote a Code of Conduct including recognition of certain arbitration rulings and jurisdiction findings in relation to defaults and other guidelines, and criteria that might result in rejecting or not accepting INC membership.

Industry contracts What happens if someone sends a contract to a member and the other part does not return it back signed? Can we rely on e-mails? These were some of the questions submitted by the audience regarding contractual issues, a matter that was also tackled at the discussion. When assessing this problem, Mr. Dermenjian said that the difficulty has been with those developing markets with a lot of new entrants and “people who think that they can make money very quickly”. “Do your best to get a signature” was the recommendation made by Mr. Wagner to the audience.

Mr. Hacking put on the table the idea of having an industry contract. “It would be very helpful if we, as an industry, continue to try and bring in industry contracts because then there is no discussion about whether I accept your terms or whether you accept my terms”.

He added that it “simplifies the whole process” because “everybody knows what they are signing up for”.

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INC Congress

30 MAY

Congress Welcome

by Mark Mariani, INC Chairman and Congress Co-Chairman; Jack Mariani, Congress Co-Chairman and Goretti Guasch, INC Executive Director.

Christopher Kostow, Award for Excellence in Gastronomy

Congress officially opens.

Dried Fruits Round Table.

Coffee break sponsored by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella.

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Pistachios Round Table.

INC Congress

Almonds Round Table.

Susan Brauner, former editor of The Cracker magazine, receives a plaque of gratitude.

Buffet working lunch sponsored

by The Green Valley Pecan Company.

Welcome Cocktail sponsored by Besana Group.

www.nutfruitcongress.org

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INC Congress

31 MAY Hazelnuts Round Table.

Peanuts Round Table.

Macadamias Round Table.

Walnuts Round Table.

Buffet working lunch sponsored by Rajkumar Impex Ltd.

Coffee break sponsored by Blue Diamond Growers.

Sam Keiper, president and CEO of DFA of California, receives a recognition diploma.

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Scientific Seminar.

Nutrition Research Update.

INC Congress

Buffet casual dinner sponsored

by The Wonderful Company.

www.nutfruitcongress.org www.nutfruitcongress.org July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

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INC Congress Annual report of activities 2015-2016.

1 JUNE Blue Diamond Growers receives the Innovation Award.

Remy Berrebi receives a diploma of appreciation for participating in 30 INC Congresses.

Pratap Nair, Chairman of the INC Congress in Chennai, presents the 2017 World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress.

Dr. Penny KrisEtherton, Award for Excellence in Research.

Cashews Round Table.

Pecans, Pine Nuts and Brazil Nuts Round Table.

Coffee break sponsored by Diamond Foods.

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Membership Integrity Forum's panelists.

Buffet working lunch sponsored by Sun-Maid Growers of California.

INC Congress

INC Ambassadors Committee meeting.

INC Statistics Committee meeting.

Gala dinner and ball sponsored by Mariani Family.

The Wonderful Company receives the Corporate Golden Nut Award.

Jack Mariani receives the Individual Golden Nut Award.

Berton Steir, Stewart Resnick and Jack Mariani pose with the INC Awards.

INC Executive Committee and staff.

www.nutfruitcongress.org www.nutfruitcongress.org July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

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INC Congress

INC AWARDS CELEBRATE THE MOST FESTIVE SPIRIT OF THE INDUSTRY The XXXV World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress provided an unparalleled setting to recognize those individuals, companies or organizations that have made an outstanding contribution to the progress of the nuts and dried fruits industry. Divided into 5 categories, the INC Awards program has become a traditional and festive celebration that year after year acknowledges excellence in the sector.

CORPORATE GOLDEN NUT AWARD The Wonderful Company received the Corporate Golden Nut Award for its great effort to achieve the progress of the nut industry. “We are honored to receive the Golden Nut Award, which represents excellence in the nuts and dried fruit industry,” said Mr. Stewart Resnick, Chairman and President of The Wonderful Company. “This award recognizes that our brand Wonderful Pistachios and Almonds, in partnership with INC, continues to serve as a leader in researching and promoting the health benefits of nuts and providing consumers with wholesome, nutritious real foods.”

INDIVIDUAL GOLDEN NUT AWARD Mr. Jack Mariani was given the Individual Golden Nut Award

for his successful career and great contribution to the INC and the nuts and dried fruits industry. After receiving the award, Mr. Jack Mariani said he felt “honored” to have been able to serve on the Board for 30 years and “especially the 4 years I was so privileged to serve as a Chairman”. “It’s such a pleasure and such a small way to be able to give something back to this industry that has been very good to our Mariani Family for many years”, added Mr. Mariani.

AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, Distinguished Professor of Nutrition at Pennsylvania State University, was delivered the Award for Excellence in Research for her achievements in understanding the role of nutrition in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. “As I look back, I just find so rewarding to see how nut research has evolved.

It’s truly remarkable to see how the research has unfolded”, stated Dr. Kris-Etherton.

AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN GASTRONOMY Mr. Christopher Kostow, Chef at The Restaurant at Meadowood, received the Award for Excellence in Gastronomy, for his continued work and superior quality in cuisine.

He highlighted the great influence his origin has had into his creative spirit. “Napa Valley and its area was traditionally based around nut production”, said Mr. Kostow. “Coming from the Napa Valley involves that we understand the history of that place and communicate that history”.

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INNOVATION AWARD Blue Diamond Growers won the Innovation Award with its product Sriracha Almonds. “I think this award specifically recognizes our specific flavor of Sriracha, which is the most successful flavor of bold almonds that we have launched since our very iconic wasabi and soy flavor”, said Mr. Mark Mariani, CEO and President of the company.

The other candidates for the INNOVATION AWARD were: American Pistachio Growers with The Power of Pistachios; Besana with Resealable Pot Solution; John B. Sanfilippo & Son with Fisher Nut Exactly Snack Bites Entry; Key Technology with VERYX Digital Sorter; Novolyze with The Kit of Dry Surrogates; Nuts for Life with Storehouse; The Bühler Group with SORTEX E BioVision; The Rising Pili Nuts of the Philippines with The Cracking Monkey and Woodside Electronics Corporation with WECO AgTrack. The INC wants to thank the other candidates for submitting their products and services for the Innovation Award.

INC Congress

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

59

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INC News

INC News

INC will attend the world’s largest food INC PAVILION IS BACK The innovation exhibition with a larger Pavilion STORAGE ROOMS

MEETING ROOMS

(375 sq m) and Joined by 24 co-exhibitors.

HOSPITALITY AREA

WELCOME DESK

SIAL-Paris, from 16 - 20 October 2016, will see a new edition of the INC Nuts and Dried Fruit Pavilion. This year, the Pavilion presents new features aimed at enhancing the experience of the INC members participating in the world’s food largest innovation exhibition.

The new INC Pavilion will have 375 sq m hosting 24 INC members. By these larger dimensions, the Pavilion will incorporate new facilities and services so as to offer extra-added value to those companies trusting the INC to promote its products and services at this international trade show. As a matter of fact, there will be 3 meeting rooms and a bigger hospitality-lounge area. Co-exhibitors will afford bigger space for both informal and private meetings.

INC Pavilion will be located at hall 5A-L200, featured by premium location, visibility and high-traffic of visitors. INC members participating in the Pavilion enjoy a full-service package including graphic design and printing, refreshment and daily lunch, free wifi connection, storage rooms, pre-show planning, company listing in the official catalogue, assistance in shipping, travel and accommodation and multilingual personnel, among others.

There are 24 co-exhibitors representing a total of 15 countries. Once again, the INC Pavilion will result in a melting point of nationalities, reinforcing its position as the world’s umbrella organization embracing the interests of the global nuts and dried fruits industry. This year’s edition, USA, UK, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Moldova, Romania, Tunisia, China, Japan, Canada, Australia and Iran will be represented in the Pavilion.

Paris, the Capital of Planet Food Over the course of 5 days, Paris will turn into the largest international marketplace for foodservice professionals. More than 6,500 exhibitors and 155,000 visitors are expected. 85 % of SIAL-Paris exhibitors are international and there are 104 countries represented. When it comes to visitors, 71 % are international and there are 194 countries represented.

Welcome Cocktail One of the events that has become a classic celebration either in SIAL-Paris or Anuga is the Welcome Cocktail. It results in a meeting point for the nuts and dried fruits business, attracting great traffic of visitors. This is an excellent platform to promote brands in front of top industry leaders and representatives from the nuts and dried fruit industry. The Welcome Cocktail will be held on October 16th, marking the starting point to 5 intense days for exploring new markets, exchanging views, staying connected and doing business with other players from the agri-food industry.

We thank our exhibitors for joining us in the world’s largest food innovation exhibition

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61

INC News

EXPLORING NEW REGIONS WITHIN THE SOUTH-EAST ASIAN FOOD MARKET The INC will debut in SIAL-InterFood Jakarta, an exhibition attracting more than 40,000 visitors.

Sial-Inter Food Jakarta in figures

+ 40,000 VISITORS +1,000 EXHIBITORS COUNTRIES 27 REPRESENTED AND +30 SERVICEPRODUCT CATEGORIES

SIAL-InterFood Jakarta will be the destination of the INC between 9 to 12 November 2016. Just a month after closing its participation in SIAL-Paris, the INC will attend the Indonesian food innovation exhibition willing to open new markets within the South-East Asian region.

Chennai, in India, will host the following INC Congress in 2017 and the INC intends to promote the XXXVI World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress within this part of the globe due to its growth potential and alluring economic perspectives.

“Considering that San Diego hosted the 2016 annual Congress, we have been focused on the US market. That’s the reason why priority has been given to IFT Show and Summer Fancy Food, where we have centered our efforts in past editions. However, SIAL-InterFood Jakarta provides us with many opportunities to largely expand our range of action”, claims Mr. Marc Centelles, INC

INC PRESENTS ITS CONGRESS TO THE WORLD PEANUT INDUSTRY

T

The 2016 International Peanut Forum was held in Madrid from 13 to 15 April.

he INC has participated in the International Peanut Forum. This is the second time the INC attends this biennial meeting exclusively focused on the peanut industry.

The 2016 International Peanut Forum resulted in a broad platform to promote the INC Congress. Ms. Goretti Guasch, INC Executive Director, was invited to address the audience so as to present the World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress. She claimed that the INC Congress is the place to meet the entire nuts and dried fruits industry and highlighted the long-standing tradition of such an international event: “It’s been more than 3 decades since the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council envisaged such a great idea: to define a place where the entire nut and dried fruit industry meets annually to work together and keep focused on the same direction. That was the way we conceived the first INC Congress in Reus, Spain, in 1980.

We have the prestige and international reputation provided by an institution with more than 30 years of experience”. Ms Guasch was also in charge of opening the first session with a warm welcome to Spain.

INC’s participation was supported by a stand located at the Exhibition Area. Coffee breaks and pauses between sessions attracted great many

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July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Marketing and Sales Manager. “What we pretend is to bring new participants to the INC 2017 Congress in Chennai, to expand the INC brand in the South-East Asian market and to present the INC to potential new members interested in applying for membership”.

INC’s participation will take the form of an individual 18 sq m booth located in Hall B. It will include brochures and corporate materials so as to disseminate its main projects such as the INC Congress, the Pavilion, the Nutfruit magazine and the statistics database. As in previous occasions, space will be reserved to have informal meetings with delegates visiting the booth.

Indonesia is the 4th largest country in the world in terms of population, embracing 50 per cent of ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) population.

When it comes to economic power, Indonesia represents the 16th largest economy in the world, being member of the G20 major economies. Food demand reaches 45 million members of the consuming class, with a growing penetration of premium products.

INC's booth at the exhibition area.

traffic of delegates and participants to this area. INC staff provided them with information about the benefits of becoming member and answered their questions mainly revolving around the INC Pavilion and the statistics database. Attendees also expressed their interest in joining the following INC Congress.

International Peanut Forum has represented an opportunity to meet with farmers, exporters, brokers, dealers, manufacturers, testing laboratories and equipment suppliers from around the world.

Being organized by the American Peanut Council, the International Peanut Forum offered participants a broad set of conference sessions covering a diverse range of topics including a first round table on the latest peanut nutrition research, advances in peanut traits and the nut market in Spain; the second round table was focused on peanut allergy; the third session presented new peanut products and the latest research to social media marketing in the digital era; and the last conference session debated the facts of the peanut supply and demand. A total of 345 delegates from 34 countries joined this event, breaking previous meeting attendance records.

INC News

SECOND MEETING OF THE SPANISH ALMOND INDUSTRY More than one hundred participants from the Spanish almond industry gathered for the Second Meeting of the Spanish Almond Industry, in Zamoranos-Priego, Córdoba, Spain, on 14 April 2016.

G

Participants of the Spanish Almond Industry Meeting.

rowers, traders, processors, manufacturers, machinery companies and industry-related organizations shared and discussed updates and views on the challenges and opportunities of the Spanish almond industry.

THE EVENT OFFERED THREE ROUND TABLES WITH EXPERTS FROM THE ALMOND SECTOR, AND COVERED A WIDE VARIETY OF TOPICS SUCH AS PRODUCTION, SORTING TECHNOLOGIES, FOOD SAFETY AND HEALTH RESEARCH.

The first round table focused on almond production and dealt with the question: “Is the Spanish production enough?” Experts gave a global statistical overview about the Spanish almond and hazelnut crop, cultivation and imports, debating the future of the sector.

The theme of the second round table was: “Do we have the machinery and technology to meet the sector requirements?” Experts from machinery companies discussed about the latest developments in sorting, the weaknesses of current technologies and future advances.

During the last round table, focused on “Do we know the value of our product?”, new research findings about the health benefits of nuts and almonds, particularly in diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as the landmark PREDIMED study were highlighted. The main issues regarding food safety and legislation were explained by Dr. Ana Bermejo, Food Safety and Law Specialist at the INC. To conclude, IRTA presented its project for the detection and eradication of the bitter almond.

In the closing ceremony, Mr. Vicens Serrano (Borges Mediterranean Group), Mr. José Coloma, (Trader) and Mr. Ramón Llop (Frutos Secos Ramón Llop) received a Medal of Honor in recognition of their careers.

SAFE FOOD CALIFORNIA Safe Food California 2016 session.

Safe Food California (SFC), the West Coast’s premier food safety conference and expo, was structured to emphasize an educational platform, industry training and professional networking. The SFC team provided a venue for the industry to gather, exchange ideas, and learn about the current trends in food safety and quality practices.

The INC sponsored the event which brought together professional leaders from growers to processors to distributors to address future industry trends and current business best practices.

The Safe Food California 2016 program included: • Discussion of key issues and challenges in food safety and various industry topics in a variety of educational settings including: Academy Courses, Educational Break-Out Sessions, Roundtables and General Sessions.

• A wide variety of presenters with expertise in food safety, law, loss prevention, FSMA and many other industry related topics.

• Opportunities to develop and cultivate client relationships through an array of networking events.

Safe Food California 2016 delivered first-rate educational content relevant to a broad spectrum of food professionals including processors, food retailers, foodservice providers, suppliers, and food labs. Networking events stretched the duration of the conference, starting with the return of the annual Golf Tournament at the Bayonet Black Horse Golf Course, followed by the Craft Brew Social Hour at Knuckles Sports Bar -a relaxing and interactive conference kick-off for early arrivers. SFC’s tradeshow floor served as a pathway for attendees looking to enter the general session area, and hosted the conference Grand Reception giving exhibitors maximum interaction with conference participants.

On the final night, the Black Tie and Blue Jeans Scholarship Foundation Gala was held offering attendees a final opportunity to network and enjoy live entertainment.

The next Safe Food California is scheduled for April 4-6, 2017 at Portola Hotel and Spa in Monterey, California.

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

63

INC News

SUMMARY OF MEETINGS AND AD-HOC WORKING GROUPS IN SAN DIEGO INC's Committees and Ad-hoc working groups met in the frame of the XXXV World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress. It was an excellent opportunity to assess plans, review projects, keep updated on the latest news and define future projects.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The INC Executive Committee met in San Diego on May 29, 2016, to review the Foundation financial status and budget, as well as current and future projects, namely the formation of the INC Academia, the follow up of the Annual Communication Plan, INC participation in international exhibitions and the results of the 2016 Calls for Research and Dissemination Projects. In addition, the members of the Executive Committee discussed a proposal for an INC Membership Integrity Committee. Finally, the Committee reviewed the program proposals for future INC Congresses.

Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act.

WORLD FORUM FOR NUTRITION RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATION The Evaluating Committee of the INC World Forum for Nutrition Research and Dissemination met on Monday, 30 May, to review the activities of the Committee and to plan for next year’s program.

The Committee discussed the preparations for a second Call for Research Projects before the end of the year, as well as advertising options to spread the Call as widely as possible, and participation in international conferences for nutrition and health professionals.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES The Board of Trustees met after the Executive Committee and discussed budgetary and strategic plans. Board members reviewed the Strategic Plan of Actions, the INC Membership Integrity Forum, the Report of Activities by the Secretariat, the Ambassadors Committee, the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, the Statistics Committee, the World Forum for Nutrition Research and Dissemination, the Global Cashew Council and the Macadamia Working Group. To conclude, the Board was updated on the preparations for the INC 2017 Congress in Chennai, India, and ratified Seville, Spain, as the Congress site for 2018.

SCIENTIFIC AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MEETING On Monday, 30 May, the members of the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee met to review the activities conducted by the Committee over the last year and discuss the most relevant topics of concern. The Committee discussed issues such as fosetyl-Al, chlorpyrifos, microbiological food safety, bitter raw apricot kernels, INC activity within different Codex Alimentarius Committees, INC cooperation with the U.N. Economic

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July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

STATISTICS COMMITTEE MEETING The INC Statistics Committee Meeting took place on Tuesday, May 31. Over 40 industry experts from 15 countries reviewed the program of activities of the Committee and discussed the plan of action for the coming year. Special emphasis was given to the need of collecting reliable data and expanding the range of statistical information (plantations, varieties...), all in all to help better understand the state of the nut and dried fruit industry.

AMBASSADORS COMMITTEE MEETING The P.R. Membership and Ambassadors Committee meeting took place on Wednesday, June 1st. Chaired by Mr. Stephen Meltzer, ambassadors from more than 30 countries reviewed the activities of the group towards the promotion of nuts and dried fruits in their respective countries. INC marketing promotional materials were requested by ambassadors so as to disseminate the benefits of INC membership, get new members and encourage companies to attend Chennai 2017 Congress. In addition, Ms. Goretti Guasch, INC Executive Director, reported on the current membership state.

GLOBAL INTER-BOARD COOPERATION SUMMIT Chaired by Mr. Antonio Pont, INC Honorary President, the annual meeting of the Global Inter-Board Cooperation Summit was held on Tuesday, 31 May. Over 60 delegates from 15 countries learnt from the national and regional associations of nuts and dried fruits about the projects and activities related to the promotion of nuts and dried fruits around the world. In addition, INC Executive Director Ms. Goretti Guasch presented INC’s Dissemination Program –a global promotional initiative aimed at encouraging the use of nuts and dried fruits and build consumer demand. All presentations are available at http://nutfruitcongress.org/ sandiego2016.

GLOBAL CASHEW COUNCIL On 31 May, the Board of the Global Cashew Council (GCC) met in San Diego to review the 2012-2017 budget and contributions, and to discuss current activities and future projects.

Chaired by Mr. Arie Endendijk, the members of the Board discussed the terms of the GCC Organization Manual and membership structure. To conclude, INC Executive Director Ms. Goretti Guasch presented a proposal for a new communication plan for the promotion of cashew nut consumption around the globe.

MACADAMIA WORKING GROUP Over 30 industry experts from the macadamia producing regions shared ideas in regard to the collection of crop data for the analysis of the sector at international level; the latest news about the Global Macadamia Health Project and upcoming call for research proposals, as well as the publication of a Macadamia Technical Information Kit that intends to provide a basic understanding of using macadamias and targets buyers, importers, processors, manufacturers and the food service industry.

INC News

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

65

INC News

INC ANNUAL CALL FOR RESEARCH AND PROMOTION PROJECTS As part of the INC’s program of strategic initiatives aimed at supporting research into the health benefits of nuts and dried fruits, as well as promotion and dissemination, the INC launches two annual Calls.

Annual Call for Research Projects:

Annual Call for Promotion and Dissemination:

The objective of this grant is to fund clinic, epidemiological, basic and strategic research that may contribute to enhance the understanding of the health effects of nuts and dried fruits. The priorities and research topics of interest are reviewed every two years by the Academic Honorary Committee.

The objective of this grant is to build consumer demand for nuts and dried fruits, as well as to spread information about the properties and qualities of nuts and dried fruits.

Both grants are open for public and private institutions, as well as not for-profit organizations, to encourage cooperative projects.

The two Calls are usually published each autumn in the website.

Applications are generally due at the beginning of the year. The applications are peer-reviewed by the Evaluating Committee of the INC World Forum for Nutrition Research and Dissemination. Chaired by Prof. Jordi SalasSalvadó, the Evaluating Committee prioritizes the projects and makes a recommendation to the INC Executive Committee, which makes the final funding decision.

On 29 May 2016, the INC awarded six projects grants. The research grants were awarded to: 1) The clinical study “‘Dried fruit as a means for lowering the glycemic response to high glycemic index-carbohydrate foods”, submitted by Dr. Cyril Kendall, Glycemia Consulting Inc., Canada; 2) The project “Exploration of the effects of nut consumption on markers

of inflammation and endothelial function”, a systematic review and metaanalysis submitted by Prof. Linda Tapsell, University of Wollongong, Australia, and 3) The project “Effects of nut-derived miRNAs on inflammatory and metabolic profile of fat cells”, submitted by Dr. Daniele Lettieri-Barbato, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy.

As for promotion and dissemination, INC granted three projects: 1) th 34 International Symposium on Diabetes and Nutrition: Nuts, Obesity and Diabetes Symposium from the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine (IKEM), Czech Republic; 2) “Nuts & Fit, Frutta Secca & Sport, il mix ideale per tenersi in forma” from Nucis Italy, and 3) “Update Ernährungsmedizin” (Update in Nutritional Medicine Congress) from Nucis Germany.

2016 AWARDS RECIPIENTS PROJECT

APPLICANT RESEARCH Dried fruit as a means for lowering the glycemic response to high glycemic Dr. Cyril Kendall, Glycemia Consulting Inc., Canada index-carbohydrate foods (clinical study).

Exploration of the effects of nut consumption on markers of inflammation Prof. Linda Tapsell, University of Wollongong, Australia and endothelial function (systematic review and meta-analysis).

Effects of nut-derived miRNAs on inflammatory and metabolic profile Dr. Daniele Lettieri-Barbato, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy of fat cells (animal/cell study).

PROMOTION AND DISSEMINATION 34th International Symposium on Diabetes and Nutrition: Nuts, Obesity and Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine (IKEM), Czech Republic Diabetes Symposium.

Nuts & Fit, Frutta Secca & Sport, il mix ideale per tenersi in forma.

Nucis Italy Update Ernährungsmedizin (Update in Nutritional Medicine Congress).

Nucis Germany

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July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

INC News

By the end of 2016, INC will have funded research and promotion grants for a total of 800,000 euros since the launch of the first Call in 2013.

2013-2015 AWARDS RECIPIENTS PROJECT

APPLICANT RESEARCH

Long-term nut consumption and cognitive function with aging (epidemiologic study).

Dr. Francine Grodstein, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, USA

Long-term effects of an energy-restricted Mediterranean diet on mortality and cardiovascular disease (clinical study).

Dr. Miguel A. Martínez-González, University of Navarra, Spain

Nut consumption and changes in weight and body fat distribution in adults from 10 European countries (epidemiologic study).

Dr. Joan Sabaté, Loma Linda University, USA

Association between dietary nuts exposure and cognitive decline over three-year period in older adults: the In CHIANTI study (clinical study).

Prof. Cristina Andrés Lacueva, University of Barcelona, Spain

Effect of nut consumption on semen quality and functionality in a cohort of healthy males (clinical study).

Dr. Mònica Bulló, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain

Effect of dried plums, figs, dates, and raisins versus a fruit drink/punch on cardiometabolic disease risk factors (clinical study).

Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, Penn State University, USA

PROMOTION AND DISSEMINATION 33 International Symposium on Diabetes & Nutrition; Nuts & Diabetes Symposium.

Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis & Clinical Trials Foundation, Canada

Nut growers social media education project.

Nuts for Life, Australia

Nuts about good health, The Mediterranean Diet & Nuts: unbeatably healthy!

Nucis Italy

rd

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July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Statistical Review

WORLD CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION TRENDS

Global Statistical Review July 2016

Statistics are also available at our website www.nutfruit.org

Map shows 5 top producing countries. Other major producers listed below.

Main producing countries

Almonds USA Australia Spain Iran Turkey Tunisia

Greece Chile Morocco Italy Syria

Walnuts China USA Iran Turkey Ukraine Chile France

Moldava India Romania Hungary Italy Georgia Australia

Brazil Nuts Bolivia Peru Brazil

Peanuts China India USA Nigeria Indonesia Argentina

Senegal Vietnam Ghana Brazil Nicaragua

Cashews India Cote dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ivoire Vietnam Guinea¡Bissau Brazil

Tanzania Benin Nigeria Indonesia Cambodia

Dates Saudi Arabia Egypt Iran UAE Pakistan Algeria Iraq

Sudan Oman Tunisia Morocco Libya Israel USA

Hazelnuts Turkey Italy USA Georgia Azerbaijan

Spain France China Iran Chile

Dried Apricots Turkey Iran China USA South Africa Australia

Macadamias South Africa Australia Kenya USA Guatemala Malawi

Brazil China Colombia New Zealand Swaziland

Dried Cranberries USA Canada Chile

Pecans USA Mexico South Africa Australia

Dried Figs Turkey Egypt Iran USA

Greece Spain Italy

Pine Nuts China DPR Korea Pakistan Afghanistan Mongolia

Russia Spain Turkey Portugal Italy

Prunes USA Chile France Argentina

Serbia Australia Italy South Africa

Pistachios USA Iran Turkey Syria Afghanistan

China Greece Italy Australia

Raisins Sultanas Currants USA Turkey Iran China India Chile

Uzbekistan Greece Australia Argentina South Africa

Listed by global production as per FAO but not necessarily meaning quantities going through commercial channels.

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

69

Statistical Review

ALMONDS 杏仁

/ ALMENDRA / AMANDE / MANDORLE / MANDEL / BADEM

The growth scenario that California, Australia and Spain are anticipating in the years to come should translate into stability in the almond market.

USA. In recent years, California has represented over 80% of the world supply of almonds and this trend is likely to continue.

As California faced fourth consecutive years of historic drought, superior economics of almonds attracted new plantings. The USDA NASS Subjective Forecast for the 2016 California almond production is 2.0 billion pounds (907,200 metric tons), 6% above last year's production of 1.89 billion pounds (857,300 MT).

Overall shipments were down 2.64% according to the June 2016 Position Report of the Almond Board of California. Its largest export markets were Spain (up 23%), China (up 8%) and Germany (down 24%). Domestic shipments were down 8% compared to the same time period last year.

AUSTRALIA. The 2016 Australian almond harvest was completed ahead of schedule due to very positive weather conditions. According to the Australian Almond Board, one of the key features of the crop is the larger sizes of the Nonpareil and Carmel varieties. The Nonpareil crop would appear to be one to two sizes larger than last year. While

there were some difficulties in the early 2016 trading conditions with almond pricing coming back to the longer-term average, there was more stability in almond pricing in recent months.

SPAIN. Meanwhile, the third producing country, Spain expects a drop of around 11% this next season, from 66,000 MT in 2015/16 to 58,700 MT. This is explained by record temperatures in winter: Spain probably had the second warmest winter sine 1961, blooming was earlier at least 8-12 days and there was a heavy frost in February.

Estimated World Almond Production. Kernel Basis · Metric Tons.

Country

2015/2016 Beginning Stock

USA AUSTRALIA SPAIN IRAN TUNISIA TURKEY CHILE MOROCCO ITALY GREECE OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

171,188 1,000 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 172,688

2016/2017

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

859,545 80,500 65,957 15,000 15,000 13,000 13,000 11,000 7,500 4,000 30,000 1,114,502

1,030,733 81,500 66,457 15,000 15,000 13,000 13,000 11,000 7,500 4,000 30,000 1,287,190

200,000 1,000 3,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 204,000

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Beginning stock 200,000 1,000 3,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 204,000

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

909,091 73,200 58,702 15,000 15,000 13,000 13,000 11,000 7,500 4,000 30,000 1,149,493

1,109,091 74,200 61,702 15,000 15,000 13,000 13,000 11,000 7,500 4,000 30,000 1,353,493

200,000 1,000 2,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 203,000

1,083,190

1,150,493

Source: Almond Board of California, Almond Board of Australia and other INC sources.

California Almond Shipments.

Aug 2015 - May 2016.

Metric Tons

Source: Almond Board of California.

70

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Western Europe Spain Germany Italy Netherlands UK France Belgium Central/E.Europe Asia-Pacific China India Japan S. Korea Vietnam Middle East UAE Turkey Total Exports Domestic

8/1/2015-5/31/2016 190,210 71,239 36,191 21,500 17,703 11,978 8,995 8,139 6,162 170,744 55,788 49,711 23,667 15,835 8,156 55,927 22,668 15,442 458,055 221,720

% Change from Last Year 7% 23% -24% 33% 4% 11% 16% 12% -10% -2% 8% -3% -4% -23% -17% -13% -40% 22% 0% -8%

Statistical Review

BRAZIL NUTS

巴西果 / COQUITO DE BRASIL / NOIX DE VRESIL /

NOCE DE BRASILE / PARANUSS / BREZILYA FINGIGI

Recent data presented at the World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress estimates this season’s world production of Amazonia (Brazil) nuts in 2016/17 will drop by 10% to about 26,800 metric tons (kernel basis), which is a similar level to that in 2014/15.

Exactly one year ago, Bolivia was expected to drop Brazil nut production to about 21,000 metric tons (kernel basis), but later estimates indicated a 2015/16 crop of about 23,000 MT. In 2015, the Brazil nut market faced the normal challenges of floods, earthquakes and strikes, but was a relatively stable until the last quarter.

Brazil increased its exports from 800 MT in 2014 to over 3,000 MT in 2015, which increased the global supply by over 10%. About 44% of this increase was shipped to the US. In parallel to this additional supply, tree nut prices were falling in general and, as a consequence, the Bolivian and Peruvian factories lowered their price at the end of the crop.

Estimated World Amazonia (Brazil) Nut Production. In-shell Basis · Metric Tons Country

2015/2016 Beginning Stock

BOLIVIA PERU BRAZIL WORLD TOTAL

Crop

4,500 450 300 5,250

2016/2017

Total Supply

69,000 12,450 9,450 90,900

Ending Stock

73,500 12,900 9,750 96,150

Beginning stock

4,500 450 240 5,190

4,500 450 240 5,190

Crop

Total Supply

60,000 12,000 8,400 80,400

64,500 12,450 8,640 85,590

90,960

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Ending Stock 4,500 450 240 5,190

80,400

Kernel Basis · Metric Tons Country

2015/2016 Beginning Stock

BOLIVIA PERU BRAZIL WORLD TOTAL

Crop

1,500 150 100 1,750

2016/2017

Total Supply

23,000 4,150 3,150 30,300

Ending Stock

24,500 4,300 3,250 32,050

Beginning stock

1,500 150 80 1,730

1,500 150 80 1,730

Crop 20,000 4,000 2,800 26,800

Total Supply 21,500 4,150 2,880 28,530

30,320

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End, Stock)

Ending Stock 1,500 150 80 1,730

26,800

Source: INC.

Bolivia, Peru & Brazil. Brazil Nut Exports. Metric Tons 4,000

35,000

3,500

30,000

3,000

25,000

2,500

20,000

2,000 15,000

1,500

10,000

1,000

5,000

500

0

0 Jan

Feb

2014 2015 2016

Mar

Apr

May

2014 Cumulative

Jun

Jul

2015 Cumulative

Ago

Sep

Oct

2016 Cumulative

Nov

Dec Source: 2016 World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress.

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

71

Statistical Review

CASHEWS 腰果 / ANACARDO / NOIX DE CAJU / ANACARDIO /

CASHWKERNE / CASHEW CEVIZI

Estimated World Cashew Production. Kernel Basis · Metric Tons.

Country

2015/2016 Beginning Stock

2016/2017

Crop

Total Supply

Crop

Total Supply

INDIA

nil

172,719

172,719

Ending Stock nil

Beginning stock nil

172,619

172,619

Ending Stock nil

COTE D'IVOIRE

nil

171,111

171,111

nil

nil

166,667

166,667

nil

VIETNAM

nil

113,095

113,095

nil

nil

101,200

101,200

nil

GUINEA-BISSAU

nil

52,889

52,889

nil

nil

52,381

52,381

nil

TANZANIA

nil

31,111

31,111

nil

nil

31,111

31,111

nil

BRAZIL

nil

33,000

33,000

nil

nil

30,000

30,000

nil

BENIN

nil

32,000

32,000

nil

nil

27,200

27,200

nil

NIGERIA

nil

22,619

22,619

nil

nil

22,619

22,619

nil

BURKINA FASO

nil

18,222

18,222

nil

nil

19,048

19,048

nil

INDONESIA

nil

12,000

12,000

nil

nil

19,048

19,048

nil

CAMBODIA

nil

19,048

19,048

nil

nil

19,000

19,000

nil

GHANA

nil

15,333

15,333

nil

nil

15,333

15,333

nil

GAMBIA

nil

2,444

2,444

nil

nil

11,905

11,905

nil

MOZAMBIQUE

nil

7,778

7,778

nil

nil

7,778

7,778

nil

SENEGAL

nil

11,778

11,778

nil

nil

3,571

3,571

nil

KENYA

nil

1,111

1,111

nil

nil

1,111

1,111

nil

OTHERS

nil

8,333

8,333

nil

nil

8,333

8,333

nil

WORLD TOTAL

nil

724,591

724,591

nil

nil

708,924

708,924

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

724,591

Source: Global Cashew Council and INC.

At the time of writing this report, leading cashew producers India and Ivory Coast expected similar or slightly lower crops this year. The key question is the impact that El Niño will have on West Africa in the coming months. The region has been affected by extreme dry weather causing significant delays in the harvest and affecting the big processing countries, India and Vietnam. Ivory Coast -the largest producer, registered the driest February in the last 30 years causing 3- to 6-week delays.

Meanwhile, the number three supplier, Vietnam has been hit by the worst drought in 90 years. As a result, the Vietnam Cashew Association (VINACAS) has reduced the crop forecast by 10.5% to 101,200 metric tons, kernel basis -a more accurate figure will be available in late June.

The good news is an expected 60% increase in Indonesia’s crop to around 19,000 MT. Overall, the best estimate presented at the World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress was a global supply down by 2.2% at 708,900 MT, although it may change depending on the weather.

72

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

nil

708,924

Statistical Review

HAZELNUTS

榛子 / AVELLANA / NOISETTE / NOCCIOLA / HASELNUSS / FINDIK

High hazelnut prices in recent years have encouraged European farmers to renovate orchards (e.g. Italy) and to establish new plantings in Eastern and Central Europe (e.g. Poland, Serbia, Romania and Hungary).

Likewise, in Oregon in the United States the number of growers has almost doubled these past years, with around 600 more new growers.

TURKEY. The 2016/17 hazelnut crop

ITALY. Italy expects a very good crop

in Turkey is forecast at 602,000 metric tons, inshell basis (301,000 MT kernel basis), that is, down 15% over 2015/16 and up 20% compared to the frost-hit crop of two years ago.

The Turkish industry will be able to give a more accurate figure by the end of July.

According to the Hazelnut Promotion Group, the planting estimate for the Turkish hazelnut crop was about 700,000 hectares in 2008. The industry expects new, updated estimates in the short term. The number of growers is estimated at about 400,000.

compared to last year. The forecast is 130,000 MT (58,500 MT kernel equivalent), up 4% from 2015/16.

USA. In Oregon, the acreage in production is estimated at about 32,000 acres (13,000 hectares) and an estimated 10,000 new acres have been planted recently, giving a total of 42,000 acres (17,000 hectares). The Jefferson variety has become the most widely planted in the new orchards due to its resistance to the Eastern Filbert Blight.

Estimated World Hazelnut Production. In-shell Basis · Metric Tons .

Country TURKEY ITALY GEORGIA AZERBAIJAN USA SPAIN CHILE FRANCE IRAN CHINA OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

2015/2016 Beginning Stock 25,000 1,000 1,000 500 1,000 300 0 500 0 0 0 29,300

2016/2017

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

710,000 125,000 50,000 40,000 27,850 22,000 12,000 10,000 10,000 5,000 5,000 1,016,850

735,000 126,000 51,000 40,500 28,850 22,300 12,000 10,500 10,000 5,000 5,000 1,046,150

145,000 15,000 1,000 1,000 0 300 0 0 500 0 0 162,800

Beginning stock 145,000 15,000 1,000 1,000 0 300 0 0 500 0 0 162,800

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

602,000 130,000 40,000 35,000 32,000 21,000 12,000 10,000 10,000 5,000 5,000 902,000

747,000 145,000 41,000 36,000 32,000 21,300 12,000 10,000 10,500 5,000 5,000 1,064,800

117,000 10,000 1,000 500 0 1,000 0 0 500 0 0 130,000

883,350

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

934,800

Source: INC.

Kernel Basis· Metric Tons.

Country TURKEY ITALY GEORGIA AZERBAIJAN USA SPAIN CHILE FRANCE IRAN CHINA OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

2015/2016 Beginning Stock 12,500 450 500 250 400 144 0 240 0 0 0 14,484

Crop

Total Supply

355,000 56,250 25,000 20,000 11,140 10,560 5,400 4,800 4,500 2,250 2,250 497,150

367,500 56,700 25,500 20,250 11,540 10,704 5,400 5,040 4,500 2,250 2,250 511,634

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

2016/2017 Ending Stock 72,500 6,750 500 500 0 144 0 0 225 0 0 80,619

431,015

Beginning stock 72,500 6,750 500 500 0 144 0 0 225 0 0 80,619

Crop

Total Supply

301,000 58,500 20,000 17,500 12,800 10,080 5,400 4,800 4,500 2,250 2,250 439,080

373,500 65,250 20,500 18,000 12,800 10,224 5,400 4,800 4,725 2,250 2,250 519,699

Ending Stock 58,500 4,500 500 250 0 480 0 0 225 0 0 64,455

455,244

Source: INC.

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

73

Statistical Review

MACADAMIAS

夏威夷果 / MACADAMIA / MACADAMIANUSS / MAKEDEMIA / CEVIZI

Crop forecasts presented at the World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress estimate world production of macadamias down 5% this season to about 166,880 MT. Global macadamia production in 2015 was 175,000 metric tons in-shell, up 15% from 2014’s 151,800 MT.

weights to better align with the moisture content at which the crop is traded. Continued investment in orchard management led by the Australian Macadamia Society (AMS) is now starting to pay-off.

down on the initial 2016 forecast of 43,000 MT as a result of the drought.

CHINA. Meanwhile, China is talking about important investments in macadamia plantations, suggesting that the crop might increase by up to 30% year on year in the coming years. Demand for macadamia nuts is expected to pick up, as living standards improved and awareness of the health benefits of nuts increased. About 90% of the market is in in-shell due to the traditional eating patterns. The kernel market is expected to grow given the higher demand around celebrations and the bakery, confectionery and ingredient segments.

SOUTH AFRICA. Last May, the Southern African Macadamia Growers’ Association (SAMAC) completed a round of data collection with updated crop forecasts from all handlers of macadamia nuts. The updated forecast for the 2016 season is approximately 39,000 MT in-shell measured at 1.5% kernel moisture content. This is approximately 15% lower than the 2015 crop of 46,000 MT, and

AUSTRALIA. In Australia, the outlook for the 2016 macadamia crop has so far been favorable. The crop has been forecast at 46,750 MT in-shell at 3.5% moisture, which represents a 4% increase in production from 2015. The industry has transitioned crop reporting from 10% to 3.5% moisture content

Estimated World Macadamia Production. In-shell Basis · Metric Tons.

Country AUSTRALIA SOUTH AFRICA KENYA USA GUATEMALA CHINA BRAZIL MALAWI COLOMBIA NEW ZEALAND SWAZILAND OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

2015 Beginning Stock 0 178 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 178

2016

Crop

Total Supply

45,100 46,000 33,000 15,354 8,867 5,000 5,167 7,304 1,000 600 110 7,500 175,002

45,100 46,178 33,000 15,354 8,867 5,000 5,167 7,304 1,000 600 110 7,500 175,180

Ending Stock 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Beginning stock 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Crop

Total Supply

46,750 39,000 27,500 13,901 9,050 8,000 5,596 5,375 1,000 600 110 10,000 166,882

46,750 39,000 27,500 13,901 9,050 8,000 5,596 5,375 1,000 600 110 10,000 166,882

175,180

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Ending Stock n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

166,882

Kernel Basis · Metric Tons.

Country AUSTRALIA SOUTH AFRICA KENYA USA GUATEMALA CHINA BRAZIL MALAWI COLOMBIA NEW ZEALAND SWAZILAND OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

2015 Beginning Stock 0 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50

Crop 13,500 12,900 8,846 3,528 1,800 1,250 1,250 1,782 250 150 26 1,875 47,157

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

2016

Total Supply 13,500 12,950 8,846 3,528 1,800 1,250 1,250 1,782 250 150 26 1,875 47,207

Ending Stock 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Beginning stock 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Crop 14,025 11,000 7,372 3,194 1,800 2,000 1,500 1,311 250 150 26 2,500 45,128

Total Supply

Ending Stock

14,025 11,000 7,372 3,194 1,800 2,000 1,500 1,311 250 150 26 2,500 45,128

47,207

Reported at 3.5% NIS moisture content. Source: Australian Macadamia Society, Southern African Macadamia Growers Association, Tree Nut Growers Association of Malawi and other INC sources.

74

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

45,128

Statistical Review

PECANS

/ PECANA / NOIX DE PÉCAN / NOCE PECAN / PECANUSS / PEKAN CEVIZI

The forecast for 2016/17 is a global crop of 264,770 metric tons (in-shell basis), up 22% from 2015/16, given the projected increases in major producing countries: USA, Mexico and South Africa. The crop in the US is forecast at 147,400 MT which, if realized, would be one of the largest crops in recent years. Mexico has increased significantly its production, particularly in the northern states of Chihuahua and Sonora. A fair proportion of the Mexican crop makes its way to the US for shelling.

Another key supplier, South Africa’s crop has been forecast up 18% this season to about 12,000 MT. The country exports about 85% of its pecans (in-shell) mainly to China.

On 6 May, the US Department of Agriculture announced that pecan growers voted to establish a Federal Marketing Order for pecans grown in 15 states. The marketing order will authorize data collection; research and promotion activities; and regulation of grade, size, quality, pack and containers for pecans grown in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas.

Estimated World Pecan Production. In-shell Basis · Metric Tons.

Country

2015/2016 Crop

Total Supply

49,896

120,203

170,099

63,504

2,500

81,647

84,147

SOUTH AFRICA

0

10,150

AUSTRALIA

0

OTHERS

USA MEXICO

WORLD TOTAL

Beginning Stock

2016/2017 Ending Stock

Beginning stock

Crop

Total Supply

63,504

147,420

210,924

58,967

4,500

4,500

102,000

106,500

4,500

10,150

0

0

12,000

12,000

0

3,300

3,300

200

200

2,350

2,550

0

0

1,800

1,800

0

0

1,000

1,000

0

52,396

217,100

269,496

68,204

68,204

264,770

332,974

63,467

201,292

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Ending Stock

269,507

Kernel Basis · Metric Tons.

Country USA

2015/2016 Beginning Stock

Crop

2016/2017

Total Supply

Ending Stock

Beginning stock

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

21,954

52,889

74,844

27,492

27,492

64,865

92,357

25,946

1,250

40,824

42,074

2,250

2,250

51,000

53,250

2,250

SOUTH AFRICA

0

5,075

5,075

0

0

6,000

6,000

0

AUSTRALIA

0

1,650

1,650

100

100

1,175

1,275

0

OTHERS

0

900

900

0

0

500

500

0

23,204

101,338

124,542

29,842

29,842

123,540

153,382

28,196

MEXICO

WORLD TOTAL

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

94,700

125,186

Others: Israel, Argentina, Peru. Source: USDA, FAS and other INC sources.

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

75

Statistical Review

PINE NUTS 松子

/ PIÑÓN / PIGNON / PINOLI / PINIENKERNE / ÇAM FISTIGI

Exactly one year ago, China was expected to drop its pine nut production to about 3,000 metric tons (kernel basis), however latest reports estimated a 2015/16 crop closer to 5,000 MT. A carry-over of 12,000 MT brought the total supply to 17,000 MT and the overall supply in the Far East supported relatively stable prices in the past 6-7 months.

According to the China Tree Nuts Association, the forecast for the next crop is significantly lower at 4,000 MT, which include about 2,500 MT of Pinus koraiensis and 1,500 MT of other pine nut varieties, of which 700-800 MT are P. pumila and about 500 MT are P. yunnanensis. The ending stock is expected to be 2,650 MT by the end of September, indicating a total supply of 6,650 MT. Domestic consumption is roughly estimated at 5,000 MT per year.

Estimated World Pine Nut Production. Kernel Basis · Metric Tons.

Country

2015/2016 Beginning Stock

Crop

2016/2017

Total Supply

Ending Stock

Beginning stock

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

FAR EAST CHINA

12,000

5,000

17,000

2,650

2,650

4,000

6,650

500

200

3,000

3,200

200

200

4,500

4,700

150

50

4,050

4,100

50

50

4,000

4,050

60

PAKISTAN

100

3,000

3,100

100

100

3,000

3,100

100

AFGHANISTAN

100

3,000

3,100

100

100

3,000

3,100

100

12,450

18,050

30,500

3,100

3,100

18,500

21,600

910

100

410

510

100

100

650

750

100

40

370

410

40

40

700

740

40

ITALY

150

360

510

100

100

600

700

100

SPAIN

0

310

310

0

0

600

600

0

OTHERS

0

50

50

0

0

100

100

0

290

1,500

1,790

240

240

2,650

2,890

240

12,740

19,550

32,290

3,340

3,340

21,150

24,490

1,150

NORTH KOREA RUSSIA

SUBTOTAL MEDITERRANEAN (Pinus pinea) TURKEY PORTUGAL

SUBTOTAL WORLD TOTAL

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock) Source: China Tree Nuts Association and other INC sources.

76

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

28,950

23,340

Statistical Review

PISTACHIOS

心果 / PISTACHO / PISTACHE / PISTACCHIO / PISTAZIE / ANTEP FISTIGI

USA. 2015/16 was the shortest harvest for US pistachios since 2006 as a result of short yields. The average yield was 1,161 pounds per acre, the lowest since 1989, which is explained by the lack of winter chill and the drought.

For 2016/17, the industry is forecasting a total crop of 272,000-363,000 metric tons (600-800 million pounds), open in-shell representing approximately 75%, which gives an estimate of 204,000-272,000 MT (450-600 million pounds). This estimate is based on 7,000 additional acres coming into production and a yield of approximately 3,000 pounds per acre. This winter brought good

stood at around 115,000 MT, while exports accounted for a very small proportion. As of today, pistachio plantations cover a total area of approximately 325,000 hectares, 60% of which are bearing.

chilling hours and improved rains.

Year-to-date exports were down 41% at 42,880 MT (open in-shell pistachios), according to the May 2016 Shipment Report of the Administrative Committee for Pistachios. The largest markets were China with 9,580 MT, down 55% compared to the same period last year, and Europe with 24,000 MT, down 34%. Domestic shipments were down 10% at 36,670 MT.

IRAN. The Iranian Dried Fruit Exporters Association has estimated the 2015/16 pistachio crop at 190,000 MT, with domestic sales estimated at 30,000 MT and exports at 120,000 MT. The main market for Iranian pistachios has been China. This season, the crop is expected to drop by about 20% to 150,000 MT due to frost damage.

TURKEY. This season 2016/17, the crop is forecast 10% up at 160,000 MT. Last year’s crop turned out higher than initially forecast at 145,000 MT. Domestic consumption

Estimated World Pistachio Production. In-shell Basis · Metric Tons.

2015/2016

Country

Beginning Stock

2016/2017

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

Beginning stock

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

USA

81,000

127,000

208,000

53,360

53,360

317,515

370,875

80,740

TURKEY

10,000

145,000

155,000

40,000

40,000

160,000

200,000

80,000

IRAN

10,000

190,000

200,000

5,000

5,000

150,000

155,000

5,000

SYRIA

0

25,000

25,000

0

0

20,000

20,000

0

AFGHANISTAN

0

5,000

5,000

0

0

5,000

5,000

0

CHINA

0

4,200

4,200

0

0

4,200

4,200

0

GREECE

0

4,000

4,000

0

0

4,000

4,000

0

ITALY

0

2,500

2,500

0

0

2,500

2,500

0

AUSTRALIA

0

1,150

1,150

0

0

1,150

1,150

0

101,000

503,850

604,850

98,360

98,360

664,365

762,725

165,740

TOTAL

506,490

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

596,985

Source: Iran Dried Fruit Exporters Association and other INC sources.

US Open In-shell Saleable Supply. 1000 Metric Tons.

272 107 39 110 96 6

39

3

22

142 196 159 165 139 103 160 84 127 75 41

32

42

24

10

36

17

39

25

48

204

New Crop Estimate Range Carryover from Prior Year New Crop

23

23

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2016 /03 /04 /05 /06 /07 /08 /09 /10 /11 /12 /13 /14 /15 /16 /17 /17 Min Max

Source: Administrative Committee for Pistachios

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

77

Statistical Review

WALNUTS 核桃

/ NUEZ / NOIX / NOCE / WALNUSS / CEVIZ

Most of the major walnut producing countries are forecasting slightly larger crops this season.

California is expecting 581,000 metric tons (in-shell basis), China is forecasting 600,000 MT, Ukraine is slightly down at 108,000 MT, and Chile is projecting 90,000 MT, giving a slight 2% increase in world production to 1.67 million MT.

USA. The outlook for the next US crop has so far been very favorable. A recent report from the US Department of Agriculture estimated the California’s 2015 walnut acreage at 365,000 acres (147,700 hectares), up 12 percent from

2013. Of the total, 300,000 acres (121,400 ha) 600,000 MT. The Asian giant expects to reach 1 were bearing. Chandler continues as the number 1 million MT in 10 years. variety with 104,450 bearing acres (42,300 ha).

UKRAINE. The Ukrainian Nut Growers CHINA. 2015/16 China’s crop receipts were Association is projecting a 125,000 MT crop in close to 580,000 MT, up 10% from the previous the very near future. There is a national program season. As for this season, the winter was to increase plantations up to 25,000 hectares exceptionally dry and cold in most of the growing by 2025. In addition, the National Academy of regions, while spring was warmer than usual.

Sciences of Ukraine, the Institute of Horticulture Still, the blossom has been good so far, however and the Nut Growers Association are coordinating water shortage continues to be an issue due to the the creation of a Walnut Growing Academy to lack of irrigation systems in some regions. If the better understand the cultural and technologic weather cooperates, the crop could come close to challenges that the walnut sector faces.

Estimated World Walnut Production. In-shell Basis · Metric Tons.

Country USA CHINA UKRAINE CHILE IRAN FRANCE INDIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA TURKEY ITALY HUNGARY AUSTRALIA GEORGIA TOTAL

2015/2016 Beginning Stock 73,531 20,000 0 2,000 0 1,000 0 0 0 4,000 0 0 0 0 100,531

2016/2017

Crop

Total Supply

546,125 580,000 116,000 75,000 97,000 40,000 34,000 46,000 29,000 20,000 17,000 19,000 10,000 7,500 1,636,625

619,656 600,000 116,000 77,000 97,000 41,000 34,000 46,000 29,000 24,000 17,000 19,000 10,000 7,500 1,737,156

Ending Stock 81,810 40,000 5,000 3,000 0 0 0 0 0 3,000 0 0 0 0 132,810

Beginning stock 81,810 40,000 5,000 3,000 0 0 0 0 0 3,000 0 0 0 0 132,810

Crop

Total Supply

581,000 600,000 108,000 90,000 90,000 36,000 36,000 34,000 27,000 20,000 18,600 13,600 6,500 5,500 1,666,200

662,810 640,000 113,000 93,000 90,000 36,000 36,000 34,000 27,000 23,000 18,600 13,600 6,500 5,500 1,799,010

1,604,346

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Ending Stock 81,000 40,000 0 2,000 0 0 0 0 0 3,000 0 0 0 0 126,000

1,673,010

Kernel Basis · Metric Tons.

Country USA CHINA UKRAINE CHILE IRAN FRANCE INDIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA TURKEY ITALY HUNGARY AUSTRALIA GEORGIA TOTAL

2015/2016 Beginning Stock 32.354 8.000 0 1.000 0 440 0 0 0 4.000 0 0 0 0 45.794

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Crop

Total Supply

240.295 232.000 44.600 33.000 42.680 17.600 15.062 17.000 11.600 8.800 7.310 7.600 4.500 2.763 684.810

272.649 240.000 44.600 34.000 42.680 18.040 15.062 17.000 11.600 12.800 7.310 7.600 4.500 2.763 730.604

2016/2017 Ending Stock 34.800 16.000 1.000 1.500 0 0 0 0 0 3.000 0 0 0 0 56.300

674.304

Beginning stock 34.800 16.000 1.000 1.500 0 0 0 0 0 3.000 0 0 0 0 56.300

Crop

Total Supply

256.000 240.000 47.500 39.600 39.600 16.000 16.000 15.000 12.000 8.800 8.000 6.000 2.900 2.800 710.200

290.800 256.000 48.500 41.100 39.600 16.000 16.000 15.000 12.000 11.800 8.000 6.000 2.900 2.800 766.500

Ending Stock 36.000 16.000 0 2.000 0 0 0 0 0 2.000 0 0 0 0 56.000

710.500

Source: California Walnut Board and Comission, China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Exports of Foodstuffs, Ukranian Nut Growers Association, ChileNut and other INC sources.

78

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Statistical Review

PEANUTS

花生 / CACAHUETE / CACAHUÈTE / ARACHIDE / ERDNUSS / YER FISTIGI

CHINA. China expects a larger peanut crop this season. Data presented at the World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress show a growing demand for peanuts in China, which has led to a significant drop in exports over the last 10 years, from almost 800,000 metric tons in 2005 to 412,000 MT in 2015. According to China Customs, peanut imports increased by 100,000 metric tons, from 32,000 MT in 2014 to 135,000 MT in 2015, while exports have been relatively stable over the past few years, ranging from 412,000 MT to 442,000 MT a year.

INDIA. Assuming a normal monsoon,

ARGENTINA. Another source, Argentina, has reduced its crop forecast due to heavy rains in May probably linked to El Niño. The good news is a large carry-out from the 2015/16 season.

India’s peanut crop is forecast to reach 5.2 million MT this season, a 16% increase over last year.

USA. In the US, the Department of Agriculture forecasts the peanut crop down 9% this season to about 2.6 million MT (in-shell basis). Other industry sources expect it to come down about 5-7%. Plantings have been progressing pretty well -it will depend on the weather in July and August.

Estimated World Peanut Production. In-shell Basis · 1000 Metric Tons.

2015/2016

Country

Beginning Stock

CHINA INDIA USA NIGERIA ARGENTINA INDONESIA SENEGAL VIETNAM GHANA BRAZIL NICARAGUA MEXICO COTE D'IVOIRE SOUTH AFRICA OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

Crop

0 47 953 n/a 670 100 13 38 n/a 23 22 23 n/a 22 97 2,008

2016/2017

Total Supply

16,860 4,500 2,817 3,000 1,170 1,130 725 485 440 330 175 105 90 40 8,852 40,719

Ending Stock

16,860 4,547 3,770 3,000 1,840 1,230 738 523 440 353 197 128 90 62 8,949 42,727

Beginning stock

0 107 1,325 n/a 745 80 23 52 n/a 12 14 28 n/a 5 98 2,489

0 107 1,325 n/a 745 80 23 52 n/a 12 14 28 n/a 5 98 2,489

Crop

Total Supply

17,366 5,200 2,550 3,000 1,017 1,150 735 470 440 360 200 105 90 35 8,200 40,918

Ending Stock

17,366 5,307 3,875 3,000 1,762 1,230 758 522 440 372 214 133 90 40 8,298 43,407

40,238

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

0 200 1,469 n/a 470 80 35 35 n/a 30 20 23 n/a 5 120 2,487

40,920

Source: USDA and other INC sources.

China. Peanut Trade. Metric Tons.

2005

2006

2007

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

135,023

412,304

Imports

32,121

442,036

25,342

450,944

57,674

487,585

16,159

516,226

565,712

2008

3,483

0

3,664

100,000

700

200,000

5,457

300,000

10,369

513,710

400,000

637,542

500,000

661,188

600,000

774,272

700,000

424,878 21,498

Exports

800,000

2015

Source: China Customs.

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

79

Statistical Review

DATES / DÁTIL / DATTE / DATTERO / DATTEL / HURMA World production of table dates in season 2016/17 is forecast at 882,000 metric tons, up 5% from last year. About 90% of the world production is consumed in the producing countries –only the 10% is traded. India is the largest importer with an annual average of 290,000 MT. US imports have increased sharply in the last years, from 21,400 MT in 2011 to 51,200 MT in 2015 according to UN COMTRADE data. Global

exports have increased significantly in the last years as new emerging markets are being developed, for example as ingredient in energy bars.

Tunisia expects to double its production in the next 8-10 years and Morocco is implementing production development projects, especially in the Medjool variety, the results of which are expected in the next 6-8 years.

Estimated World Table Date Production. Metric Tons.

Country SAUDI ARABIA UAE TUNISIA IRAN ALGERIA EGYPT IRAQ PAKISTAN ISRAEL USA OMAN MOROCCO SUDAN LIBYA OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

2015/2016 Beginning Stock 18,000 8,000 7,000 4,000 5,000 2,500 2,000 1,000 2,500 3,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 50 4,000 60,050

Production

Total Supply

190,000 120,000 95,000 85,000 80,000 65,000 60,000 28,000 25,000 16,000 15,000 12,000 10,000 500 35,000 836,500

208,000 128,000 102,000 89,000 85,000 67,500 62,000 29,000 27,500 19,000 16,000 13,000 11,000 550 39,000 896,550

2016/2017 Ending Stock

Beginning stock

17,000 8,500 6,500 4,500 5,500 2,000 1,500 1,500 2,500 3,500 1,500 1,000 1,000 100 4,000 60,600

17,000 8,500 6,500 4,500 5,500 2,000 1,500 1,500 2,500 3,500 1,500 1,000 1,000 100 4,000 60,600

Production

Total Supply

200,000 130,000 100,000 90,000 80,000 70,000 60,000 30,000 27,000 18,000 20,000 15,000 11,000 1,000 30,000 882,000

217,000 138,500 106,500 94,500 85,500 72,000 61,500 31,500 29,500 21,500 21,500 16,000 12,000 1,100 34,000 942,600

835,950

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Ending Stock 18,000 9,000 5,000 5,000 6,000 2,500 1,500 1,500 3,000 4,000 1,500 1,000 500 100 4,000 62,600

880,000

Source: INC. The data in this chart concern only dates that have undergone a conditioning and are presented for sale as such. They do not include dates for industrial or artisanal processing. Dates consumed in bulk without conditioning are excluded. Therefore, these data represent only about 12% of world gross production.

DRIED APRICOTS

杏 / OREJÓN / ABRICOT SEC / ALBICOCCA SECCA / GETROCKNETE APRIKOSE / KURU KAYISI

The estimated world production of dried apricots in 2015/16 has been revised downwards to 150,700 metric tons from the 160,700 MT earlier estimated. In season 2016/17, world production is forecast at 176,200 MT, up 17% from 2015/16. This increase is explained by a

higher production expected in Turkey (110,000 MT, up 30%).

According to the Aegean Exporters Association, Turkish exports of dried apricots were 80,000 MT in 2015, up 50% from the year before which had been severely damaged by frost.

Estimated World Dried Apricot Production. Metric Tons.

Country TURKEY IRAN UZBEKISTAN CHINA AFGHANISTAN USA SOUTH AFRICA OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

2015/2016 Beginning Stock 5,000 0 0 300 0 0 0 0 5,300

Production

Total Supply

84,500 15,000 8,500 5,000 4,000 2,000 1,446 30,300 150,746

89,500 15,000 8,500 5,300 4,000 2,000 1,446 30,300 156,046

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock) Source: Aegean Exporters Association and other INC sources.

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July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

2016/2017 Ending Stock 15,000 1,000 0 200 0 0 0 2,000 18,200

137,846

Beginning stock 15,000 1,000 0 200 0 0 0 2,000 18,200

Production

Total Supply

110,000 15,000 9,000 6,000 3,500 1,200 1,500 30,000 176,200

125,000 16,000 9,000 6,200 3,500 1,200 1,500 32,000 194,400

Ending Stock 10,000 1,000 0 250 0 0 0 1,500 12,750

181,650

Statistical Review

DRIED CRANBERRIES 莓

/ ARÁNDANO / MIRTILLO ROSSO / KEÇIYEMISI

Recent data presented at the World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress estimates 2016/17 season’s world supply of sweetened dried cranberries will increase by 7% to 191,000 metric tons, as all producing countries expect larger crops. The forecast for the US production is 140,000 MT, up slightly from 2015/16. The second supplier, Canada also expects a larger production up 20%.

World’s cranberry acreage is estimated at 60,000 acres (about 24,300 hectares).

Probably the best indicator of the popularity of the cranberry is the development and introduction of new products with sweetened dried cranberries worldwide: from 500 new product innovations in 2006 to over 3,000 last year.

Estimated World Sweetened Dried Cranberries Production. Metric Tons.

2015/2016 Country Beginning Stock

Production

USA 12,000 134,000 CANADA 2,000 25,000 CHILE 0 6,000 WORLD TOTAL 14,000 165,000 WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Total Supply

Ending Stock

146,000 27,000 6,000 179,000

10,000 1,000 0 11,000

Beginning stock 10,000 1,000 0 11,000

2016/2017 Production

Total Supply

140,000 30,000 10,000 180,000

150,000 31,000 10,000 191,000

168,000

Ending Stock 11,000 1,500 500 13,000

178,000

Source: INC.

DRIED FIGS

花果 / HIGO SECO / FIGUE SEC / FICO SECCO / GETROCKNETE FEIGE / KURU INSIR

World production of dried figs in 2015/16 has been revised higher to 142,500 metric tons from the 121,000 MT earlier estimated. World production in 2016/17 is predicted to reach 127,500 MT, down 11% from 2015/16. This reduction is explained by a fall in production expected in Turkey (down 19%).

Estimated World Dried Fig Production. Metric Tons.

2015/2016 Country Beginning Stock

Production

TURKEY 0 74,505 IRAN 5,000 30,000 USA 0 9,000 GREECE 0 8,000 AFGHANISTAN 0 6,000 SPAIN 0 6,000 ITALY 0 4,000 OTHERS 0 5,000 WORLD TOTAL 5,000 142,505 WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Total Supply

Demand for dried figs in China is reported to have increased considerably in the last few years. According to the Aegean Exporters Association, Turkish dried fig exports to China jumped from 130 MT in 2009 to almost 5,500 MT in 2015.

2016/2017 Ending Stock

74,505 35,000 9,000 8,000 6,000 6,000 4,000 5,000 147,505

3,000 3,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 6,000

Beginning stock 3,000 3,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 6,000

Production

Total Supply

60,000 30,000 9,000 7,500 7,000 5,500 3,500 5,000 127,500

63,000 33,000 9,000 7,500 7,000 5,500 3,500 5,000 133,500

141,505

Ending Stock 2,500 2,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 4,500

129,000

Source: Aegean Exporters Association and other INC sources.

PRUNES

/ CIRUELA SECA / PRUNEAU / PRUGNA SECCA / BACKPFLAUME / KURU ERIK / PRUNA SECA

World production of prunes is expected down 20% this season to about 209,200 metric tons, mainly due to a 50% decline in the US crop to 50,000 MT. Significant precipitation and wind events in California in March interrupted the pollination and impacted the development of young fruit. In Chile, heavy rains reduced the production to around 70,000 MT from the previous forecast

Estimated World Prune Production. Metric Tons.

2015/2016 Country Beginning Stock

USA 41,576 CHILE 10,690 ARGENTINA 14,041 FRANCE 14,989 SERBIA 600 AUSTRALIA 300 ITALY 480 SOUTH AFRICA 80 TOTAL 82,756 CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

of 75,000 MT. Most of the producing countries have a strong domestic market except Chile that exports about 97% of its production.

The average world production has been stable during the past five years and this trend is expected to continue in the future given the planted areas around the world.

2016/2017

Production

Total Supply

Ending Stock

95,078 76,945 43,197 35,000 7,000 3,600 1,200 1,000 263,020

136,654 87,635 57,238 49,989 7,600 3,900 1,680 1,080 345,776

60,000 17,853 27,117 17,000 600 300 450 0 123,320

222,456

Beginning stock 60,000 17,853 27,117 17,000 600 300 450 0 123,320

Production

Total Supply

50,000 70,000 40,968 35,000 8,000 3,000 1,200 1,000 209,168

110,000 87,853 68,085 52,000 8,600 3,300 1,650 1,000 332,488

Ending Stock 22,000 12,497 18,982 11,900 420 210 315 0 66,324

266,164

Source: International Prune Association, California Dried Plum Board and Chile Prunes Association.

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

81

Statistical Review

RAISINS, SULTANA & CURRANTS

葡萄干 / UVA PASA / RAISIN SEC / UVETTA / ROSINE / KUZU ÜZÜM

Word production of raisins, sultanas and currants in 2015/16 was 8% lower than the previous season, mainly due to reduced yields in Turkey but, the forecast for 2016/17 is 1,356,000 metric tons, that is, up 11% from 2015/16.

USA. Exactly one year ago, the California industry expected a 2015/16 crop of 285,000 MT. Since then, the forecast has been revised several times from 295,000 MT to 294,000 MT. Despite the drought, most growers have managed successfully through the growing seasons by managing their water allocations more efficiently.

The US expects a similar crop size in 2016/17 at about 295,000 MT. The California industry was down 14% in exports for the first ten months of the marketing year (August thru May), according to the Raisin Administrative Committee. Shipments to Europe declined 25%. It is expected that the last two months will be above last year’s as global supply was constrained by the drop in Turkey’s crop.

TURKEY. Turkey’s 2015/16 crop was

CHINA. In China, the outlook for the

damaged by freezing temperatures in April and heavy rains in June and was estimated to be 40% shorter than the 2014/15 crop. In 2016/17, Turkey expects a normal crop size of 300,000 MT. With a lower supply, Turkish exports fell significantly. According to the Aegean Exporters Association, at the beginning of May, 2015/16 crop exports were reported at 138,000 MT, a drop of 27% compared to 2014/15 crop exports.

The drop in Turkish exports was picked up by the US and Iran.

next crop has so far been favorable, with a good blooming period. In 2016/17, China’s production is expected unchanged at 165,000 MT of both green and dark raisins. The ending stocks from 2015/16 is estimated at 8,000 MT of mostly dark raisins.

rainfalls in the past 65 years, estimating a 20% loss in the 2015/16 crop. Its production has been revised down from 70,000 MT to 55,000 MT.

IRAN. Iranian production is forecast up 9% to

SOUTH AFRICA. South Africa

175,000 MT in 2016/17. With sanctions lifted, an easier banking system and improvements in food safety, technology and production facilities, the Iranian industry expects a growth in exports in the years to come. Depending on the crop size, the berry count for Iranian standard raisins ranges from 300 to 340/100 g.

was hit in mid January by heavy rains and thunderstorms that caused flooding in the Orange River region, damaging the new crop and reducing the production forecast by 20% to 45,000 MT.

CHILE. In April, Chile was hit by the worst

Estimated World Raisin/Sultana/Currant Production. Metric Tons.

Country

2015/2016 Beginning Stock

Production

2016/2017

Total Supply

Ending Stock

Beginning stock

Production

Total Supply

Ending Stock

USA

97.000

294.000

391.000

88.000

88.000

295.000

383.000

88.000

TURKEY

45.000

196.000

241.000

20.000

20.000

300.000

320.000

20.000

IRAN

15.000

160.000

175.000

25.000

25.000

175.000

200.000

25.000

CHINA

10.000

165.000

175.000

8.000

8.000

165.000

173.000

8.000

INDIA

0

135.000

135.000

0

0

135.000

135.000

0

CHILE

8.000

55.000

63.000

6.000

6.000

70.000

76.000

6.000

UZBEKISTAN

0

50.000

50.000

0

0

50.000

50.000

0

AFGHANISTAN

0

32.000

32.000

3.000

3.000

45.000

48.000

3.000

SOUTH AFRICA

3.500

56.000

59.500

0

0

45.000

45.000

0

ARGENTINA

2.000

35.000

37.000

0

0

37.000

37.000

0

0

27.000

27.000

0

0

27.000

27.000

0

GREECE AUSTRALIA TOTAL

0

12.000

12.000

0

0

12.000

12.000

0

180.500

1.217.000

1.397.500

150.000

150.000

1.356.000

1.506.000

150.000

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

1.247.500

Source: Aegean Exporters Association, Iran Dried Fruit Exporters Association and other INC sources.

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July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

1.356.000

Statistical Review

SPECIAL REPORT: US TREE NUT AND DRIED FRUIT OUTLOOK

USA

Pistachio Production. In-shell Basis. Metric Tons.

USA

0

2011 /12

2012 /13

2013 /14

2014 /15

2015 /16

2016 /17 F

Hazelnut Production. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons.

USA

World

2010 /11

256,000 710,200

2016 /17 F

240,295 684,810

2015 /16

197,585

2014 /15

200,000

193,395

2013 /14

400,000

560,109

2012 /13

600,000

227,522 651,447

2011 /12

800,000

575,367

2010 /11

World

178,450 532,486

200,000 0

909,091 1,149,493

600,000 400,000

859,545 1,114,502

800,000

738,543 922,113

1,000,000

835,000 1,064,050

916,266 1,130,266

1,200,000

893,914 1,094,714

World

854,589 1,072,174

USA

Walnut Production. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons.

195,842 551,732

Almond Production. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons.

World

12,800 469,908

16,080 449,380

15,750 357,240

11,140 497,150

12,800 439,080

2014 /15

2015 /16

2014 /15

2015 /16

64,865

123,540

52,889 101,338

53,155

2013 /14

122.340

2012 /13

2016 /17 F

2015 /16

2016 /17 F

World

300,000 200,000

2010 /11

2011 /12

100,000 0

2012 /13

2013 /14

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

209,168

2014 /15

2011 /12

50,000

2013 /14

2010 /11

95,078 263,020

280,000 1,328,844

2012 /13

1,217,000 295,000

334,000 1,225,635

2011 /12

294,000

286,105 1,328,405

1,038,547

285,000

2010 /11

320,000 1,206,999

0

0

USA

1,500,000

500,000

100,000

97,164 224,920

World

1,000,000

World

Prune Production. Metric Tons.

1,356,000

USA

2016 /17 F

78,000 197,977

Dried Grape Production. Metric Tons.

2015 /16

150,000

50,000

2016 /17 F

2014 /15

60,403 110,670

2015 /16

2013 /14

124,600 293,400

2014 /15

2012 /13

119,700 230,703

2013 /14

45,128

2012 /13

3,528

2011 /12

41,687

2010 /11

3,600

3,600 37,497

10,000 0

3,716 36,907

20,000

4,700 29,484

30,000

4,000 28,714

40,000

47,157

50,000

2011 /12

Pecan Production. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons.

USA

World

3,194

USA

2010 /11

73,047 115,768

Macadamia Production. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons.

0

14,000 374,600

2016 /17 F

54,167 91,215

2015 /16

58,623

2014 /15

200,000

91,214

2013 /14

400,000

113,400 244,030

2012 /13

317,515 664,365

2011 /12

2010 /11

127,000 503,850

235,000 567,850

0

215,005 467,155

200,000

254,935 600,635

400,000

203,600 475,700

240,200 632,500

600,000

9,8000 417,950

600,000

800,000

2016 /17 F

83

Statistical Review

US Tree Nut Exports.

US Dried Fruit Exports.

2004 vs 2014

2004 vs 2014 Others

Middle East

12%

North America

8%

2014

3%

Others Middle East North America

8% 2%

9%

2004

58%

45% Europe

4% 17%

46% 38%

Europe

2004

23% Asia

14%

2014

8% 4% 3%

33%

32% Asia

33%

US: Estimated Tree Nut Consumption. Metric Tons.

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

729,210

2005

738,072

2004

726,807

100,000 0

623,395

200,000

627,685

300,000

586,071

400,000

589,633

500,000

542,878

600,000

603,345

700,000

750,790

800,000

778,887

Kernel basis, except pistachios in-shell

2012

2013

2014

US: Estimated Dried Fruit Consumption. Metric Tons.

0

2004

2005

Source: INC. F: forecast.

84

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

2006

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

213,341

284,331

260,818

270,983

238,195

319,653

286,149 2007

209,039

100,000

267,241

200,000

183,218

300,000

316,010

400,000

2014

msc_thecracker_190x134_Feb_2015.pdf 1 16.02.2015 18:19:13

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July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

85

Industry News

BERKELEY LAB JOINS ALMOND INDUSTRY’S GROUNDWATER RECHARGE RESEARCH As part of the Almond Board of California’s (ABC) larger Accelerated Innovation Management (AIM) program, ABC has partnered with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) to focus on better understanding subsurface water storage, quality and movement in relation to almond orchard groundwater recharge test sites. This research will join the ongoing efforts by University of California, Davis and others to understand the potential of using California’s Almond orchards for groundwater recharge.

T

he new Berkeley Lab partnership expands ongoing Almond Board–funded work underway to identify which orchards are suitable for recharge; gauge groundwater recharge efforts’ effects on almond trees; and conduct advocacy work to ensure groundwater storage is a policy priority. Current partners include University of California, Davis; the environmental nonprofit group Sustainable Conservation; and the agricultural sciences and private research firm Land IQ. While groundwater is coming under management by the state of California through the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, research and data are critically needed to fully understand the dynamics of groundwater recharge under a variety of conditions. Recharging groundwater returns water to underground aquifers, collectively California’s largest water storage system, through managed flooding using seasonal floodwater.

“The potential for using almond orchards for groundwater recharge is an increasingly important research area for us to understand as California’s precipitation begins to shift from winter snow to rain, which is more difficult to time and store,” said Gabriele Ludwig, Ph.D., director of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs at the Almond Board. “Preliminary analysis of almond acreage indicates that nearly 675,000 acres are moderately good

or better in their ability to recharge groundwater, and the new research with Berkeley Lab will bring even more insight into the progress to date.”

While this year’s El Niño storms provided some short-term relief, the ongoing drought continues to impact all Californians.

“The California Almond community is committed to weathering this storm, or lack thereof, by continuing its nearly half-a-century of investment in research and improved production practices, with the goal of responsible and sustainable1 use of California’s valuable natural resources,” Ludwig said.

Through more than 100 innovative Almond Board–funded research projects since 1982, California Almond growers have incorporated stateof-the-art, research-proven irrigation practices that have reduced the amount of water needed to grow each pound of almonds by 33%.2 All project partners believe on-farm groundwater recharge has great potential to help manage California’s vital groundwater resources sustainably. In the longer term, the results of the research may pave the way for a portion of California’s more than 1 million acres of almond orchard to be used as on-farm recharge sites, a potentially valuable tool for the Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) (created by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act) to use in developing and implementing their Groundwater Sustainability Plans.

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Berkeley Lab) in partnership with Almond Board of California will research the vadose zone of soil beneath almond orchards to determine feasibility of groundwater recharge on those sites. Berkeley Lab will use geophysical imaging, which allows them to “see” underground without drilling a well. Very sophisticated hydrologic and geochemical computer codes may be combined with imaging to predict where water will go and how its chemistry may change through storage or retrieval.

The California almond industry is exploring the potential of using almond orchards throughout the state for groundwater recharge. Groundwater recharge returns water to underground aquifers, collectively California's largest water storage system, through managed flooding with seasonal floodwaters.

1. What defines California Almond sustainability? Sustainable almond farming utilizes production practices that are economically viable and are based upon scientific research, common sense and a respect for the environment, neighbors and employees. The result is a plentiful, nutritious, safe food product. 2. University of California. UC Drought Management. Feb. 2010. Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 66 – Crop yield in response to water. 2012. Almond Board of California. Almond Almanac 1990-94, 2000-14.

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July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Industry News

ALMOND BOARD OF CALIFORNIA EXPANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

A

lmond Board of California (ABC) recently developed lesson plans that round out its educational offerings, including a video and an activity book, for elementary schools in California’s Central Valley. The lesson plans, “California Almonds: An Almond Story,” offer a unit outline for educators to teach students about the history and applications of almonds.

For the past six years, ABC has worked with California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom to offer the popular “An Almond Story” video and accompanying activity book, which insert the teaching of agriculture — specifically almonds — into the classroom.

“California is the number one agriculturalproducing state, with 80% of the world’s almonds grown here,” said Rebecca Bailey, program coordinator for Industry Relations, Almond Board of California. “Almonds are grown throughout the Central Valley in California, so it’s important to provide educators with the tools they need to teach students about almonds in a fun way.”

“An Almond Story,” including the video and activity book, is available to download at http://bit.ly/AnAlmondStory

For Third-to-Fifth Graders The lesson plans are built with grades three to five in mind, and include a five-lesson unit that makes up the almond unit. Lessons include Fact or Opinion, Science and Poetry with Almonds, Fun with Almond Math, Almond History and Cultural Significance, and Nutritious Almonds.

The entire unit aligns with the education standards for California schools, along with the country’s Common Core standards for math, science and English.

Many students don’t realize that California is a major agricultural state, with more than 400 crops grown here. A goal of the lesson plans is to teach children how to be aware of what is being grown around them, and to instill a sense of responsibility for the land. Moreover, forging a personal connection the people who grow the food on their plates makes students excited to eat more nutrient-rich foods. And many California students are personally tied in some way to the almond industry, making almonds more than just a snack.

Not only are the lesson plans educational, they’re also a fun and hands-on way to bring ag into the classroom. “The kids learn about almonds, but the plans also build in options for interactive activities,” said DeAnn Tenhunfeld, curriculum coordinator for Ag in the Classroom.

“The lesson plans allow teachers to choose from having their students make recipe books, poetry books, travel brochures or even coordinate a farmer visit.”

Originated from Leadership Program The idea for the lesson plans came from ABC’s Almond Leadership Program, a yearlong program during which participants learn about the almond industry by going to monthly seminars. The participants work on a presentation throughout the duration of the program that they unveil in their final month.

“Two participants of the 2013 Almond Leadership Program presented the “California Almonds: An Almond Story” as their project,” Bailey said. “They realized the potential to create a more complete offering around the activity book and video we had already been using, and the Almond Board’s Industry Services Committee decided to make their idea a reality.”

July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

87

Industry News

USDA TAKES A FRESH LOOK AT THE CALORIE CONTENT OF WALNUTS New study finds walnuts may provide 21 per cent fewer calories than previously estimated using Atwater method.

A EXPLORING THE ROLE OF WALNUTS IN BRAIN HEALTH AT EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY The California Walnut Commission (CWC) supported and organized an educational session “Food For the Brain: Learning How What We Eat Affects Cognition and May Prevent or Delay Dementia” during Experimental Biology, a multidisciplinary, scientific meeting and conference.

S

peakers included Lenore Arab, PHD, University of California Los Angeles; Christos Mantzoros, MD, DSc, PhD h.c.mult, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School; Emilio Ros, MD, PhD, Hospital Clinic Barcelona and Abha Chauhan, PhD, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities.

More than 150 medical clinicians, nutrition researchers, dietitians and practitioners heard the panel of leading researchers examine current science reflecting the role diet can play in improving cognitive health, as well as share emerging research exploring the effect of certain foods on the brain utilizing new technologies. Published abstracts supported in part by the California Walnut Commission and presented at Experimental Biology can be found in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal.

HEALTH OUTREACH IN TURKEY

As the CWC grows the program in Turkey, we continue to broaden our message, reaching out to engage with health professionals.

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July 2016 | NUTFRUIT

I

new study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that one serving of walnuts (1oz) may provide 146 calories, which is 39 calories less, or 21 percent fewer, than the 185 calories listed in the USDA Nutrient Database.1 The study takes into account the digestibility of walnut pieces and halves, and further research is needed to better understand the results of the study and how this technique for calculating calories could potentially affect the calorie count of other foods. The research was led by Dr. David J. Baer, PhD, Supervisory Research Physiologist at the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Historically, the calorie value for walnuts was determined using the Atwater factors, which were developed in the late 19th century and calculate metabolizable energy, or energy available to the body, for many foods. Dr. Baer’s research, which used the bomb calorimetry method to calculate calories of walnuts metabolized by the study participants, found that the metabolizable energy of walnuts was 21 percent less than that predicted by the Atwater factors.

"The potential for using this method to investigate the calorie content of walnuts is intriguing," said Dr. Baer. "Given the potential health benefits of consuming walnuts, including the reduced risk for cardiovascular disease2, it is worthwhile to understand the calorie content of walnuts in the human diet and potentially reduce the barriers to their consumption."

1. Baer DJ, Gebauer SK, Novotny JA. Walnuts Consumed by Healthy Adults Provide Fewer Available Calories than Predicted by the Atwater Factors. J Nutr. 2015; doi: 10.3945/jn.115.217372.

2. Supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces of walnuts per day, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet, and not resulting in increased caloric intake may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, March 2004.) One ounce of walnuts provides 18g of total fat, 2.5g of monounsaturated fat, 13g of polyunsaturated fat, including 2.5g of alpha-linolenic acid –the plant-based omega-3.

n April, the CWC attended the 52nd International Diabetes Congress at Rixos Sungate in Antalya.

About 1,400 doctors, dietitians, and food experts attended this 4-day event to learn more about diabetes and discuss ways to counter it as the number of diabetes patients in Turkey is on the rise.

In the CWC booth, hundreds of brochures and flyers about California walnuts were distributed in addition to health abstracts related to diabetes and obesity. Popular dietitian Nesrin Esin staffed the booth and explained to visitors about the studies and walnuts health benefits. Some 130 dietitians registered their names and shared their contact details to receive more information about California Walnuts and our health research.

Industry News

ALIMENTARIA SPAIN The California Walnut Commission was pleased to take part once again in Alimentaria, the International Food and Drinks Exhibition to promote the use of walnuts as an ingredient in new products. This year the CWC featured savory walnut snacks to inspire the more than 150,000 visitors at the fair’s 40th anniversary.

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hroughout the four day event, visitors who came to the booth were able to taste and compare walnuts spiced with curry, for exotic tastes; Cajun spices, for the brave and rosemary for those seeking a traditional Mediterranean flavor. In this way, the versatility of walnuts was highlighted and additionally the idea of using them as healthy snack. In addition, the CWC hosted two Bakery Inspiration Workshops designed to inspire bakery and pastry chefs.

Following Alimentaria, a video of the CWC activities at the fair was created to highlight our participation. The video will be available on the CWC Spanish website and YouTube pages.

A KNACKTASTISCH YEAR FOR CALIFORNIA WALNUTS IN GERMANY In 2016, the CWC has undertaken a rebranding effort in Germany to position California walnuts to the younger demographic. The theme of the rebranding will be “knacktastisch” which loosely translated means crunchtastic. The core message is designed to show how walnuts are a great partner for a fit and healthy lifestyle.

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s part of the rebranding, the German website has been updated with a new look and feel.

Additionally, to better appeal to a younger audience a blog has been created with targeted content to educate, entertain and engage with a millennial audience. The blog will cover a range of topics from food trends to trendy kitchen design to recipes. The blog will be integrated into existing social media channels such as Facebook and Pinterest, where content can be cross promoted.

Content will be written to specifically meet the needs and demands of the younger target group (digital natives), who process information and use channels differently from the previous generation.

The blog’s content will be highly dynamic and incorporate diverse guest writers from bloggers to chefs or fitness experts to other influencers.

The “knacktastisch” theme will be carried out through other public relations and advertising efforts where appropriate, providing a cohesive element to CWC activities in Germany, such as blogger events, social media content, and online advertising.

Credible Results. Incredible Service.

Nuts and Dried Fruits Analytical Competence Worldwide Mycotoxins • Sensory Analysis • Nutrition Values GMO • Pesticides • Microbiology • Contaminants • Sampling on site • and many more... service@eurofins.de www.eurofins.de

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Industry News

AMERICAN PISTACHIO GROWERS:

SUPPORTING CONSUMER DEMAND IN CHINA

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hallenges facing US shipments to China were at an all-time high over the past year. The West Coast Port Strike, a Chinese anti-corruption campaign, and a smaller US crop, created an unfavorable Chinese export market for US pistachios.

However, those barriers to trade are no indication of the desire of China’s consumers to purchase safe, unbleached and flavorful pistachios from the US for a multitude of reasons. Understanding this, American Pistachio Growers (APG) continues to aggressively promote in China with excellent results.

Our Growers Believe in China Even if the GDP growth slows to 5.5%, Chinese consumption is projected to grow by $2.3 trillion between 2015 and 2020.1 The same consumers are facing a serious health crisis with the prevalence of diabetes which is forcing a shift in eating habits. In fact, one-third of all adults diagnosed with diabetes worldwide live in China,² while another 493 million adults are pre-diabetic.³ With this increase in consumer spending, combined

with a strong increase in health awareness, US pistachios are viewed very favorably for increased market share based on their safety record, origin and scientific evidence that suggests they are an ideal snack for good health.

Since 2012, APG has sent five delegations of growers with Miss California to ten tier one and tier two cities in China to promote American Pistachio Growers’ product. Greeting consumers in retail stores, meeting importers, conducting educational seminars has been key to raising the profile of pistachios as a premium snack. In 2015 alone, as a result of press conferences with a total of 169 journalists, 95 articles appeared in print publications with an additional 68 in other media formats. Three seminars for selected health professionals drew 295 attendees, proving strong interest amongst the health community. Following 1,464 days of promotions in grocery stores, retailer reports show the effort earned a 352 percent sales increase.

American Pistachio Growers is an organization of volunteer members who love a challenge. So it’s

© Copyright American Pistachio Growers

not surprising the growers who visit China want to dive in, personally thanking retail shoppers, journalists and health professionals for buying and recommending their pistachios.

“What we witnessed in China was amazing,” said Jimi Valov, APG Chairman.

“Consumers really wanted to meet us and hear how we farm in California. The nutritionists are involved and really interested in learning about how our nuts are grown and about their role in a healthy diet. It was one of the best professional experiences I’ve had in my agricultural career.”

Alison Nagatani, who farms in Earlimart, California added, “Without a doubt, we have great potential in China as our crop size increases, based on what I saw there. I learned the Chinese want high quality food and they prefer American origin. We growers really appreciate the relationships our processors have developed with importers who insist on delivering the best pistachios in the world to their customers.”

American Pistachio Growers’ member processors can be found on their website, where a Supplier List is posted.

References. 1. BCG Analysis. 2. WHO. 3. JAMA.

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Industry News

THE POWER OF INFLUENCE:

PISTACHIO HEALTH INSTITUTE PARTNERS WITH REGISTERED DIETITIANS TO AMPLIFY HEALTH MESSAGES Nearly everyone has considered the healthfulness of their diet at one time or another.

And, according to a recent survey, 70% of consumers are turning to a trusted health professional for their food and nutrition information.1

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hether in the media or in the doctor’s office, these individuals are serving as advisors, role models and aspirational figures that consumers look to for advice on anything and everything related to how to eat and be healthier. More and more, companies are recognizing the influence of these individuals and partnering with them to provide a credible and compelling voice for their products.

Over the past five plus years, Pistachio Health Institute (PHI) has cultivated its own network of registered dietitian partners that communicate to consumers one-on-one, online and in the media.

These individuals work closely with PHI to help consumers make the connection between pistachios and health. In April 2016, alone, our network of registered dietitians reached more than 65 million people via online, print, broadcast and social media. Here are a three examples of the PHI network in action communicating the diverse ways in which pistachios fit into a healthy lifestyle.

EAT IN THE NOW. It is estimated that more than 422 million people (about 9% of the global population) are living with diabetes.² What you eat is an important part of the recommended lifestyle changes for diabetes, but how you eat could also help. According to research published in April 2014 in Health Education & Behavior, practicing mindful eating has been shown to help people with type 2 diabetes battle depression, exhibit greater control over food, and strengthen belief in their ability to eat well.³ Aside from their nutritional profile, pistachios are an inherently mindful food. In fact, one of PHI’s partners featured pistachios as a mindful snack in her EverydayHealth.com article “Type 2 Diabetes: 8 Tips to Eat More Mindfully”. “Opening [pistachio] shells [may] help slow you down and [encourage] you to be more mindful and present while you’re eating”, she stated.

TO SNACK OR NOT TO SNACK? There is no denying it, Americans are snacking more often. A 2010 Journal of Nutrition study found that almost a quarter of all the calories we eat comes from snacks. That’s why choosing snacks that both squash your cravings and nourish your body is so important. In the Livestrong.com article, “Should You Be Snacking?”, one PHI partner mentions that pistachios are a great choice because they are easy and portable: “Hitting you with a dose of healthy fats along with being a good source of protein”, this partner says.

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. Between zeroing out your inbox and back to back meetings, in today’s fast-paced society, it seems like days go by where we hardly have time to grab a bite to eat.4 That’s why taking time out of your day to eat a more mindful meal is critical. The typical mindful eating recommendations include eating from smaller dishes, turning off your phone or other distractions, and eating more slowly to listen to hunger cues. One PHI partner’s FoxNews.com article, “5 Ways to Exercise Mindful Eating” recommends taking the latter a step farther by choosing foods that take time to eat, like in-shell pistachios. Aside from being a great high-fiber option, cracking open in-shell pistachios may slow you down, giving you time to think about and enjoy the food you are eating.

References. 1. 2015 IFIC Foundation Food and Health Survey. 2. 2016 World Health Organisation Global Report on Diabetes. 3. Miller et al. Comparison of a mindful eating intervention to a diabetes self-management intervention among adults with type 2 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial. Health Educ Behav. 2014 Apr; 41(2): 145–154. 4. Piernas and Popkin. Snacking increased among US adults between 1977 and 2006.

J Nutr. 2010 Feb;140(2):325-32.

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Industry News

AUSTRALIAN MACADAMIAS PROMOTION REACHES 6 MILLION KOREAN CONSUMERS The Australian macadamia industry’s strategic investment throughout Asia has increased markedly in recent years. South Korea is a priority market, with its appetite for Australian grown macadamias expanding significantly since our first consumer marketing campaign in 2013. Our kernel sales to this market have increased 186% over the past two years and Australia has become the dominant source of macadamia supply with 99% market share.

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n April, we hosted a promotional event to expand our audience in this market. Three high profile South Korean influencers were invited to ‘macadamia country’ in Byron Bay, Australia, to experience all that our product and industry has to offer and tell the Australian macadamia story to a mass audience of Korean consumers. South Korean celebrity chef Kim Poong headlined the event, supported by Korean power bloggers Elise and Han. The event was a runaway success, with social media and PR activity reaching over 6 million Korean consumers.

a macadamia retail product showcase and a macadamia fine-dining degustation.

However it was time spent in local macadamia orchards that delivered two of the most pivotal moments of the tour, the first occurring with a spectacular high tea set among the picturesque rows of orchard trees. It was here that the trio saw macadamia nuts fresh from the tree for the very first time and enjoyed cracking the shell off the nut and eating the fresh kernel. Kim Poong later described this as one of his favourite moments of the tour, saying “this was my first time trying macadamias fresh from the shell. I love that pure taste.”

A Hotbed of Potential The growth experienced in South Korea is the product of our strong consumer marketing campaign spurred on by the 2014 free trade agreement (FTA) between Australia and Korea that saw the tariff on macadamia exports to Korea drop from 30% to 18%. As the FTA continues to deliver price cuts in the lead-up to full tariff abolition in 2018, it’s expected this stronghold will be bolstered further.

South Korea is a high value market with consumption on the rise and substantial volume potential. Nuts are primarily sold through the snacking category and continued growth is predicted, with interest in macadamias at an all-time high and further product launches anticipated.

Immersion in the Macadamia Story Kim Poong, Elise and Han are passionate about food and travel and boast substantial Korean audiences. The event immersed them in macadamia activities and culture for four days, experiencing every aspect of the macadamia story first hand. The finely crafted tour showcased the versatility of our product in the most engaging way possible, with highlights including macadamia spa treatments, shopping at local food retailers and farmers’ markets,

High tea in the orchard. Image: © AMS

The following day took us to another macadamia farm, this time to film a cooking demonstration. Kim Poong whipped up a sensational spicy Korean noodle dish and incorporated macadamias in the recipe, to the delight of the tour crew and attending local media.

From growing and taste to health and beauty, the event provided Kim Poong, Elise and Han with an intimate understanding of the breadth of the macadamia offering. They

enthusiastically engaged with every element of the tour and were enamored by the taste and versatility of our product. This resulted in high quality social media, blog and PR activity, with our guests sharing every aspect of the tour with their sizeable Korean audiences.

Breath-Taking Results The event exceeded all expectations and KPIs by significant margins. It generated reach of over 6 million South Korean consumers with 17 stories appearing in South Korean media outlets and Kim Poong and the bloggers collectively producing 11 blog and 74 social media posts.

PR reached over 5.2 million Korean consumers, while on social media, the combined activity of Australian Macadamias, Kim Poong, Elise and Han delivered Facebook reach of 207,000, Instagram and Twitter combined reach of 390,000 and blog reach of almost 170,000.

Kim Poong filmed a series of Facebook video quizzes throughout the tour, which featured on the Australian Macadamias page as fan competitions, generating excellent engagement.

The event also attracted local media interest, with several news outlets attending various sections of the tour.

It was a delight to host Kim Poong, Elise and Han in what has become one of our most successful events to date. We thoroughly enjoyed demonstrating the many aspects of our wonderful product, and showing them around ‘macadamia country’ – one of the most beautiful spots in Australia.

Kim Poong filming his cooking demonstration in the macadamia orchard.

Image: © AMS

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Industry News

NUTS FOR LIFE LAUNCHES NEW NUT PROMOTION MONTH

#nuts30days30ways

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Nuts for Life was the recipient of an INC co-funding grant in 2015 for an Australian tree nut industry social media education project (NutFruit March 2016 issue). Following this, Nuts for Life decided we needed a social media activity that would activate all our key stakeholder – industry members, health professionals, media and the general public. Thus the #nuts30days30ways campaign was born – a month long campaign for March 2016 around Australian nut harvest season.

he aim of the campaign was to generate as much social media content as possible on the health benefits of nuts including recipes and tips for including nuts as ingredients in meals. By doing so, we hoped to give permission and encourage people to eat/use a 30g handful of nuts as snacks or in meals every day for 30 days.

It also provided the industry with an opportunity to promote their brands specifically.

LAUNCH EVENT A launch event to 20 health and food media occurred on March 1st and was held at The Bar at the end of the Wharf, Sydney Theatre Company on Sydney Harbour. This venue was chosen for its ample natural light, as we provided guests with a food styling and photography session for smartphones with well known Australian food blogger Sneh Roy from CookRepublic. Sneh developed two exclusive recipes for us to taste and share – an Autumn nut salad and a smoothie.

Each attendee was given a social media toolkit, a glass jar of mixed nuts and an artistic nut inspired screen printed tea towel.

We had no idea our iphones could do so much. Everyone was brimming with enthusiasm to style up and take nut photos and use our nut pledge boards.

The venue had loads of gorgeous textures and features for food photography. For the first time, we were happy to see an overcast day in Sydney – best light for photography.

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A social media launch means coverage is instant and using a hashtag #nuts30days30ways made it easier to search social media channels for content. The Huffington Post Australia also published an article on our launch event.

OTHER ACTIVITIES Social Media Calendar Nuts for Life developed our own social media post/tweet calendars to ensure we were generating shareable content for 30 days.

Encouraging Other Industries and Health Organisations to Get Involved We emailed our network of other Australian primary food industries and health organisation to ask if they would like to get involved and share nut recipes via their own social channels. We were delighted with the response with the following supporting us with posts and re-posts using Nuts for Life images, recipes and infographics: • Victorian State Government Better Health Channel • Dietitians Association Australia • Sports Dietitians Australia • Queensland University of Technology Nutrition and Dietetics Students Association • Nutrition and Dietetics Student Association, La Trobe University • Diabetes Australia New South Wales

Industry News • Diabetes South Australia • Heart Foundation • Glycemic Index Foundation • Coeliac Australia • The Gut Foundation • Cancer Council Eat it to Beat it • Grains and Legume Nutrition Council • Dairy Australia • Australian Breakfast Cereal Manufacturers Forum • LuzAlmonds • Sydney Markets • Australian Passionfruit Industry • Australian Egg Nutrition Council • And a big thank you to International Nut and Dried Fruit Council for supporting us too

Guest Blog Writing We offered bloggers free content with Lisa Yates writing guest blog posts for them. This saw content appeared in one of our largest fitness centre chains – Fitness First enews.

Food-Tography Competition We ran a #nuts30days30ways photography competition where anyone who posted a nut inspired image on any social media channel went into the drawer to win a deluxe food styling hamper worth AU$500. Then winner was Dhanya Samuel, the_spice_adventuress, with a delicious semifreddo with crushed pistachios. Runnersup prizes went to JJ, from 84thand3rd, for her simple yet stunning shot of some raw mixed nuts, and Noha, from mattersofthebelly, for her delicious looking almond and fig cake. They won nut product prize hampers donated

by Nuts for Life’s members.

International Activity While Nuts for Life is an Australian domestic marketing program we saw #nuts30days30ways posts in Italian and Indian languages highlighting how social media is global.

OVERALL RESULTS Our key performance indicator for this campaign was 400 social media posts by third parties using Nuts for Life materials.

This activity went well and truly beyond our expectations with:

941

media and social media clips combined with a total potential reach of

4.92 million

919

social media posts with a total potential reach of

3.89 million

Magazine coverage included Weight Watchers Magazine and Fernwood Fitness Magazine and several major women’s magazines shared social content including: Australian Women’s Health, Prevention, Yoga Journal, Nourish Online, OH magazine, Australian Womens Weekly-FoodtoLove and Women’s Running Australia

SOCIAL BREAKDOWN 200 posts with a total potential reach of 1.49 million.

377 posts with a total potential reach of 696,432 357 posts with a total potential reach of 1.7 million

Nuts for Life’s

social media channels

2,598

followers gained 70 new followers

Nuts for Life Klout Score*

MEDIA BREAKDOWN

Online media

21 articles with a pending reach of 179,833.

Magazines 4 articles with a pending reach of 853,572

also gained a few new followers over the month of March:

23,052

fans gained new 654 fans

153

followers We set up our Instagram account especially for this month @nuts_for_life

increased slightly 57.8 on March 1 to 59.8 on March 30

*Klout is a measure of online influence with a score out of 100 and is dependent on the number of social media channels and the number of people sharing your content. For this activity as expected we had more people creating their own content using our Nuts for Life materials rather than sharing or re-posting our Nuts for Life posts hence some movement in our Klout Score.

There were several dietitians and health organisations which took up the challenge and posted nut information and recipes on a daily basis for 30 days which was an extraordinary effort.

Finally we were so pleased to see so many of our Nuts for Life members participate with recipes ideas and health tips as we hoped, so a big thank you to them as well: • Australian Almonds • Almond Co • Australian Macadamias • Suncoast Gold • Patons Macadamias

• Duck Creek Macadamias • Brook Farm • Charlesworth Nuts • Chestnuts Australia • Cheznuts

• Eltham Valley Pantry • Walnuts Australia • Select Harvest (Lucky Nuts) • Mount Roland Hazelnuts • Hazelnut Growers Australia

We hope in time to learn that this activity generated greater nut sales for the month of March and we plan to repeat the campaign on March 2017.

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Industry News

NUCIS ITALIA GREETS THE ARRIVAL OF THE WARMEST SEASON WITH ITS NEW INFORMATIVE MATERIALS AND LAUNCHES THE PROJECT "NUTS & SPORT" During spring, more and more informative days with the presence of nutritionists have taken place in sales points to strengthen the link between nuts and lifestyle. They were focused on health, wellbeing and physical activity.

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ith the slogan “A wish for wellbeing is blooming”, Nucis Italia (organization that associates the main Italian companies that produce and sell nuts and dried fruits, and International Nut and Dried Fruit Council's collaborator), escorts its informative-educational campaign for spring and summer seasons.

Nucis has been committed for years on the Italian territory to inform about the beneficial qualities of nuts and encouraging its daily consumption. The right intake of nuts –fixed at around 30 grams per day– together with the adoption of the Mediterranean Diet, has positive effects on people’s health and enhances their wellbeing. On the one hand, such an important project of nutritional education, even during summer, is focused on consumers who shop at the biggest retail centers. On the other hand, it is focused on the professional figure of nutritionists.

Nutritionists Answer Questions Nucis Italia has prepared ad hoc informative materials, colorful and spring-themed, to be put at disposal of consumers who will shop at one of the 700 selected sales points.

Moreover, a total of 50 days of information have been organized in many supermarkets, with the presence of expert nutritionists. Their task is to answer the various questions consumers will ask, not only about the benefits of nuts and dried fruits but also about their qualities and the right way to consume them. Nutritionists will also be available to supply specialized consultation on all matters concerning their qualification.

People are now aware that nuts have to be consumed not only during Christmas holidays, but there are segments of population that still do not know that nuts are a great supplement for

vitamins and minerals; or nuts can be used in a lot of tasty recipes, or to be consumed as a snack “on the go”. This is why Nucis Italia commits itself to build a direct dialogue between consumers and experts, helped by materials that can be consulted and studied even afterwards.

Nuts & Sports Can food and sport go together? Naturally, yes. It is even better if this junction is celebrated in an exclusive location, with the participation of three great sports champions, sampling the creations of a chef who is definitely one of the cooks reference in Italian cuisine. This is the innovative recipe created by Nucis Italia to launch the project Nuts & Sports that will accompany the next informative campaign promoted in the framework of the tenyear educational activity aimed at spreading the beneficial properties of nuts.

The evening event “Sport meets food – The Recipe of the Champions”, promoted by Nucis, took place on May 18th 2016 in the splendid framework of Aspria Harbour Club Milano, green paradise dedicated to sport and wellness.

There was the presence of three well known and appreciated national champions: Antonio Cabrini, famous world champion footballer and currently coach of the Women’s National Team; Arianna Errigo, world fencing champion on her way to Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics;

and Maurizia Cacciatori, ex volleyball champion.

To celebrate the union between sport and food, Chef Rubio, the most free-spirited chef of the Italian cooking world, was invited to prepare a very special dinner.

The three Italian sports stars talked about their nutritional habits, what they like to eat, the diets they follow, their exceptions to the rules and their personal recipes. After their intervention, Chef Rubio’s cooking show took place, commented upon by the nutritionist Alessandra Bordoni, professor of the Science and Food Technologies Department of Bologna University and scientific consultant of the Nucis project.

Counting on the participation of around 30 journalists from the consumer press, this event served Nucis Italia to start its next informative campaign combining the world of food with sports, focusing on consumption and the benefits of nuts in the framework of healthy nutritional habits for those who practice sport.

In this new project, the healthy message about the consumption of the various fruits will be aimed in particular at those who play sport to stay fit and who are careful about their nutritional habits and that of their families. It will be also aimed at those who do sport at competitive level and to kids in particular, supplying advice and information in a playful and funny way.

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Industry News

EXPONUT: GOING NUTS ABOUT NUTS Last April 26th, Chilenut celebrated another successful edition of Exponut, reaching its eighth edition. More than 400 participants, resulting in record of attendance, had the chance to become updated in tendencies related to the nuts industry.

This break in the middle of harvesting season represented a perfect occasion to share with people from countries such as Spain, Netherlands, Brazil, Turkey, Italy, Peru, Ukraine, Uruguay and Argentina and to learn about new state-of-the-art technologies among many other areas of interest within the nuts world.

Cheng Hung Kay, Chairman of the China Tree Nuts Association and INC’s Ambassador in China, delivers a speech to the audience.

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he President of Chilenut, Juan Luis Vial, representative of nut growers and exporters, pointed out: “We have created a development plan which can ensure consolidation and strengthening of the industry and, together with our authorities and institutions, we can support innovation and build a financing ground of technical equipment and suitable human capital”. In order to ensure the above mentioned, he listed a number of commercial, promotional, investigative and development projects in partnership with both public and private organization.

Mr. Vial emphasized the important growth of Chilean production, noting that Chile will have 110,000 tonnes for 2018, what will become an opportunity and a challenge to export quality to new markets. Mr. Vial ended his speech giving thanks to all the partners, remarking that Chilenut’s commitment is to represent all the participants in the chain: growers, nurseries, consultants and 60% of the country's exports.

The Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Furche, joined Juan Luis Vial in the Exponut opening session. He received ‘The Walnut Award’ for his valuable support in the development of the nuts industry in Chile. He stood out that Chile is “one of the few countries which is able to export walnuts to China without tariff and without hardly any difficulties”. “All we have to do –Mr. Furche stated- is to keep our agreement in relation to sanitary protocols by which the export activity is carried out”.

The range of exhibitors at Exponut was from contingent matters such as prices, markets and volumes directly related to nuts. There were rapporteurs on the importance of global warming in the Chilean nut industry. There was also an updating of the latest developments in agricultural machinery, development of new varieties, pest control and

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technical conferences, which turned the day into a full program including every of the items involved in the business.

Exponut keynote speaker was the Chairman of the China Tree Nuts Association and INC’s Ambassador in China, Cheng Hung Kay. He was very clear in explaining how important nuts are in China. He explained that Chinese culture is strongly linked to nuts consumption because they are a fantastic product both for human brain and kidney. Chilean walnuts, he added, will be succeeding in China because population with purchasing power increases every year, and their specifications about quality increases too. The Chilean market –Mr. Cheng Hung Kay noted– meets the requirements for these consumers. He also stated that Chile could enter the market without paying tariffs because of the Free Trade Agreement and explained that Chile’s location can ensure “fresh nuts” supply.

The ninth Exponut 2017 will incorporate a new business section counting on bilateral meetings between every attendant willing to participate, and surely the horizontal projection of new exhibitors invited.

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM SAN DIEGO

MORE THAN 1,400 PARTICIPANTS AT THE MOST ATTENDED WORLD NUT AND DRIED FRUIT CONGRESS

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JULY 2016

HOW RURAL EXODUS IMPACTS ON AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

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