Nutfruit magazine, March 2016

Edition 67. Nº 1 MARCH 2016

30 May - 1 June 2016

SAN DIEGO HOSTS WORLD’S GREATEST NUT AND DRIED FRUIT EVENT

XXXV INC CONGRESS

CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE FOR FOOD SECURITY Page 27

EUROMONITOR ANALYZES NEW TRENDS ON NUTS CONSUMPTION Page 40

www.nutfruit.org

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 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.

Edition 67. Nº 1

MARCH 2016

BUSINESS NEWS • Diamond Foods purchases a minority interest in Metcalfe’s skinny. • Borges Agricultural and Industrial Nuts extends capital to finance its growth. • National Pecan acquires significant Arizona pecan acreage. • Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts acquires majority stake in shelling facility in South Africa. • Blue Diamond, official partner of the USA swimming and volleyball national team. • Aldi introduces healthier checkout areas with nuts and dried fruits.

GOURMET • Celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli shares her views about nuts and dried fruits in haute cuisine.

FEATURE ARTICLES • Consequences of climate change for food security. • Packaged nuts performing well on the world stage. • Future trends for safe nuts. • Industry efforts culminate with Fosetyl MRL extension. • UAS, a new tool for precision agriculture.

27 • Traceability of agricultural produce, present and future. • Vietnam’s cashew sector looks to the future. • New perspectives on Chilean walnuts. • Italians and nuts, love at first sight.

HEALTH NEWS • Tree nuts for erectile dysfunction and male infertility: a natural drug?

INC CONGRESS

• SAN DIEGO HOSTS INC CONGRESS • INC preliminary program, round tables, scientific seminars and nutrition research updates. • Discover California with the INC Tours. • INC Awards to recognize the best contributions to the nut and dried fruit industry. • Enhance your experience with the INC Congress Online Meeting Point and the Congress App.

INC NEWS

• Road to SIAL Paris 2016: INC prepares itself to attend the world’s largest food innovation exhibition. • A new concept emerges at GulFood: for the first time INC attends Dubai’s food and hospitality show with a Pavilion joined by 5 members. • Social media plan to reach new audiences. • 2015 EU RASFF alerts for nuts and dried fruits. • 2015/2016 Global Statistical Review.

INDUSTRY NEWS • Almond Board of California supports environmental initiatives and unveils new European advertising campaign. • California Walnut promotes walnuts consumption by marketing campaigns throughout the world. • American Pistachio Growers reviews 2015 American Dietary Guidelines. • Pistachio Health Institute’s actions to place pistachios into today’s top healthy trends. • INC-NREF summarizes new findings highlighting the effects of tree nuts on health. • California prunes expand further into Japanese cuisine. • Australian Macadamia Society focuses on China. • Nuts for Life growers social media project to promote nuts. • Nucis Germany begins 2016 with congresses participation.

Legal Update

23 Advertisers list

Statistical 69 102 Global Review

INC HEADQUARTERS

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

www.nutfruit.org

Scan this code and read the Nutfruit magazine on your Smartphone

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

INC Foreword

NUTFRUIT MAGAZINE: NEW LOOK, SAME SPIRIT Mark A. Mariani INC Chairman

he above represents the introduction to a new era of our INC Magazine. After 29 years, the Nutfruit magazine replaces our old and adored The Cracker. The Nutfruit will uphold The Cracker’s spirit, providing the same global network of information about industry news, statistics, crop information, food safety, trade issues, government regulations, promotional ideas and scientific findings. Additionally, the Nutfruit will add new sections featured by industry leaders, guest food experts and researchers. Let me send a special message of deep gratitude to Susan Brauner, former Cracker’s editor. With Susan’s guidance, she has positioned The Cracker as an internationally recognized magazine. In addition to the Nutfruit magazine, we are anxiously awaiting our San Diego Congress, May 30 - June 1, 2016. This year’s Congress expects to break record participants with more than 1,300 attendees. Tireless work has been undertaken to surpass expectations and provide participants with an unparalleled experience at the world’s greatest nut and dried fruit venue. Fabulous San Diego awaits us to take the industry’s pulse with a complete set of round tables, seminars, and keynote speakers’ presentations. We also debuted with the INC Pavilion at the GulFood 2016. A group of 5 companies have joined us at one of the largest food and hospitality shows. This complements our success at Sial-Paris and Anuga-Köln. If a member company is interested in booking a booth next year, please contact the secretariat as soon as possible, as space is selling fast! Finally, I would like to highlight that the European Commission published the regulation extending the temporary MRL for fosetyl, which culminates two years of efforts and work done by the INC and the tree nut industry. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the members of the INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, in collaboration with INC members and associations who kindly provided the tree nut samples for analysis. We also wish to thank the DFA of California, the national associations of producers and traders, and industry-related associations, such as the California Tree Nuts Coalition, FRUCOM, Waren Verein, and USDA for their contributions. Thank you for your support. Wishing you good harvests, good selling, and a continuing dedication improving global health! Please enjoy the new Nutfruit magazine and let us know your thoughts. All my best,

Mark A. Mariani

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

ATIONAL PECAN, US grower, accumulator, processor and marketer of pecans, has purchased a > 4,000 -acre pecan orchard and operation in Bowie, Arizona. The acquisition of one of Arizona’s leading pecan farms is another major step toward vertical integration, industry leadership and overall growth for National Pecan. “The orchard is a well-regarded operation with a strong track record of producing exceptional quality pecans to serve growing

customer demand,” said David Lawrence, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), National Pecan. “The purchase is an important milestone in our aggressive expansion plans, and we are delighted about the potential it represents.” Last year, National Pecan purchased two processors –Young Pecan, of Fabens, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and the Poulan Pecan Company of Poulan, Georgia– along with significant pecan orchard holdings in Georgia.

O N AL PE C A N

NATIONAL PECAN ACQUIRES SIGNIFICANT ARIZONA PECAN ACREAGE

Business News

COMPANY

“We are deeply committed to investing in pecan acreage and operations as illustrated by this latest acquisition, as well as the recent Young Pecan and Poulan Pecan processor purchases,” said Tom Stevenson, Director of Farming Operations, National Pecan. “This latest acquisition in Arizona represents a significant investment that will serve as a foundation for expansion of our western pecan farming operations.”

In 2016, National Pecan will explore continued acquisitions and acreage expansion throughout North America’s premier pecan growing regions. “It was an exceptional year for National Pecan in terms of adding top-notch talent and high-quality brands, facilities and acreage to our strategically expanding company,” said Lawrence. “National Pecan is here to make a positive, lasting impact on the U.S. pecan industry, and we look forward to what lies ahead in 2016 and beyond.” © National Pecan Company

DIAMOND FOODS PURCHASES A MINORITY INTEREST IN METCALFE’S SKINNY

IAMOND FOODS INC., a snack food and culinary nut company, has acquired a 26% stake in Metcalfe’s skinny Limited, owner of Metcalfe’s skinny Popcorn, a premium ready-to-eat popcorn brand in the UK with a mission to provide betterfor-you snack alternatives to consumers.

Metcalfe’s skinny markets its branded range of products in the fast-growing better-for-you snack and popcorn categories, predominantly in the UK. 8

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

The Metcalfe’s skinny existing management team will continue to operate the company as an independent subsidiary. “We are very excited to acquire an interest in Metcalfe’s skinny, which is an incredibly innovative, fast-growing, premium brand appealing to ‘foodie’ consumers looking for lighter great tasting snacks,” said Ashley Hicks, Managing Director of Kettle® Chips UK. “We look forward to working with the management team

to support their future growth ambitions in the on-trend, high growth popcorn snack category in the U.K.” Julian Metcalfe and Robert Jakobi, co-founders of Metcalfe’s skinny commented: “We are very excited about the opportunity to expand Metcalfe’s skinny brand with the support and expertise of the Kettle® organization.” Diamond finances the investment through cash on-hand.

Business News

GOLDEN PEANUT AND TREE NUTS ACQUIRES MAJORITY STAKE IN SHELLING FACILITY IN SOUTH AFRICA

OLDEN PEANUT AND TREE NUTS, a subsidiary of Archer Daniels Midland Company, has acquired an 80 percent ownership stake in a peanut shelling and storage facility in Jan Kempdorp, South Africa. Golden had been operating the facility under lease since May. “This is yet another exciting expansion for Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts in one of the most important peanut producing and consuming regions in the world,” said Greg Mills, president, Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts. “South Africa has the largest consumption of peanut butter outside of the United States, and following on our South African investments in 2013 and 2014, we are now positioned as one of the country’s leading purchasers and processors of peanuts.”

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

In late 2013, Golden Peanut entered the South African peanut market with the purchase of an 80 percent ownership stake in a bulk warehouse and a shelling plant in Hartswater. In August 2014, the company acquired the majority of an additional processing facility in Hoopstad. “This purchase continues to strengthen our position to better serve our customers in South Africa and around the world,” said Alex Izmirlian, vice president of international sales for Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts. “Since 1990, worldwide consumption of peanuts has nearly doubled, from 22 million to 40 million metric tons. Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts is expanding to meet customer needs as global demand grows.”

Business News

GENERAL MILLS PURCHASES MEAT SNACK FIRM

ENERAL MILLS INC., a global food company, has purchased EPIC Provisions, a rapidly growing, premium meat snacks company based in Austin, Texas. EPIC will operate under General Mills’ Annie’s business, which itself has experienced strong sales growth since General Mills acquired the company more than a year ago. EPIC will maintain its present location in Austin. “The acquisition of EPIC positions General Mills for exciting growth with a highly authentic brand in an entirely new natural snacking category,” said John Foraker, President of Annie’s. “A purpose-driven brand like EPIC perfectly aligns with the experience and capabilities set that Annie’s brings to the table. EPIC has tremendous potential for growth in the natural

snacking category. We’re committed to maintaining the great-tasting EPIC snacks people love, while further building this important brand to drive positive impact we can be proud of well into the future.” EPIC Provisions was launched in 2013 by cofounders Taylor Collins and Katie Forrest, both competitive athletes seeking a convenient way to add nourishing animal protein to their diets. The original EPIC meat, fruit, and nut bar — the first of its kind — has created a new snacking category. EPIC Bars come in unique flavors including Bison Bacon Cranberry, Beef Habanero Cherry, Chicken Sesame BBQ, and Pulled Pork Pineapple. Today the brand has evolved its product offerings to include EPIC Jerky Bites and EPIC Hunt and Harvest Trail Mix.

NESTLÉ ACHIEVES TARGET OF SOURCING 100% CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE COCOA IN THE UK AND IRELAND

ESTLÉ UK & IRELAND has reached its target to source 100 per cent certified sustainable cocoa for its chocolate confectionery and biscuits becoming the first major confectionery company in the UK and Ireland to do so. From 1 January 2016, the entire range of Nestlé chocolate confectionery and biscuits sold in the UK and Ireland from Kitkat to Milkybar, Aero to Quality Street, After Eight to Smarties and many more are produced using certified sustainable cocoa, sourced through the Nestlé Cocoa Plan. Andrew McIver, Managing Director, Confectionery, Nestlé UK & Ireland said: “In achieving this landmark milestone, Nestlé UK & Ireland is demonstrating its long-term commitment to making a real difference to cocoa farmers and their communities.” “The Nestlé Cocoa Plan is helping farmers to run profitable farms, support the elimination of child labour and ensure a sustainable supply of cocoa. Consumers here in the UK can enjoy their favourite products with the confidence that they are made with cocoa that comes from 100 per cent certified sustainable sources”.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Nestlé UK & Ireland works with both UTZ Certified and the Fairtrade Foundation for independent certification that the cocoa is sourced and produced sustainably on farms with safe working conditions. The UTZ program is designed to improve producers’ lives and offer a flexible and cost efficient sustainability program to the industry.

Business News

BORGES AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL NUTS EXTENDS CAPITAL TO FINANCE ITS GROWTH

ORGES AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL NUTS (BAIN), the branch for production and commercialization of nuts in Borges International Group, launches a capital increase with the objective to obtain the necessary financial resources to develop its expansion plan for 20162021. This process will allow the company to participate in the Continuous Market.

The increase in capital agreed by the Administrative Board includes issuing and the distribution of 1,127,000 new shares with a nominal value of 3.01 euros each.

These plans have already been announced to the CNMV, the Spanish market’s supervisor. Borges Agricultural and Industrial Nuts is immersed in a process of integration of the new activities that will conclude soon and will consist of six branches (Frusansa, Borges SAU, Almendras de Altura, Borges of California, Frusesa y Palacitos), which manage a total amount of 1,300 hectares of farms of its own in Spain and the United States, with sales in 56 countries and a pro forma turnover up to an amount of 206.5 million euros at the end of the exercise 2015 (with the end of the fiscal year on May 31st), stimulated by the favorable conjuncture of the nut market.

The Company states that “the increase in capital will allow us to give a new impulse to our growth by obtaining the necessary financial resources to set the expansion plan and to achieve major profitability of both our productive process and commercialization of nuts”. And it is also stated that “the further leap forward towards the Continuous Market may suppose an important challenge but also a fantastic opportunity for a company that is more than 120 years old. It will be a very important step towards the future, a step that is going to allow us to keep on growing in confidence with the target to turn this company into a reference on a global scale in the nuts sector”.

MEDIFAST INTRODUCES SPORTS NUTRITION PRODUCT LINE

EDIFAST, a U.S. manufacturer and provider of weight-loss products, has launched a sports nutrition product line called Dual Fuel. This new line consists of two bars and two ready-to-drink shakes.

Dual Fuel Bars are made with a proprietary dual layer combination –one crispy and crunchy made with whole grains, the other sweet and chewy, made with peanut butter or cocoa– for the right combination of carbohydrates and protein to help meet energy needs and fuel

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

recovery after exercise. These products contain milk protein and whey protein. Dual Fuel Bars contain no artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, or preservatives, and only 3 g of sugar and 150 calories. Initially, the bars will come in two flavors: peanut butter fudge and double chocolate. Dual Fuel Ready-to-Drink Shakes are made with dairy protein and electrolytes to help rehydrate and fuel the body after exercise. Containing 18 g of protein, the shakes are made with cocoa or vanilla extract and sweetened with monk fruit and stevia extract. They contain no artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, or preservatives and are a good source of

antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E. Initially, the shakes will come in two flavors: chocolate milkshake and vanilla blast. The new sports nutrition product line will be marketed through partnerships with Rutgers University and The V Foundation for Cancer Research. “With the launch of our new sports nutrition product line, we’re targeting athletes and the active lifestyle consumer,” said Michael MacDonald, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Medifast, Inc.

Business News

BARRY CALLEBAUT LAUNCHES HORIZONS SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS

ARRY CALLEBAUT, a manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, has launched the Horizons range of sustainable cocoa and chocolate products. This further promotes Barry Callebaut’s efforts to scale impact and drive change on the ground to improve the livelihood of cocoa farmers and their communities.

Sustainable Horizons cocoa and chocolate products are sold by Barry Callebaut with a premium used to help improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their communities. These customer premiums are channeled to the Cocoa Horizons Foundation to fund cocoa sustainability activities such as farmer training and support, and community development, in a transparent and externally verified process. The Cocoa Horizons Foundation serves as a new platform for chocolate companies and other contributors to invest in sustainable cocoa. It relies on Barry Callebaut’s expertise to implement the sustainability activities. On the ground, Barry Callebaut’s sustainability team works with cooperatives and its own direct sourcing and farm services organizations

to implement these activities for the benefit of registered farmers and farmer groups. Cocoa produced by farmers involved in these activities –currently about 25,000– will be sold as Barry Callebaut’s sustainable Horizons cocoa and chocolate products. These products are sold to food manufacturers as well as artisanal and professional customers and include cocoa beans, cocoa nibs, cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate. The cocoa is sourced from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Tanzania. Horizons cocoa is the successor to Barry Callebaut’s previous Quality Partner Program. With the creation of the Cocoa Horizons Foundation, it has evolved and improved to better scale impact. Antoine de Saint-Affrique, CEO Barry Callebaut, comments: “I am excited about the development of Horizons cocoa and chocolate products, with the focus on supporting our customers on their sustainability journey. We also expect to attract new customers for these sustainable products, thereby scaling impact and driving change in cocoa sustainability globally.” In order to help its customers drive consumer demand for sustainable cocoa, Barry Callebaut has developed an innovative set of narratives “The Cocoa Chronicles”, which are driven by consumer benefits. These will enable customers of the Horizons products to leverage sustainability initiatives through their brands.

Avda. Prat de la Riba 47, 6º • 43201 REUS (Spain) Tel. +34 977 326 202 / +34 977 310 364 • Fax +34 977 326 291 • llop@llop.net • www.llop.net

an_RamonLlop.indd 1

06/05/13 12:02

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Business News

30 LEADERS AND INTERNATIONAL BRANDS SET UP A GLOBAL COALITION TO REDUCE FOOD LOSS AND WASTE A coalition of 30 leaders has launched a new effort to inspire ambition and mobilize action to reduce food loss and waste globally. Under the name of Champions 12.3 this global coalition was set up at the World Economic Forum 2016 in Davos. If Food Loss and Waste Were its own Country, it Would Be the Third-Largest Greenhouse Gas Emitter

Food loss and waste occurs more ‘near the fork’ in developed regions and more ‘near the farm’ in developing regions (Percent of kcal lost and wasted)

Production

Handling and Storage

Processing

18 7 9 6 17

11 2 23 17

North America and Oceania

Industrialized Asia

42%

25%

Distribution and Market

13 15

4 37

Consumption

5 13 7 37

6 22

9 5 12

4 21

Europe

North Africa, West and Central Asia

Latin America

South and Southeast Asia

Sub – Saharan Africa

GT CO2E (2011/12)*

19%

15%

17%

23%

*Figures reflect all six anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, including those from land use, land – use change, and forestry (LULUCF). Country data is for 2012 while the food loss and waste data is for 2011 (the most recent data available). To avoid double counting, the food loss and waste emissions figure should not be added to the country figures.

22%

Share of total food available that is lost or wasted

39 China

United States

Food loss and waste

India

Russia

Source: CAIT. 2015; FAO. 2015. Food wastage footprint & climate change. Rome: FAO.

www.champions123.org

his leadership group aims to accelerate progress toward meeting Target 12.3 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which seeks to halve per capita food waste and reduce food losses by 2030. Globally, a third of all food is lost or wasted between the farm and the fork. Reducing food loss and waste can be a triple win: it can save money for farmers, companies, and households; wasting less can feed more people; and reductions can alleviate pressure on climate, water, and land resources. The Champions include CEOs of major companies, government ministers, and executives of research and intergovernmental institutions, foundations, farmer organizations, and civil society groups.These leaders will work to create political, business and social momentum to reduce food loss and waste around the world. Olam, Tesco, Nestlé, Rabobank and Unilever are

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

http://champions123.org/

among the companies supporting this initiative. The Champions will inspire action by: leading by example on how to reduce food loss and waste; motivating others to meet SDG Target 12.3; communicating the importance of food loss and waste reduction; showcasing successful food loss and waste reduction strategies; and advocating for more innovation, greater investment, better information, and increased capacity to reduce food loss and waste. Food loss and waste has significant economic, social, and environmental consequences. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), food loss and waste amounts to $940 billion in global annual economic losses. It contributes to hunger. And lost and wasted food consumes about one quarter of all water used by agriculture, requires cropland area the size of China, and generates about 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Champions 12.3 will complement and build upon ongoing successful UN programs to reduce food loss and waste including Save Food and Think.Eat.Save, efforts such as EU Fusions and the global Food Loss & Waste Protocol, private sector action like the Consumer Goods Forum’s Food Waste Resolution, and other initiatives. “Reducing food loss and waste is a significant global challenge and it’s very important that business plays its part,” said Dave Lewis, Group Chief Executive of Tesco and Chair of Champions 12.3. “At Tesco, we’re committed to tackling food waste not only in our own operations but also through strong and effective partnerships with our suppliers and by helping our customers reduce waste and save money. This is an opportunity for businesses to work together and make a real difference to Target 12.3.”

Business News

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

service commitment reliability expertise

Building your business with a rock solid partner enquiries: sales@kenkko.com

ca ll: +44 (0) 208 202 6600

www.kenkko.com

THE HERSHEY COMPANY RELAUNCHES THE TAKE5 BRAND WITH HELP OF MILLENNIALS © The Hershey Company

HE HERSHEY COMPANY, a global confectionery enterprise, has put on the market the Take5 Bar, a layered combination of five classic ingredients –pretzel, caramel, peanut butter and peanuts, all enrobed in rich milk chocolate– that create a salty-sweet, chewy-crunchy remixed snack. The bar is tailormade for the new generation and has been created with help of millennials. “We recognized the evolving millennial tastes and their need for on-the-go eating occasions,” said Chris Kinnard, Take5

brand manager. “They’re flavor explorers and adventurous when it comes to food. They’re looking for an experience, and the Take5 Bar’s multiple flavors and textures allow them to have it all.” Knowing millennials covet authenticity and co-creation, Hershey and the Take5 brand partnered with them to help relaunch the bar. Marketing students, and months of engagement with a special panel made exclusively of diverse millennial-aged students, helped spark the big idea behind the new Take5 brand look and feel.

The new wrapper, hitting shelves and online now, includes a textured black background with a bold, green logo co-designed by the group. With each of the five key ingredients distinctly deconstructed on the wrapper, the new package has the taste-appeal and transparency this group of consumers seek out in the candy aisle. “It’s important to millennials that they recognize what’s in the bar,” said Kinnard. “In addition to the unique co-creation, the wrapper highlights all five ingredients in every bite.” March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Business News

BLUE DIAMOND, OFFICIAL PARTNER OF THE USA SWIMMING AND VOLLEYBALL NATIONAL TEAM

LUE DIAMOND, a global almond marketer and processor, will provide a better-for-you snacking alternative to USA Swimming’s 400,000 members and will take part in a new digital content series. As part of this alliance, Blue Diamond will be the first featured sponsor of USA Swimming’s new digital content production arm. The brand will be featured in a series of sponsored web episodes throughout the year, especially throughout the summer. “We are thrilled to be partnering with USA Swimming for 2016” said Maya Erwin, Senior Marketing Manager at Blue Diamond. “This is a natural fit for Blue Diamond, given the immense team spirit and community built around the games. The USA Swimming National Team is working so hard to bring home gold and we are honored to fuel their success through our flavor-packed snack almonds.”

USA Swimming athletes, coaches, volunteers, families and fans will enjoy on-site sampling at top USA Swimming sanctioned championships events, with an anticipated attendance of nearly 250,000 people. Besides this agreement, Blue Diamond Almond Breeze and USA Volleyball have partnered for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, making Almond Breeze the organization’s Official almond milk. Blue Diamond, the world’s largest almond processing company, will be providing Almond Breeze to USA Volleyball team members, coaches, trainers, chefs and nutritionists as a good alternative to dairy beverages. “USA Volleyball welcomes Blue Diamond Almond Breeze to our growing list of valued partners,” USA Volleyball Secretary General Kerry Klostermann said. “By partnering with Almond Breeze, a beverage that offers consumers and athletes a healthy lifestyle option, we can provide added value to our National Team athletes and support staff to promote greater success in training and competition. Our athletes serve as healthy, strong and courageous role models for our hundreds of thousands of junior athletes, and this partnership helps connect the two groups with better-foryou choices.” Blue Diamond Almond Breeze will not only help fuel Team USA Volleyball athletes, but will have a presence at select USA Volleyball events, including the USA Junior Beach Tour and Tour Championships, 2016 USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships, 2016 USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships and the USA Volleyball Open National Championships.

ALDI INTRODUCES HEALTHIER CHECKOUT AREAS WITH NUTS AND DRIED FRUITS © Aldi

LDI, a German discount retailer, has introduced healthier checkout areas stocked with single serve nuts, trail mixes, dried fruit and granola bars instead of chocolate and candies. Aldi plans to roll out the programe to its nearly 1,500 locations in USA stores by the end of 2016. Checkout areas are a notorious source of unhealthy impulse buys. To cut out that temptation and allow shoppers to end their grocery trips on a healthy note, Aldi has decided to undertake this initiative and apply it in select stores this year. “By introducing healthier checkout areas and through a number of other initiatives, we are doing our part to remove temptation at checkout

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

and stocking stores with even more nutritious options,” said Jason Hart, CEO, Aldi. “At Aldi, we truly care about our customers, and we’re responding with guilt-free checkout zones and increased food options they can feel good about.” These changes aren’t just taking place at checkout. Aldi exclusive food brands, which comprise more than 90 percent of products sold in stores, are now free of certified synthetic colors, partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) and added MSG. Aldi recently found that more than half of Americans believe items without artificial ingredients are more expensive and harder to find, and this is just another way the company continues to respond to customers’ priorities, all at the lowest prices possible.

Business News

DANONE INVESTS IN A NEW PLANT FOR ITS EARLY LIFE NUTRITION BUSINESS Danone is investing €240 million in new facility to capitalize on growing demand for its Early Life Nutrition brands. With this investment, Danone will capitalize on strong and growing demand for its international early life nutrition brands, including Aptamil and Nutrilon, for both standard and specialized products. © Group Danone

he state-of-the-art facility will be built in Cuijk in the Netherlands, and will start production in late 2017. This new plant is Danone’s largest investment in its European production capabilities, and will double its capacity in the Netherlands. Output will be exported to more than 80 countries worldwide. Felix Martin Garcia, Executive Vice President of the Danone Nutricia Early Life Nutrition division said: “Building our new production plant

in Cuijk is a major step for Danone and Nutricia. It will give us the capacity we need to meet rising demand for our early life nutrition products, and is consistent with our 2020 roadmap calling for strong, profitable and sustainable growth. We are also delighted to be making this investment in the Netherlands, where our Nutricia brand has had a proud heritage stretching back over more than 100 years.” The Cuijk location was chosen to capitalize

on the expert know-how of current staff, and for the site’s proximity to Danone’s Research & Development center in Utrecht, which is the company’s global hub for research dedicated to early life nutrition and advanced medical nutrition. The new facility incorporates state-of-the-art technologies and will meet Danone’s targets for sustainability, offering very high energy efficiency and complying with the strictest CO2 emission standards.

msc_thecracker_190x134_Feb_2015.pdf 1 16.02.2015 18:19:13

CMY

MSC is a world leader in global container shipping and a company that prides itself on oﬀering global service with local knowledge.

The company has access to an integrated network of road, rail and sea transport resources which stretches across the globe. Excellent and ﬂexible customer service is at the heart of the company’s ethos – which means having total conﬁdence in the quality of service you will receive.

To find out more, contact your local MSC office MSC.COM

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Gourmet

“

DRIED FRUITS ARE WONDERFUL WHEN USED IN THE RIGHT WAY, BUT THEY COME TO LIFE WITH THE ADDITION OF NUTS

ALEX GUARNASCHELLI, FOOD NETWORK CELEBRITY CHEF

As the daughter of a cookbook editor and an Italian and Chinese cooking enthusiast, Alex Guarnaschelli was surrounded by food since her early steps. She had the best mentors to become a celebrity chef. Her parents, and the books her mother used to bring to home, served Alex as a source of valuable knowledge and esteem for cooking.

In the event of not being a chef, which would have been your vocation? I would have become a marine biologist without a doubt. Marine life fascinates me. I always joke that I started out wanting to catch and “tag” the elusive giant squid and ended up deep frying it in a kitchen instead.

Do you usually cook when you are at home? I cook for my daughter a lot--she inspires me to do some tasty, simple home cooking. For years before I had her, I didn’t so much as boil water in my apartment! Times change...

What is never missing in your fridge? Capers, mustard, lemons, eggs and walnuts.

Imagine it’s 10 PM and you are arriving late at home. What would you prepare for dinner? I’d likely make some “kitchen sink” salad from what I’ve got in the fridge. Maybe hard boil a few eggs, toss with some greens, golden raisins, walnuts with a quick lemon, caper and olive oil dressing.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

”

After graduation, she decided to explore new culinary ingredients and moved to France to work and study. France was a rich and challenging experience to brush her skills, but it was Alex’s return to New York what gave her the opportunity to spring her wings. In 2003, Alex became the executive chef at New York City restaurant, Butter. Then, TV appeared in her life. She is a featured judge on

What or who is your source of inspiration as a chef? I love ingredients... I love to wander through a greenmarket and the supermarket too! I love casual dining. It inspires new thoughts.

What do you think of this “boom” to bring haute cuisine to TV? I think food TV is actually taking haute cuisine techniques and applying it to super casual meals. It’s not so much about caviar and lobster but about how to gain tips, techniques and skills to improve home cooking to the level of a professional chef.

Does being creative depend just on the ingredients, or is there any secret for success? Creativity is so elusive. Sometimes just getting enough sleep and drinking a good cup of coffee can inspire the best ideas. Great ingredients, from great apples or tomatoes to great beef or nuts to great paprika makes the cooking easier. Flavors are sharper from the get-go!

Food Network’s Chopped and a celebrated Iron Chef who loves to get creative in the kitchen with the flavors of Fisher® nuts. She was one of the mentors in All-Star Academy and previously hosted Alex’s Day Off, which is airing on Cooking Channel. She is also working on a follow up book to her first, Old School Comfort Food: The Way I Learned to Cook, slated for publication in 2016.

According to your experience, what has been more difficult for you? To convince the judges (as a contestant) or to judge the work of other competitors? Judging is more complex. Food is so subjective and people’s choices are personal. Who am I to say that I don’t “like” their idea? Technique and execution are places where some people excel more than others. It changes all the time. Most days, I’d much rather cook and be judged than the other way around!

How do you combine nuts and dried fruits in your cuisine? I love nuts and dried fruit together in cooking. If I am making a trail mix for example, I love roasting walnuts and almonds together with salt and some paprika and tossing them with either dried apricots or prunes. If I am baking a coffee cake or other dessert, I like to stir some dried currants into the batter along with walnuts, for example, and then make a walnut streusel to top the cake as well. Dried fruits are wonderful when used in the right way but they come to life with the addition of nuts. I also love to make variations on salsa for roasted pork or even a white, flaky fish.

Gourmet

Kale, apple & pecan salad Yield:

6 servings

Prep time: 20 min.

What do nuts and dried fruits add to your dishes? Dried fruits are sweet but they are often more layered and complex than fresh fruit. Nuts are so versatile depending on what you’re making and what type of nut you are working with. I really love that almonds add a roasted flavor to both savory and sweet dishes. Walnuts add such tremendous richness. Walnuts can be ground and used as flour and can be used to thicken a sauce or vinaigrette.

Which is the nut that it is always in your kitchen? I am really partial to walnuts. A few walnuts are a snack that actually fills me up! I also love walnuts with chocolate so when I make a chocolate dessert of any kind, I reach for walnuts! I also love them with pork or duck. I have even made broiled clams on the half shell with walnut breadcrumbs. Yum!

Ingredients: 1 cup of pecans 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar 2 tbsp. honey ¼ tsp. salt ⅛ tsp. cracked black pepper ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil 4 cups tightly-packed bite-size tuscan kale pieces 1 small head radicchio, torn into bite size pieces ½ cup sliced celery 1 apple, such as honeycrisp, gala or fuji, cored, quartered and sliced into ½ inch slices ¼ cup grated extra sharp cheddar cheese Mode of preparation 1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Place the pecans on a baking sheet and roast until they are browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool. Reserve ¼ cup of pecan halves. Transfer the remaining nuts to a flat surface and coarsely chop; set aside. 2. Whisk the vinegar, honey, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Drizzle in the oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly until the dressing is well blended. 3. Add the kale, radicchio and celery to the bowl of dressing and toss to thoroughly coat the greens. Stir in the apple slices, cheese and remaining nuts. Top with reserved pecan halves.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Legal Update

LEGAL UPDATE PESTICIDES AUSTRALIA: USE OF ABAMECTIN FOR THRIPS AND MITES The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has published a permit (PER81162) to allow minor use of an Agvet chemical product for the control of mites and thrips in macadamias. This permit allows a person to use the product abamectin in the manner specified in the permit in the designated jurisdictions. This permit is in force from 28 October 2015 to 31 October 2018 .

CANADA: MRLs UPDATE The Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures of Canada has notified the World Trade Organization of the adoption of the following maximum residue limits in nuts and raisins. Pesticide

Product

Spiroxamide Chlorantraniliprole Benzovindiflupyr

Flupyradifurone

MRL (ppm)

Adoption date

Raisins

Grapes

Peanuts

0.06

Raisins

3.0

Peanuts

0.01

Raisins

5.0

Peanuts

0.04

Tree nuts

0.02

18-09-2015 12-10-2015 23-11-2015

25-11-2015

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

Product

Fosetyl

Almonds, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, pistachios, walnuts

Guazatine

Tree nuts, stone fruit, grapes, cranberries, dates, figs, peanuts

Abamectin

Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts

MRL (ppm) Adoption date 75

01-01-2016

Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/75 of 21 January 2016

0.05(*)

13-05-2016

Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/1910 of 21 October 2015

09-06-2016

Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/2075 of 18 November 2015

23-12-2015

Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/1 of 3 December 2015

09-08-2016

Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/53 of 19 January 2016

11-02-2016

Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/67 of 19 January 2016

0.02

Peanuts

0.01(*)

Desmedipham dichlorprop-P oryzalin phenmedipham

Tree nuts, stone fruit, grapes, cranberries, dates, figs, peanuts

0.01(*)

Haloxyfop-P

Tree nuts, stone fruit, grapes, cranberries, dates, figs, peanuts

0.02(*)

Bifenazate

Cranberries

Cyazofamid

Grapes

Dithiocarbamates Pyriofenone

Sulfoxaflor

Mesotrione diethofencarb Pirimiphos-methyl Chlorothalonil Halauxifen-methyl

Chlorate

Walnuts Cranberries

7 2 0.1 5

Table Grapes

0.9

Tree nuts

0.2

Apricots

0.5

Plums, cranberries, dates, figs

0.01(*)

Peanuts

0.02(*)

Tree nuts, stone fruit, grapes, cranberries, dates, figs, peanuts

0.01(*)

Tree nuts, stone fruit, grapes, cranberries, dates, figs

0.01(*)

Peanuts Cranberries

Regulation

0.5 5

Tree nuts, peanuts

0.05(*)

Grapes, cranberries, dates, figs

0.02(*)

Apricots, plums, grapes, cranberries

0.015

Dates, figs

0.03

Peanuts

0.07

Pending publication

(*) Indicates lower limit of analytical determination.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Legal Update

JAPAN: MRLs UPDATE

TAIWAN: MRLs UPDATE

According to the Foreign Agricultural Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan has announced changes to the maximum residue levels (MRL) for acibenzolar-s-methyl, cycloprothrin, difenoconazole, fluoxastrobin, metrafenone, oxathiapiprolin, sulfoxaflor, triafamone, and norfloxacin.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kimen and Matsu has notified the World Trade Organization of the Draft Standards for Pesticide Residue Limits in Foods. The draft includes the following maximum residue limits (MRL) in nuts and dried fruits.

Pesticide

Product

Acinbenzolar-S-methyl

Cranberries

Cycloprothrin

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

Pesticide

MRL (ppm) 0.2 0.01

Product

MRL (ppm)

Chlorothalonil

Almonds

0.05

Cyflumetofen

Almonds

0.01

Boscalid

Prunes

2.5

KOREA: MRLs UPDATE According to the World Trade Organization, the South Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ministry of Food & Drug Safety is going to amend its pesticide MRL legislation, deleting a large number of pesticides from 31 December 2016. Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current system recognizes a number of MRLs determined by the domestic regulators, including the EU, or international food safety standard-setting body Codex Alimentarius Commission. However, Korea will in the future require industry to submit data packages to enable their

USA: MRLs UPDATE

Pesticide Difenoconazole

The US Environmental Protection Agency has established the following maximum residue limits (MRL) in nuts and fruits over the last months.

MRL (ppm)

Adoption date 2.5

26-08-2015

0.03

Oxathiapiprolin

Grapes

0.70

04-09-2015

Cyprodinil

Fruit, stone 12-12

3.0

09-09-2015

Benzovindiflupyr

Metafluizone Azoxystrobin

Grape, raisins Peanut Fruit, stone 12-12 Nut, tree, group 14-12 Fruit, stone 12-12 Nut, tree, group 14-12 Nut, tree, group 12-14, except pistachios

Choline chloride

All food commodities

Pendimethalin

Nut, tree, group 12-14

Spinetoram

Spinosad

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Product Fruit, stone 12-12 Nut, tree, group 14-12

Methoxyfenozide

regulators to set national Korean residue limits for each agricultural good. If these data are not submitted, Korea will set a default MRL of 0.01 ppm, risking the shipments of the agricultural commodities. There are more than 60 pesticides in peanuts and tree nuts that will be deleted from 31 December 2016. For more information, please contact the INC at inc@nutfruit.org.

3.0 0.01 3.0 0.10

02-10-2015 28-10-2015

0.04

30-10-2015

0.02

9-12-2015

Exemption when applied pre-harvest

16-12-2015

0.1

21-12-2015

Berry, low growing, subgroup 13-07G, except cranberry

0.90

Fruit, stone 12-12

0.30

Nut, tree, group 14-12

0.10

Berry, low growing, subgroup 13-07G, except cranberry

0.90

Fruit, stone 12-12

0.20

Nut, tree, group 14-12

0.10

24-12-2015

28-12-2015

Legal Update

CONTAMINANTS

CODEX ALIMENTARIUS: AFLATOXINS IN READY-TO-EAT PEANUTS The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has invited governments, interested organizations and individuals to submit data for toxicological evaluation and for estimating the exposure to some contaminants, including aflatoxins in ready-to-eat peanuts. The Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods agreed to request JECFA to conduct an exposure assessment for health impact and calculate violation rates based on the hypothetical MLs of 4, 8, 10 and 15 Îźg/kg for total aflatoxins in ready-to-eat peanuts.

On 20 January 2016, JECFA issued the list of substances scheduled for evaluation and request for data. As for aflatoxins in ready-to-eat peanuts, JECFA requires information related to toxicology, occurrence and intake assessment, including toxicological studies and data on their cooccurrence in food commodities. The submission of data is requested before 15 April 2016.

EU: INCREASED LEVEL OF OFFICIAL CONTROLS On 13 January 2016, the Official Journal of the European Union issued the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/24 of 8 January 2016 imposing special conditions governing the import of groundnuts from Brazil, Capsicum annuum and nutmeg from India and nutmeg from Indonesia and amending Regulations (EC) No 669/2009 and (EU) No 884/2014. This regulation entered into force on 1 February 2016. Previously, on 24 September 2015, the European Union published the Feed and food Dried grapes (vine fruit) (Food)

Country of origin

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1607 of 24 September 2015 amending Annex I to regulation (EC) No 669/2009 implementing Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the increased level of official controls on imports of certain feed and food of non-animal origin. The Regulation entered into force on 1 October 2015. The control frequency for nuts and dried fruits was listed as follows. Hazard

Frequency of physical and identity checks (%)

Afghanistan

Ochratoxin A

Australia

Aflatoxins

Brazil

Aflatoxins

Peanut butter

Gambia

Aflatoxins

Groundnuts (peanuts), otherwise prepared or preserved

Sudan

Aflatoxins

Dried apricots

Turkey

Sulphites

Apricots otherwise prepared or preserved

Uzbekistan

Sulphites

United States

Aflatoxins

Almonds, in shell Almonds, shelled Groundnuts (peanuts), in shell Groundnuts (peanuts), shelled

Pistachios, in shell Pistachios, shelled

INDIA: AFLATOXIN LIMITS IN NUTS On 4 November 2015, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India published the Regulation Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) (Amendment) Regulations, 2015, which entered into force the same day of publication. The amendment updates the maximum limits for naturally occurring toxic substances (NOTS) present in food and beverages. Among others, the limit for aflatoxins in nuts is set at 15 ppb in nuts for further processing and at 10 ppb for nuts ready-to-eat.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Legal Update

PACKAGING AND LABELING

SWITZERLAND: MANDATORY LABELING ON FOOD The Swiss government has recently notified a draft ordinance concerning information on food, laying down general principles and requirements, particularly for the labeling and promotion of food. This ordinance constitutes a harmonization with the legislation of the European Union. The draft proposal contains an obligation to declare the country of production and origin of main raw materials on every foodstuff, for ingredients that represent more than 50% of the food weight or are subject to quantitative ingredients declaration.

USA: PETITION FOR THE AUTHORIZATION OF A QUALIFIED HEALTH CLAIM FOR MACADAMIA NUTS On 4 November 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received a petition for the authorization of a qualified health claim for macadamia nuts and reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Submitted by a Hawaii-based macadamia nut snacks business, the proposed wording of the claim is: “Supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces per day of macadamia nuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol and not resulting in increased intake of saturated fat or calories may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. See nutrition information for fat [and calorie] content.” This claim would apply to whole or chopped macadamia nuts that are raw, balanced, roasted, salted, and/or lightly coated and/or flavored. The petition was available for public comment until 16 February 2016; FDA’s final decision is expected in July 2016.

QUALITY STANDARDS

USA: REVISION OF THE STANDARDS GRADES FOR PECANS

USA: STANDARDS FOR DOMESTIC AND IMPORTED PEANUTS

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the United States Department of Agriculture has proposed the revision of the US Standards for Grades of Shelled Pecans and the US Standards for Grades of Pecans in the Shell. The proposal includes replacing the existing term “midget” with “extra small” in the Standards for Grades of Shelled Pecans. In addition, AMS proposes to remove from both standards references to plastic models of pecan kernels, and information on where the color standards may be examined. These changes are aimed at modernizing the terminology and information in the standards. Comments must be submitted on or before March 14, 2016.

On 19 January 2016, the Agricultural Marketing Service of the United States proposed the Rule “Minimum Quality and Handling Standards for Domestic and Imported Peanuts Marketed in the United States; Change to the Quality and Handling Requirements“. This proposed rule would implement a recommendation from the Peanut Standards Board to revise the minimum quality and handling standards for domestic and imported peanuts marketed in the United States. This proposed rule would revise the minimum quality, positive lot identification, and reporting and recordkeeping requirements under the Standards, among other changes, with the aim of better reflect current industry practices. The deadline for comments is March 21, 2016.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Feature Articles

CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE FOR FOOD SECURITY Climate change has caused long-term changes in temperature and precipitation that will affect many aspects of the global food syﬆem. Direct and indirect effects of climate change on the processing, packaging, retailing, consumption and disposal of food will have important long-term consequences on the ability of humanity to continue to reduce the number of food insecure in the world.

ood security is the ability of all people at all times to obtain and use sufficient food for an active and healthy life. Achieving food security for all people is a widely held goal by the international community, and will require a growth in the amount of food grown and an improvement in equality of access to it. Food security problems exist in urban and rural environments, and in wealthy and poor nations. Climate change will exacerbate these problems through both direct impact on agricultural production and indirect impacts on the broader food system, which includes the processing, packaging, distributing, retailing, consuming and disposing of food1 (Figure 1). The USDA report entitled ‘Climate Change, Global Food Security, and the US Food System’ provides an exploration of recent research and a description of modeling approaches describe the likely impact of changing global climate on social and economic welfare in coming decades.2 The concept of food security includes three inter-related concepts that must all be present consistently throughout the year in order for an individual, household or community to be food secure. These are: • Food availability, or the existence of food at a particular place and time provided through production or trade; • Food access, or the ability of a person or group to obtain food through purchase, barter or production; and • Food utilization, or the ability to use and obtain nourishment from food, including the food’s nutritional value and how the body assimilates nutrients.2 Climate change will affect each element, and will have different impacts depending on how society develops in the next century. Food production forms the foundation for all food availability, providing the calories and nutrients required by all people. The cultivation of crops, production of livestock, hunting, and fishing are at the center of all food production. The processing, packaging, storing, and trading of food enables local food availability, and is supported by transportation networks that move food from the farm to the household (Figure 1). All these elements may be affected by climate change. High temperatures and variable precipitation directly affect the amount of food produced through crops and livestock production. Although yields have increased every year since 2000, climate is likely to reduce this growth in coming decades due to the impact of temperature increases on yields3 and on pests, crop diseases, and pollinators needed for the maturation of crops.4 Climate change will be particularly difficult to adapt to in the tropics, where crops’ biophysical thresholds are already very close to their limitations, and more people are engaged in agriculture for their livelihood. Higher temperatures will also affect livestock production, an activity that supports over a billion people and contributes substantially to the global economy.5 Fisheries and wild game communities are declining,6 but they continue to play crucial roles in the food security of many communities.7 However, it is currently beyond our ability to distinguish widespread human activities from the detrimental effects of climate on these natural systems.

Molly E Brown, PhD,

is an associate research professor at Geographical Sciences Department at Maryland University. She has a wide experience in interdisciplinary research using satellite remote sensing data. She has published over 100 journal articles and two books. The latest is “Food Security, Food Prices and Climate Variability” published in 2014. In 2015 she led a report published by the US Department of Agriculture, “Climate Change, Global Food Security and the U.S. Food System”.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Feature Articles

Climate change is likely to affect where crops are grown and will require greater pre-processing cooling facilities, different processing approaches, more climate controlled storage, and greater flexibility in sourcing of goods. Trade depends on transportation networks that can be disrupted due Disposal to flooding, sea level rise, and coastal storms.8 Extreme events and disruptions in electricity Food Production can reduce food availability over large areas. These indirect effects of climate Consuming change on the food system may be more important to food security outcomes than direct effects on agriculture. Actors in the food system need to plan Processing for potential hazards and long-term threats due to climate change. Food access describes the ability of all people to obtain enough Retailing Food Availability food for themselves and their family. Typically this involves the ability Packaging of all people to afford to purchase enough food, proximity to food C limate retailing outlets, to farmland where food can be grown, or to social Food Utilization Change Food networks that can provide food when needed. Food affordability Storing Access Wholesaling balances a household’s income with the cost of purchasing food, however estimating how incomes and food prices will change for diverse populations in the future is challenging.9 Any rapid changes in Trading Distributing food prices due to global economic shocks or local weather disruptions affects food affordability, resulting in significant increases in the number of food insecure people. In the coming decades, economic models that incorporate climate and agricultural change predict that food prices will increase, although the models are strongly affected by how population, CLIMATE CHANGE WILL economic growth, and social equality are estimated.10 AFFECT FOOD SECURITY Finally, food utilization refers to the ability of individuals to use nutrients and energy that they THROUGH IMPACTS ON consume. The very young are particularly at risk of long-term negative impacts on their cognitive and FOOD PRODUCTION, FOOD physical development if consumption of food is inadequate in the first years of life. The prevalence AFFORDABILITY, AND FOOD of child undernutrition in the developing world is decreasing, but climate change threatens this progress. Climate has a number of direct effects on food utilization, including change in the nutrient QUALITY IN THE COMING composition of food, increases in bacterial and fungal contamination of food, and a degradation of a DECADES body’s ability to assimilate available nutrients. Climate variability has already affected the stability of food utilization through extreme-weather events and their associated emergency responses. Climate and weather have demonstrable effects on agriculture, food prices, transportation infrastructure, and the costs and operations of food distributors, affecting food access, food utilization, and stability of production. Climate risks to food security will increase as the magnitude and rate of climate change increases. However, how these affect food security will depend to a great extent on how society changes over the next five decades while the climate is changing. If we have economic growth, strong adaptation in the agriculture sector, universal education, and widespread social development, then the impacts of climate change on food security will be lessened. Figure 1.

References 1. S. J. Vermeulen, P. K. Aggarwal, A. Ainslie, C. Angelone, B. M. Campbell, A. J. Challinor, J. W. Hansen, J. S. I. Ingram, A. Jarvis, P. Kristjanson, C. Lau, G. C. Nelson, P. K. Thornton, and E. Wollenberg, “Options for support to agriculture and food security under climate change,” Environmental Science & Policy 15, 136-144 (2012). 2. M. E. Brown, J. M. Antle, P. Backlund, E. G. Carr, W. E. Easterling, M. K. Walsh, C. Ammann, W. Attavanich, C. B. Barrett, M. F. Bellemare, V. Dancheck, C. Funk, K. Grace, J. S. I. Ingram, H. Jiang, H. Maletta, T. Mata, A. Murray, M. Ngugi, D. Ojima, B. O’Neill, and C. Tebaldi, “Climate Change, Global Food Security, and the U.S. Food System,” USDA Technical Document (2015). 3. D. B. Lobell, W. Schlenker, and J. Costa-Roberts, “Climate Trends and Global Crop Production since 1980,” Science 333, 616-620 (2011). 4. S. G. Potts, J. C. Biesmeijer, C. Kremen, P. Neumann, O. Schweiger, and W. E. Kunin, “Global pollinator declines: trends, impacts and drivers,” Trends in ecology & evolution 25, 345–353 (2010). 5. P. K. Thornton, “Livestock production: recent trends, future prospects.,” Philosphical transactions of the royal society B 365, 2853–2867 (2010). 6. G. L. Britten, M. Dowd, and B. Worm, “Changing recruitment capacity in global fish stocks,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113, 134-139 (2015). 7. C. D. Golden, L. C. H. Fernald, J. S. Brashares, b. J. R. Rasolofoniaina, and C. Kremen, “Benefits of Wildlife consumption to child nutrition in a biodiversity hotspot,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108, 19653-19656 (2011). 8. A. Becker, S. Inoue, M. Fischer, and B. Schwegler, “Climate change impacts on international seaports: Knowledge, perceptions, and planning efforts among port administrators,” Climatic change 110, 5-29 (2012). 9. D. Satterthwaite, G. McGranahan, and C. Tacoli, “Urbanization and its implications for food and farming,” Philosphical transactions of the royal society B 365, 2809-2820 (2010). 10. G. Nelson, H. Valin, R. Sands, P. Havlík, H. \Ahammad, D. Deryng, J. Elliott, S. Fujimori, T. Hasegawa, E. Heyhoe, and P. Kyle, “Climate change effects on agriculture: Economic responses to biophysical shocks,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111, 3274-3279 (2014).

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Feature Articles

FUTURE TRENDS FOR SAFE NUTS

Dr. Cameon Ivarsson

Even as the consumption of nuts is booﬆed by demonﬆrated health and nutritional benefits, the induﬆry is bracing for regulatory action and growing cuﬆomer demand to insure the microbiological safety of these popular snacks.

cientific research shows that the consumption of nuts has a host of nutritional and health related benefits. Marketing efforts have targeted the increasingly health conscious consumer, and nuts, in addition to being nutritious and tasting great, are practical snacks as they are easy to carry around. Nuts, which can be consumed raw, blanched, or roasted, nevertheless can present a food borne illness risk.

Appraising Microbiological Risks in Nuts Like all raw agricultural products, nuts are exposed to environmental contaminants including spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. Once harvested, dried down, and safely stored, the microorganisms present cannot grow, however, they are not eliminated by the drying process. In particular pathogens such as Salmonella survive well1 and represent a very real health risk. This fact explains the number of food borne illness outbreaks related to the consumption of nuts. The presence and persistence of the contaminants is also reflected in the increasing frequency of nut related product recalls in the market, and the detention and disposal of foreign shipments which affects international trade. A food borne illness outbreak is identified when a cluster of patients exhibit symptoms of a food related microbiological infection that is common to all of them. In the US, the Center for Disease Control coordinates the efforts of a network of laboratories, PulseNet, that compares the DNA fingerprint of outbreak strains to a fingerprint database. Table summarizing outbreaks of food borne illness associated with the consumption of tree nuts and peanuts in North America. Nut Product Year Pathogen Cashew, Almond, Hazelnut Cashew Pine nut Hazelnut Pistachio Walnut Peanut Almond

Nut butter Peanut/cashew mix Raw cashew cheese Whole, bulk In-shell Roasted Raw shelled Nuts and pastes Peanut butter Raw whole Raw whole Raw whole Raw whole Almond butter

2015 Salmonella java 2010 2013 2011 2010-11 2011 2011 2009 2006-07 2000-01 2004 2005-06 2012 2014

Salmonella typhimurium Salmonella stanley Salmonella enteritidis E. coli O157:H7 Salmonella senftenberg E. coli O157:H7 Salmonella typhimurium Salmonella tennessee Salmonella enteritidis Salmonella enteritidis Salmonella enteritidis Salmonella typhimurium Salmonella braenderup

Adapted from2 Harris, L. J., M. Palumbo, L. R. Beuchat, and M. D. Danyluk. 2015.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

is the Scientific Director of Napasol AG in Switzerland, where she is involved in the risk assessment and mitigation of the microbiological risks in nuts and dried fruits and runs the validation program of their pasteurization installations. She joined the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee of the INC in 2005. In addition to contributing to the committee’s ongoing activities, she has been directly involved in the Green Corridor project in Iran, the SafeNut project in Brazil, and the Nuts and Seeds Consortium in the UK.

FDA‘s Ongoing Risk Assessment on Tree nuts Although the frequency of occurrence and level of pathogens such as Salmonella is low in nuts, the symptoms of infection are serious and the outcome can be deadly. In 2007, following several food borne illness outbreaks, the almond industry decided to mandate the pasteurization of all almonds in North America. Because of their sparse distribution and low infectious levels, these pathogens are difficult to find and the sampling programs in place did not prevent those outbreaks from occurring. The only measure that would insure that the almonds were safe was to mandate their pasteurization. The trend to pasteurize other tree nuts has been growing fueled by more food borne illness outbreaks, regulatory measures, and pressure from the market for delivering safe foods. In this context, the FDA is conducting a risk assessment on tree nuts, including a sampling program at retail and processors level, which has triggered a total of 27 recalls in 2015 with macadamias (11), walnuts (7) and cashews (4) being the most frequent.3 The frequency of these Salmonella positive findings is surprising since there is an increasing volume of safe pasteurized product on the market. It shows that the sampling programs in place for unpasteurized product are inadequate to prevent contaminated product from reaching store shelves. It is widely anticipated that once the ongoing FDA risk assessment is completed, preventative measures will require an adequate microbiological kill step.

Pasteurization of Tree Nuts Options for pasteurization include chemical treatments with fumigants as well as natural thermal treatments. Propylene oxide or PPO, which is widely used for pasteurizing almonds and other nuts in the USA, is a chemical that is mutagenic and causes irreversible damage to the DNA of the microorganism. Thermal treatments on the other hand physically modify the protein structure of enzymes thus interfering with the metabolism of the microorganisms. The experience of the almond industry with FDA regulatory measures is instructive. A kill step with a 100’000 fold reduction in pathogen performance (5log) is required for labeling almonds as pasteurized. Following an extensive risk assessment, the Almond Board of California subsequently obtained the approval from FDA for a 10’000 fold (4log) reduction as being sufficient for insuring a suitable level of safety for consumers in the USA. It is unlikely that FDA would extend this approval to

Feature Articles

FEATURE STORY FEATURE STORY

The CIA’s of Flavor International Conference & The Worlds CIA’s Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Lettuce-Wrapped Spicy Spicy Lettuce-Wrapped Festival® is in itsis 14th the U.S. (www.worldsofflavor. Festival® in itsyear 14thin year in the U.S. (www.worldsofflavor. AlmondAlmond Chicken, Chicken, com) and is widely as America’s most influential com) and is acknowledged widely acknowledged as America’s most influentialPhoto Credit: CIA CIA Photo Credit: professional forum on world food cultures and flavor professional forum on cuisines, world cuisines, food cultures and flavor trends. trends. Each year conference includesincludes more than chefs, Eachthis year this conference more70than 70 chefs, other tree nutsother without the scientific toand demonstrate The control of pressure also allows pasteurizing in a partial vacuum at culinaryculinary experts, and fromresearch allfrom overnecessary theover world experts, andpresenters other presenters all the world and that a 4log reduction would beincluding adequate tochefs, insurejournalists consumer safety for relatively low temperatures. welcomes more than 700 attendees welcomes more than 700 attendees including chefs, journalists and food critics, restaurant and foodservice management and food critics, restaurant and foodservice management them as well. executives, corporate menu decision-makers and a wide range executives, corporate menu decision-makers and a wide will range Any microbiological reduction process seeking FDA approval have Expectations and Global Repercussions of suppliers, from leaders in agriculture and manufacturing to of tosuppliers, from leaders in agriculture and manufacturing pass the same hurdles as those the almond industry went throughtofor Unlike other food safety risk commodities such as leafy greens, the FDA government agenciesagencies and topand consumer brands.brands. government top consumer their mandatory pasteurization rule. All processes and all installations considers that for tree nuts there are technologies on the market capable The CIA’s Worlds of Flavor ASIA® aInternational The CIA’s Worlds of Flavor International will be required to be validated. Validation isASIA® documented program that of delivering an appropriate kill step to insure their safety. With the evolving Conference & Festival will bewill dedicated to the tocuisines, Conference & Festival be dedicated the cuisines, provides a high level of scientific assurance that a manufacturing process US regulatory landscape and as the Food Safety Modernization Act enters flavors flavors and food of Asia ofand their to inspire andcultures food cultures Asia andpotential their potential to inspire 4 Since into effect, tree nut shipments to the US will also have to comply with the will reliably produce product which is program notThe injurious health. chefs and consumers aroundaaround the world. The istobeing chefs and consumers the world. program is being 2007, almond industry has registered 170 validated installations and same regulations as US operators. This means that the outcome of the risk designed to bethethe premier all-Asia professional culinary designed to be the premier all-Asia professional culinary conference. Initial attendance is expected to be 800 to 1,000 conference. Initial attendance is expected to be 800 to 1,000 established process standards through validation guidelines with defined assessment currently underway on tree nuts will have a global impact on culinaryculinary and professionals drawn from over and hospitality drawnall from allAsia over criticalhospitality parameters for PPOprofessionals treatment, oil roasting, and blanching for aAsia 5log trade with the US. and theand Pacific—including China, India, Japan, Korea, Southeast the Pacific—including China, India, Japan, Korea, Southeast 5 reduction. For dry roasting, at typical industry parameters, reaching a 4log Although regulators outside the US have until now not considered tree Asia, and Australia—with a significant outreach to the United Asia, and Australia—with a significant outreach to the United reduction is difficult, but can be achieved at relatively high temperatures nuts as a high risk product category, Salmonella positive shipments are States, Europe and Latin as well.asThis program is slatedis slated States, Europe andAmerica Latin America well. This program recurrently identified at border controls and at retail level. In the EU, recalls to kick to offand in long early kick offexposure in2014. early times. 2014. have a profound impact on the food industry and demand for pasteurized WorldsWorlds of Healthy FlavorsFlavors and Worlds of Flavor, along with of Healthy and Worlds of Flavor, along with Thermal Treatments Suitable Nuts tree nuts is growing. additional CIA leadership initiatives, are a for part of the strategic additional CIA leadership initiatives, areRaw a part of the strategic None of the thermal processes described in the above guidelines are initiatives & industry leadership division of the college headed initiatives & industry leadership division of the college headed up by Greg vice president of reduction the division. Mr. The industry does well to take into consideration addressing microbial when the Drescher rawMr. qualities of the upsuitable byDrescher, GregforDrescher, vice president of the division. Drescher is responsible for the college's thought leadership, strategic is nuts responsible for the college's thought strategic that the consumer confidence inspired by the health are to be preserved. For raw nuts a varietyleadership, of steam pasteurization partnerships and initiatives, conferences, media partnerships and initiatives, industry and new media and nutritional benefits of tree nuts, must not be processes have beenindustry developed but conferences, mainlyand twonew types are currently and is the creator of these programs and other CIA "think and is the creator of these programs and other CIA tank" "think tank" on the market: continuous systems working at ambient pressure and compromised by a food safety risk. initiatives. He assumed his current title in title 2011inafter as initiatives. He assumed his current 2011serving after serving as batch processes working in pressurized autoclaves. The higher microbial executive director of strategic initiatives for the CIA. Mr.CIA. Drescher executive director of strategic initiatives for the Mr. Drescher Future trends may well hinge on the outcome of the ongoing FDA risk reduction performance is obtained in the batch processes where saturated joined the CIA in 1995, and served nearly 10 years as the first joined the CIA in 1995, and served nearly 10 years as the first directordirector of education for the college's campus in St. Helena, steam conditions are controlled. Saturatedcampus steam offers highest assessment but ultimately it will be the market that will drive the industry of education for the college's in St.theHelena, CA, where he oversaw the development of the CIA at Greystone’s CA,heat where he capability oversaw the development of nuts the CIA at Greystone’s transfer to the surface of the without wetting them. towards pasteurization of tree nuts. programprogram of continuing education and advanced studies.studies. of continuing education and advanced All leadership initiatives led by the college,college, are supported by partnerships and sponsorships. Program sponsors have have All leadership initiatives led CIA, by thea not-for-profit CIA, a not-for-profit are supported by partnerships and sponsorships. Program sponsors opportunities to help make an impact on the future of our industry and receive invaluable exposure of their products and brands to industry opportunities to help make an impact on the future of our industry and receive invaluable exposure of their products and brands to industry References: 1. Uesugi AR, MD andleaders. Harris LJ. Survival of Salmonella Phase Type 30 on inoculated Almonds stored -20,may 4, 23, and 35°C. J Jörin, Food Prot.Director 2006 Aug;69(8):1851-7. 2. Outbreaks decisiondecision makers and opinion leaders. Parties interested inEnteritidis becoming program sponsors mayat contact Cathy of Special ProjectsProjects makers andDanyluk opinion Parties interested in becoming program sponsors contact Cathy Jörin, Director of Special of foodborne illness associated with the consumption of tree nuts, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Harris, L. J., M. Palumbo, L. R. Beuchat, and M. D. Danyluk, 2015. http://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/files/169530. and Planning, Strategic Initiatives, CIA, at cathyjorin1@aol.com or 707.537.7742. and Strategic Initiatives, CIA, at cathyjorin1@aol.com 707.537.7742. pdf. Planning, 3. Recalls of tree nuts and peanuts in the U.S., 2001 to present. Palumbo, M. L. R., Beuchat, M. D., or Danyluk and L. J. Harris, 2015. http://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/files/162415.pdf. 4. Improving the safety and quality of nuts, Editor Linda Harris, Woodhead Publishing Limited, 2013 ISBN-13: 978-085792663, 7. Validation processes for reducing the microbial load on nuts 148-169. 5. Validation Guidelines, Almond For more information about the CIAthe andCIA ourand new campus,campus, please please visit these www.ciachef.edu, www.ciachef.edu/ ForBoard more information about ourSingapore new Singapore visitwebsites: these websites: www.ciachef.edu, www.ciachef.edu/ of California: http://www.almonds.com/processors/processing-safe-product#pasteurization singapore/index.html/ and www.ciaprochef.com. singapore/index.html/ and www.ciaprochef.com.

...your Gourmet-Partner! ...your Gourmet-Partner! SWITZERLAND OFFICE:

worldwide aCtivitieS aS: aS: worldwide aCtivitieS - importers / distributors of tree nuts (kernel and in-shell) - importers / distributors of tree nuts (kernel and in-shell) - processors of ingredients and oils - processors of ingredients and oils

Cafe Gourmet aG277 / SwiSS Gourmet Cafe aG Gourmet Tel. Gourmet +41 43 99 55/ SwiSS Fax: +41General 43 277 Str. 99Wille 57 General Wille 201Str. 201 switzerland@swissgourmet.com CH-8706 Feldmeilen CH-8706 Feldmeilen Switzerland Switzerland HONGKONG OFFICE: Tel +41 43 277 99 277 55 99 55 Tel +41 43 Tel. +852 2615 0080 Fax: 2615 0650 Fax +852 +41Fax 43 277 99 277 57 99 57 +41 43 hongkong@swissgourmet.com Mobile +41 79 +41 700 79 45 700 90 45 90 Mobile Email switzerland@swissgourmet.com www.swissgourmet.com Email switzerland@swissgourmet.com

MarchMarch 20122016 |2012 The Cracker 31 21 | NUTFRUIT March | The Cracker

Feature Articles

TRACEABILITY OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE: PRESENT AND FUTURE Traceability of agricultural produce is ﬆill a challenge to supply chains, particularly in developing countries. A number of solutions designed to improve traceability have arisen in the laﬆ years. Cooperation, dialogue and underﬆanding are the key features to face the traceability challenges.

n 3 November 2015, the Traceability of Agricultural Produce Conference, organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), was held in Geneva, Switzerland. This conference brought together experts form the public and private sectors, international organizations, and NGOs with the aim of discussing and reviewing food traceability issues in general and specific technical options and case analysis in particular.

Traceability of foods and ingredients has become of paramount importance. Despite many efforts, traceability remains one of the top three obstacles to efficient supply chains. Traceability systems are the basis of food safety, product quality and authenticity. They offer several well-known advantages such as improved product authenticity; reduced risk of food fraud; secure, reliable information on origin and production methods; enhanced product quality, management and supply chain systems; better risk management when it comes to food safety or animal health issues. Since the European Regulation (EC) No. 178/2002 was enacted, traceability became compulsory for all European food operators. In recent years, rules and regulations, guidelines and tools have been developed, with a proliferation of voluntary standards and certification schemes. In addition, technology allows new technical possibilities to face all new requirements. However, according to Diane Taillard, Director of Consumer Safety & Traceability at GS1, traceability is one of the top three obstacles to efficient supply chains. Why is traceability still an issue? Why systems and processes in place fail to address supply chain risks or to ensure transparency across the supply chain? Ms. Taillard listed challenges such as the growing expectations from traceability systems; growing complexity of the supply chain due to omnichannel environment; product attribute and data explosion (every retailer requires different attributes in different formats), and there are too many ways and tools to perform traceability. Ms. Taillard emphasized the importance of interoperability as the connection between the dots in terms of information is always going to be very important.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

“The connection between the dots in terms of information is always going to be the key to succeeding” Mr. Cenk Gürol, VP/CEO Aeon Co. and Chairman of the Global Food Safety Initiative.

In implementing traceability, the main issues to consider are the confidentiality of the data; the need for a trusted partner to register the key information; the occasional lack of knowledge of the business partners; the traceability regulations; and the cost for implementing traceability, according to Markus Pikart, Economic Cooperation and Trade Division, UNECE. The existence of a high number of voluntary standards was pointed out as an important hurdle to overcome. Joseph Wozniak, Programme Manager, Trade for Sustainable Development (T4SD), International Trade Centre of UNCTAD/WTO, showed the Standards Map developed by the International Trade Centre (ITC) and available on the web www. standardsmap.org. The Standards Map provides comprehensive, verified, and transparent information on over 180 sustainability standards covering 80 sectors and applicable in 180 countries. This online tool summarizes reviews of each standard and code, allows interactive search of standards per sector/product, region/country, or specific criteria, compares standards’ content requirements, and allows users to self-assess themselves against stands requirements of relevance, enabling a quick understanding of the gaps. In addition, Mr. Wozniak also presented the Blue Number Initiative, a unique ID which identifies a farm or SME in any part of the food and agriculture value chain. The Blue Number, issued by GS1, is attached to a profile containing key information on the individual farmer or agribusiness. Farmers and agribusinesses decide how much information they want to include, and choose with whom to share. The Blue Number is expected to be launched in 2016 (www.unbluenumber.org). During the session, Marie-Noëlle Bourquin, Technical Group Manager, Standards Development, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), presented the standard ISO 22005:2007 that sets out the general principles and basic requirements for the design and implementation of a feed and food traceability system.

Feature Articles

Main Data-Carriers Solutions

BARCODE Communication between industry parties. 2D BARCODE Communication between industry and consumers

Besides the several standards available, traceability can be performed in too many ways. The main traceability systems are: • One up-One down. The information is exchanged one step up and one step down only, which means that all parties have to document from whom they have received foodstuffs and to whom they have sent theirs. • Cumulative Tracking. Each party passes all the information received from all previous upstream parties on to the next step in the chain. • Single Source Data Base. All information from all parties is stored in one place. This system is only feasible for limited communities. • Distributed Information Sources or Traceability Network. Information is recorded once in a registry to enable traceability data search -information can be stored anywhere as the registry provides the link and data search mechanism. It is believed to be the most efficiency model for the future.

Distributed Information Sources or Traceability Network Cloud of Information

Information ﬂow

Physical ﬂow

Based on the Traceability Network model, Ralph Tröger, Senior Manager Identification/Data Carrier, GS1, explained the fTRACE, the first Global Standard Traceability Solution (GSTS), which is a neutrally driven traceability platform operated by GS1 Germany. This platform offers a convenient, scalable system to fulfil both legal and customer traceability requirements, integrating each supply chain party on his specific technical performance level in an optimized way.

METRO is one of the partners who currently is providing information about their products on the fTRACE platform. Jens Kungl, Supply Chain Management at Metro Systems made a practical demonstration of the new mobile app of METRO for traceability. This app provides all product information (origin, company, quality information, nutritional information, etc.) at real time. This tool allows full communication with the consumers, increasing transparency, and helping companies to differentiate from their competitors. INC participated in the Traceability of Agricultural Produce Conference giving a brief overview of the traceability in the nut and dried fruit sector. The globalization of the nut and dried fruit supply chain and the increasing distance between growers and consumers results in new challenges that the industry has to face as said Dr. Ana Bermejo, Food Safety and Law Specialist at the INC. Thus reliable traceability systems are becoming essential to ensure quality and safety of the products. The principal obstacles for traceability, in the nut and dried fruit sector, are mainly found in developing countries, hence finding affordable traceability solutions is one of the current challenges. In addition, the variety of traceability standards and software applications, together with data recorded in paper, makes data integration difficult. Data standardization should be the way to ensure and promote proper, rapid, and seamless traceability. Although a lot has been done, there is still a lot of work to do. For example, company-internal-tracking processes, harmonization and compatibility of data with the subsequent interoperability of traceability systems, confidentiality of data, regulator’s role in traceability systems, and fraud continue to be some challenges to overcome. However, the biggest challenges arise in developing countries, where sometimes traceability is missing and the lack of resources make its implementation difficult. Cooperation, dialogue and understanding are necessary to face the traceability challenges. In Geneva, the UNECE’s Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards decided to set up a traceability discussion group to identify key issues of interest to both regulators and the private sector, with the aim to strengthen the traceability component of agricultural quality standards.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Feature Articles

INDUSTRY EFFORTS CULMINATE WITH FOSETYL MRL EXTENSION

Extension of the temporary MRL for fosetyl achieved thanks to the collaboration among tree nut induďŹ&#x2020;ry, government, trade associations and scientiďŹ&#x2020; on both sides of the Atlantic.

n 23 January 2016, the European Commission published the Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/75 of 21 January 2016 amending Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards maximum residue levels for fosetyl in or on certain products.

The Regulation extends the 75 mg/kg temporary MRLs set for fosetyl-Al in almonds, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, pistachios, and walnuts until 1 March 2019. Although the Regulation was published on 23 January 2016, it shall apply retroactively from 1 January 2016. The other commodities listed on the temporary MRL set on Commission Regulation (EU) No 991/2014 are not covered. This is the case for the following products: apricots, cherries (sweet), peaches, plums, dewberries, raspberries (red and yellow), blueberries, currants (black, red and white), gooseberries (green, red and yellow), figs and papayas. The temporary MRLs were adopted in order to avoid significant market disruptions in the trade of certain products, and based on the statement of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA Journal 2014;12(5):3695, 22p) on the dietary risk assessment for proposed temporary maximum residue levels (t-MRLs) for fosetyl-Al in certain crops, which concluded that the proposed temporary MRLs were expected to sufficiently protect consumers. The extension will allow more time to generate supervised residue trial data with a view to submitting an application concerning MRLs for products belonging to the group of tree nuts. After that, the European Commission will evaluate all information received and decided upon no later than 1 March 2019.

The publication of this Regulation culminates two years of efforts and work by the INC and the tree nut industry.

The Fosetyl Project started in 2013. INC collected tree nut samples (almonds, pistachios and walnuts) from the main producing countries: samples from the Northern (USA, Iran, Spain, Italy) and Southern hemisphere (Chile, Australia). The samples presented three different treatments: fosetyl, phosphonate fertilizer or none. The fosetylAl and phosphorous acid residues of the samples were quantified by different laboratories in Europe and in the US by means of different methodologies, both European (CVUA-Stuttgart V.7 and V.8.1) and US (FDA-USDA) methodologies, in order to compare results between methods and laboratories. In addition, INC submitted to the Commission statistical data on production, imports and consumption of tree nuts, and encouraged industry leaders and national associations to coordinate efforts. INC would like to thank the members of the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee for their inestimable collaboration in this project, in collaboration with the INC members and associations who kindly sent the tree nut samples from around the world for analysis. INC also wishes to thank the industryrelated organizations, especially the California Tree Nuts Coalition, FRUCOM, DFA of California and other associated organizations. The collaboration of the European Commission in this process was also key to avoid significant market disruptions in the tree nuts industry.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Feature Articles

FOOD SAFETY MODERNIZATION ACT

OFFICIAL FSMA PREVENTIVE CONTROLS TRAINING What we’ve learned

DFA of California

hat has the FDA been up to? You may have noticed that in recent months there have been a number of recalls on tree nuts due to pathogenic contamination. However, many of the recall notices released by the FDA state “no illnesses have been reported” - or something similar. As part of its new programs, the FDA has been collecting samples of food products from the retail market, both to monitor food product safety, as well as to gather data so that they can better understand where potential risks to consumers may be.

“To date, no illnesses have been reported in connection with these products. In the interest of public health and safety, we are recalling all products processed from this batch of macadamia nuts.” As you can imagine, the new legislative mandates placed on FDA by the US Congress, which include increased inspections of food manufacturers, demands additional resources. As a result FDA has been hiring additional inspectors and training them to inspect according to the new regulations. This is leading to longer manufacturing facility inspections, as well as broadening the scope of what is being collected as evidence to verify compliance. Although these regulations may seem daunting, DFA encourages food manufacturers, importers, exporters, buyers, and sellers to approach it as a call to action. FDA has been repeating the statement that they plan to “educate before they regulate.” DFA believes that processors which have good programs in place - such as a Codex-based “Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point” (HACCP) program or a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) compliant program - are well-positioned to comply with the new regulations. However, FDA has indicated that GFSI compliance will not be accepted as an equivalent to compliance with the regulation. There are some differences that call for due diligence in understanding the regulation and implementing new programs.

Official FSMA Preventive Controls Training: What We’ve Learned? One of the steps to compliance with the Preventive Controls rule is that each food processing facility will need a “Preventive Controls Qualified

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Individual” (PCQI). Members of DFA’s staff are qualified as Lead Trainers for this course and will be offering it throughout California. This course has been developed by the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA), as sanctioned by the FDA, and will help attendees understand the rule and implement the requirements for compliance, as a trained PCQI. Here are a few things we learned while attending the Lead Instructor course: • The rules require robust supply chain controls, both upstream and downstream. • There are many specifically designated activities that the “Preventive Controls Qualified Individual” is required to perform. • FDA will now be looking for an assessment in your hazard analysis for radiological hazards, intentional contamination, and potential routes of environmental contamination. This leads logically to a review of your supplier management programs, food defense, and microbiological sampling programs (both environmental and product sampling). • All Preventive Controls, not just CCPs, will require documented validation, monitoring, and corrective actions. • Forms used in your food safety plan must contain the company name and its physical address. • The food safety plan must be signed by the person of highest authority on-site. • Many food companies may find that they need to implement an electronic recordkeeping system in order to maintain all of the required records.

Getting Started Education is the starting point when pursuing food safety and regulatory compliance. Processors need to ensure that members of their staff attend the approved 2 1/2-day course for Preventive Controls Qualified Individuals (PCQI), as soon as possible. For growers, the official training for the Produce Safety is not yet available; however once it does become available in fall 2016, growers need to be proactive and attend. An approved training course for the Foreign Supplier Verification rule is currently being developed and may be available this summer, but we can’t be sure when until we get official word from the FSPCA.

Feature Articles

UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS

a new tool for precision agriculture

This is a tool that assists in the improvement of productivity and product quality and in environmental conservation by taking images with very high temporal and spatial resolution.

n recent years a lot of interest has arisen in applications for UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) in many fields of public use; amongst others, agriculture and, more specifically, precision agriculture. The use of sensors to locate and detect variations and possible problems in crops to allow the application of localised treatments is the principal basis of what is known as “precision agriculture”. Satellite navigation systems, geographic information systems, satellite images, etc. are some of the most popular tools employed these days to map weeds, nutrient deficiencies, pest infestations, irrigation shortages, etc. With all the information gathered in the field it is possible to produce a series of products that are of great assistance in the decision-making process. The difficulty in inspecting medium- to largesized farms on foot in a uniform manner makes the use of aerial images very valuable in this work context. Until recently, the traditional way to acquire them has been from satellite platforms and/or manned aircraft, with unmanned aerial systems

Alfonso García-Ferrer, Agricultural Engineer, and Francisco Javier Mesas, Geodesy and Cartography Engineer, are lecturers from the Department of Graphic and Geomatic Engineering at the Higher Technical College of Agricultural and Forestry Engineers at the University of Cordoba, part of the Aerometric Lab study group (www.aerometriclab.com) which focuses on the use of UAS systems in agriculture, civil engineering, cultural heritage, the energy sector and mining.

(UAS) making strong inroads in the last few years. The success of these systems can be explained by their high spatial and temporal resolution – features that can be adapted according to the users’ needs. Being able to fly over a plot the instant it becomes necessary with resolutions down to a few centimetres represents a huge potential unrivalled by conventional platforms.

Set against these advantages, the main disadvantage they have is autonomy and payload capacity, which means that other technologies are not entirely obsolete. On-going technological development is reducing these disadvantages over time, meaning that more stable and reliable platforms are becoming available, making them a very attractive choice for use on farms.

Advantages and disadvantages

Applications

The advantages of a UAS, apart from its high spatial and temporal resolution, include the possibility of tailoring its use to the user’s needs, since it can collect information repeatedly over time for a chosen period. This is one of its strong points: as with any machine, it is available for use repeatedly and at any time. In comparison to land vehicles, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a more agile vehicle, with good manoeuvrability, allowing it to get close to the crop or animal easily, and without the need for compacted areas, thereby allowing more area for crops, easy access to any point, etc.

One of the most interesting applications for these systems is the possibility of their use as platforms for capturing images, using remote sensor techniques to show the amount of variation in a farm and assist in decision-making. The quality of this assistance depends to a large extent on how up-to-date the information is, and this is where a UAS offers greater potential

The difficulty in inspecting medium- to large-sized farms on foot makes the use of aerial images very valuable

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

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Feature Articles

Example RGB image of olive plantation and false color a

TVI

OSAVI

MSR

Figure 1. Example of images taken from a multi-rotor type UAV. (a) Sony Nex 7 sensor, (b) Tetracam miniMCA 6 multi-spectral sensor.

over traditional platforms. Furthermore, the spatial resolution achieved allows work at the plant level if necessary â&#x20AC;&#x201C; something that was unthinkable until very recently. The UAS application for agriculture offers sensors for capturing a wide variety of data. Firstly, RGB, multispectral or hyperspectral sensors may be used from which it is possible to carry out analyses both at the plant level (measuring height, vitality, vegetation index, etc.) and the soil level (watering, moisture and erosion, etc.). Secondly, it is possible to employ thermal sensors for applications related to watering, maturity and crop diseases. Finally, laser scanners are beginning to be used for plant analysis, and for establishing height and growth. Furthermore, since it is possible to fly at different times, within a given period of interest, the time variable may be used as a further dimension to facilitate multi-temporal analysis and produce an advanced management framework for irrigation or fertiliser applications.

Agronomic applications Agronomic applications of remote sensing include determination of soil properties, detection and control of water stress or

Agronomic applications of remote sensing include: determination of soil properties, detection and control of water stress and weeds, localised application of pesticides, herbicides and nutrients, etc. 38

NDVI

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

MSAVI MSAVI

weeds, and localised application of pesticides, herbicides and nutrients. The high spatial resolution is of particular interest when it comes to examining crop conditions as they are related to the Leaf Area Index (LAI), from which the processes of photosynthesis and evapotranspiration may be determined, with this parameter being used as an input variable for diverse harvesting models. The majority of applications for determining soil properties, water stress in plants, nitrogen content, etc. are based on the determination and use of vegetation indices such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) or the Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI), amongst others. Figure 1 shows the spatial and spectral detail that can be obtained from sensors on board a UAV at an olive plantation. Figure 2 shows results of various vegetation indices from an olive plantation trial using a multispectral camera. The use of remote sensors has been seen to be beneficial in many cases, yet its use in precision agriculture appears to be limited. A study by Croplife and the Center for Food and Agriculture Business shows that the most commonly used technology in the field of precision agriculture is for guiding machinery by satellite navigation systems, with remote sensing occupying fourth place, and little used by farmers. The problems of temporal and/or spatial resolution seen in images produced by conventional platforms are among the most noteworthy, where, for example, in the case of weed detection a high spatial resolution is necessary which

MTVI

Figure 2. Example of results from different indices on an olive plantation trial.

these platforms cannot achieve. The use of UAS overcomes significant obstacles, which suggests that in the coming years the use of these systems and remote sensing will grow. In recent years various UAS systems have appeared on the market weighing less than 25 kg, which are allowing the development of environmental and agronomic applications and giving rise to a new type of remote sensing called Low Altitude Remote Sensing (LARS).

Other applications UAS systems can also work in conjunction with other technologies by accessing wireless networks of ground-based sensors to collect and compile information from individual â&#x20AC;&#x153;data-loggersâ&#x20AC;?. They can also be used as inspection tools by regional and national governments to control and monitor specific rural policies instead of more traditional inspections and field controls carried out in situ by officials. Work is currently under way to provide these platforms with object handling capabilities through the installation of articulated arms, with applications being envisaged in the short or medium term for cutting and taking samples in inaccessible areas of growth, or helping in the installation of sensors. Given all this, it may be said that UAS systems offer a new working tool for precision agriculture, with great potential for increased productivity, and improved quality of produce, all within a context of conservation and environmental protection.

N CO EX NG T IN RE C SS

We look forward to seeing you in

www.nutfruitcongress.org

Feature Articles

PACKAGED NUTS

PERFORMING WELL ON THE WORLD STAGE Having recorded 2% retail volume growth in 2015, the global packaged nuts market is giving continued cause for optimism. Health-driven consumer trends that have been making waves in recent years have been largely responsible for securing this positive performance. Thus, in 2016 nuts are uniquely poised to capitalise on these consumer trends, transforming their image from fattening sinners to healthy saints, driving further growth. These trends will be explored in this article, in addition to mapping out future opportunities and obstacles in a global context. Nuts as naturally healthy snacks There is little doubt that consumers have become obsessed about health implications when purchasing food. This constant fretting has led many in developed markets to shun not only foods that appear to be overprocessed, but to actively seek out those products which they deem to be unadulterated. What can be termed the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;natural eatingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; trend, is actually, in contrast to many other packaged food categories, a blessing for nuts. Consumers across the world are turning to nuts for a range of health benefits, including their high levels of unsaturated fats, vitamins and protein content. For this reason, bringing the health credentials of nuts to the fore should not be a tall order. Whilst switched-on consumers are already in the know about this, further growth could be generated by focusing more effort on educating the wider public as to the virtues of nuts consumption. In several countries, it has been widely publicised that five portions of fruit and vegetables a day should be the consumption target. Replicating this concept with respect to the protein content of nuts would be a way of luring consumers to make increased purchases, although the local regulatory environment would have to be taken into consideration. The emphasis on protein is especially important as a robust trend towards purchasing protein-rich or protein-fortified products in several major markets worldwide has been witnessed in the preceding years. To yet further capitalise on this health impetus, nuts manufacturers should continue the process of removing coatings and flavourings that suggest artificial processing in order to bring their products, as far as possible, back to their natural state, marketing them as such. This means abandoning salt, honey or whatever else robs the product of its natural flavour, in favour of placing emphasis on the variety and natural goodness that are inherent in nuts. Whilst the health properties of nuts are, generally speaking, advantageous for driving growth in the global market, the fact that they have a high calorie content also needs to be addressed. One such development seen recently in several markets, including the US, the UK and France, is that of portion control. This involves providing nuts in smaller packets,

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

which in turn means that the consumer has a ready-made portion, thereby removing concerns about over-consumption. This speaks particularly well to those with busy lifestyles who demand practical snacking options and serves to benefit manufacturers, as more value is extracted from a smaller quantity of product. It is for this reason that in Western Europe, packaged nuts have been performing well, with 4% retail volume growth in 2015.

Evolving consumer preferences Across the world, there have been interesting developments with respect to which types of nuts have been gaining in popularity. In the Asia-Pacific region, boosted by a bumper harvest in 2015 that increased availability, walnuts have been purchased with greater frequency. Europe is itself showing movement towards embracing walnuts more fully, which will be assisted by the approval in 2015 by the European Food Safety Agency of further health claims that can now be utilised in marketing efforts. This latter point should help counteract the idea that traditionally walnuts have not been viewed as a convenient option, which is to their detriment given the demand for convenience options in many markets globally. Beyond this, cashew nuts also represent a potential growth area globally as the expansion of Asian cuisine beyond its borders in recent years has heightened appreciation levels of these nuts and continues to tempt home cooks into diversifying their ingredients in the kitchen. Manufacturers and distributors should also consider which channels are most appropriate to push their products to consumers.

Euromonitor Internationalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest data indicate that nuts are increasingly sold on the internet, with year-on-year growth of 14% globally. This was driven by wider global access to the internet and the growing popularity of food delivery services, such as Graze in the UK or BiteBox in Germany. Moreover, in metropolises with large working populations, the availability of nuts in convenience channels will spur on further volume growth by promoting impulse purchases from time-poor consumers.

Feature Articles

Alexander Kottke

Euromonitor International Analyst – Food & Nutrition.

Growth opportunities and threats As of early 2016, nuts find themselves in an enviable position within the global packaged food market. There has been a confluence of trends –that of healthy-eating, the protein trend and the globalisation of cuisines– which have led to the solid growth and are expected to sustain nuts sales over the next five years with accumulated growth of 15% in retail volume terms. To ensure this high performance is realised however, those in the industry will need to remain flexible in adapting their strategies to fickle consumer trends. Aside from the ideas already outlined above regarding highlighting more clearly health benefits or placing an emphasis on enabling accelerated value growth through smaller pack sizes, there remains ample scope for development. For instance, other milk alternatives – that is those products which are not dairy– or soy-based and many of which are nut-based – grew almost 22% in current retail value terms at a global level in 2015. This opens the potential opportunity to work alongside those companies in the other milk alternatives category with high brand recognition; either through joint ventures or licensing schemes, in order to attract more consumers to packaged nuts products.

Naturally, this would depend on the feasibility of individual companies instituting such strategies, but could meet with particular success in some major markets where other milk alternatives are booming, such as in China, Germany, Mexico, the UK and the US. Beyond this, a further potential new product development could be to coat nuts with herbs and spices which are considered more ‘natural’. Such a move would help further dissipate the out-dated association of nuts being the snack of choice for unhealthy beer-drinkers in some Western markets. While there are proactive options for stimulating extra growth, there are potential threats to the good performance of nuts of which the industry should be aware. The protein trend referenced above is, for instance, starting to encounter the first elements of resistance with some dissenting voices now questioning the efficacy of consuming higher quantities of protein in terms of absorption, as well as the relative quality of animal and plant-derived proteins. Dispute is common in any debate which inevitability ensues whenever a health claim regarding foods is made, thus stakeholders would be well advised to monitor how this trend develops in the more advanced markets and to make changes to their marketing strategies accordingly.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Feature Articles

VIETNAM’S CASHEW SECTOR LOOKS TO THE FUTURE In recent years, the Vietnamese cashew industry has invested in modern technology and machines to make more value-added cashew products for export and local consumption.

Raw Cashew Production in Vietnam (1000 MT)

Area Harvested with Cashew in Vietnam (1000 ha)

303

500

Cashew Kernels Export from Vietnam (1000 MT)

Raw Cashew Processing Capacity in Vietnam (1000 MT)

298

1200

300

350 220 28

110

1990

1996

108 50

2002

2007

2014

1990

27 1996

2002

152

550

176 2007

2014

1990

110

270

1996

2002

0.286 23.8 2007

2014

1990

1996

63 2002

2007

2014

Source: Vietnam Cashew Association, VINACAS.

he cashew tree has become one of Vietnam’s key crops. According to the Vietnam Cashew Association (VINACAS), the country started processing cashew nut kernels for export in 1988 and started importing raw cashews inshell from Africa in 1996. During the next decades, Vietnam established itself as one of the largest processors of raw cashew and the largest exporter of cashew kernel. It was in 2006 that the country became the world’s leading cashew kernel exporter. Today, it holds a 50% share of the world kernel exports, and provides jobs for over 900,000 workers. VINACAS President Mr. Nguyen Duc Thanh explains that Vietnam is currently processing approximately 1.3 million metric tons of raw cashew nuts inshell (RCN) per year, including 500,000 metric tons of local crop and 800,000 metric tons of RCN imported mainly from Africa and Cambodia. The data of the United Nations Comtrade Database shows that the country exported approximately 300,000 metric tons of shelled cashews in 2014, with an export value of USD 1.93 billions. According to VINACAS, USA was the largest export market with a share of 30%, followed by Europe and China with market-shares of 25% and 20% respectively.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

This processing power is explained by VINACAS KC07 Program, one of the most important projects on upgrading automatic cashew shelling and peeling machines and the related technologies. Thanks to the application of science and technology and the automation explosion, there has been a revolution in cashew processing technologies in terms of time, productivity, cost reduction, quality, food safety and hygiene improvements.

There has been a revolution in cashew processing technologies; the next priority is domestic productivity. The Government identified the need to promote the sustainable development of the sector and approved, in February 2015, the project “Sustainable Development for the Vietnamese Cashew Sector”, with the objective to increase the domestic productivity up to 2 tons/ha in 2020 by transplanting and improving cashew gardens, intensive farming and new plantings. In 2014, VINACAS had started phase-1 of the “Cashew Garden Transplanting and Improving Project” (2014-2017). That year, VINACAS supported the local farmers to develop 300 models of rejuvenation and organic intensive farming.

Despite being the world’s top cashew nut exporter and third producer, domestic consumption only accounts for 6%. The sector is keenly interested in improving the domestic demand in the years to come.

Highlights from the Golden Cashew Rendezvous In November 2015, more than 300 participants from 25 countries met at the 7th Golden Cashew Rendezvous in Ho Chi Minh City to learn and discuss about industry advances, food safety, product quality, health and nutrition research on cashew nuts. Mr. Pino Calcagni, Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council (INC), and Mr. Arie Endendijk, INC Board member and Chair of the Global Cashew Council were keynote speakers at the opening ceremony and several sessions, providing an overview of the global cashew market. Organized by VINACAS, and supported by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the event included a “Vietnam-Africa Cashew Forum” focused on quality issues, the need to promote good agricultural and manufacturing practices, and cashew processing capacity in Africa.

Feature Articles

Special emphasis was given to the sustainability of the sector and the need for industry collaboration. FOUNDED IN 2011, THE GLOBAL CASHEW COUNCIL IS AIMED AT PROMOTING THE GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE CASHEW NUT SECTOR BY INCREASING AWARENESS OF THE HEALTH AND NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF CASHEWS, PROMOTING USAGE AND CONSUMPTION, PROMOTING FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY STANDARDS, AND SUPPORTING NUTRITIONAL AND HEALTH STUDIES.

In addition, delegates had the chance to see first-hand the technological advances that the Vietnamese cashew industry has made in recent years at a Cashew Processing Technology Exhibition and Sci-Tech Seminar held in Tan An city, in Long An province.

The Global Cashew Council Fosters Cashew Industry Development On 24 November 2015, the Board of the Global Cashew Council (GCC) met in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to review the 2012-2015 budget and discuss the current activities and future projects of the Council. Chaired by Mr. Arie Endendijk, the Board reviewed the work of the GCC as regards the promotion of cashew nuts. Since 2011, GCC has been actively working with associations of producers and traders and global companies to promote cashews and the development of the sector.

To remark, GCC has made history by introducing the first Cashew Technical Information Kit. Designed to provide a basic understanding of using cashews (characteristics, applications, food safety and quality standards) the kit targets buyers, processors, manufacturers and the food service industry. Also for the first time, a team of researchers analyzed the nutritional composition of cashew nuts from the largest growing regions around the world, providing a much better approximation of the real nutrition content of cashews. The study, supported by the GCC, was published in the journal Food Science and Nutrition in October 2015. In addition, GCC has funded a new study that will be conducted in the next two years by the USDA Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center. Entitled “Increasing demand for cashew nuts by demonstrating cardiovascular benefits and reduced energy content”, this is a randomized cross-over controlled clinical trial, which is an excellent method of substantiating health claims associated with foods.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Feature Articles

ITALIANS & NUTS IT’S (HEALTHY) LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Carried by a growing awareness for a healthy nutrition, Italian consumers have increased their “correct” consumption of dried fruit and nuts. Nucis Italia

nce upon a time there was, for the traditional Italian family, the “nuts season”. It was that period that covers the months of December and January, coinciding with the Christmas festivities. During those weeks, favored by the Italians’ passion for staying with one’s folks and taste the foods of their culinary tradition, dried fruit and nuts made their triumphant entrance on the table, as the perfect ending for a sumptuous meal. Once upon a time, that is. Today, consumers’ ways have changed. On the one hand dried fruit and nuts are still bestowing their presence on the festive season; on the other, also thanks to the work done in recent years by Nucis Italia, they managed to disentangle themselves from that form and become a precious, wholesome element, the ingredient of a healthy nutrition. As a result, consumptions have raised, suffice to think that now Italy, the tenth producer on a world scale, is in fact the fifth as regards consumption: and the trend is constantly growing (+7.2% value in November 2015, IRI Infoscan data; +2% volume compared with 2015). The international situation is extremely positive, too, for dried fruit and nuts: production and consumption are constantly growing, especially in countries with a high per capita income: a production of 3.7 million tons for the period 2014-2015 (+8.5% than the previous year). A value of 37 billion dollars: more than three times as much, in the last ten years.

nuts became a product to be consumed every day, in various occasions and situations, the consumer is gravitating towards products with a high content of service, shelled and portioned. By observing what is happening on the shelves of the big supermarket chains, it can be noted that shelled nuts have scored in 2015 the highest performance in terms of double digit profits: an excellent trend for almonds with and without shell, shelled hazelnuts, shelled walnuts, shelled mixed nuts. It should be duly noted that consumers appreciate and trust the DB, the Distributor’s Brand, which represents 42% of the total value.

Importing, a necessity Italy today imports more than it exports: hazelnuts (7%), almonds (5%) and walnuts (4%) have represented in 2014 16% of the Italian import of fruit and vegetables (Eurostat data). The internal production does not meet our needs. Below, some data that easily explain the situation of the Italian market: Almonds Walnuts Pistachios Hazelnuts

production 74,016 tons consumption 99,995 tons production 11,000 tons consumption 48,853 tons production 4,000 tons consumption 13,535 tons production 75,445 tons consumption 103,000 tons

The Italian consumer’s “favourites”. Right on the shelf

The role of Nucis

Dried fruit and nuts are not to be bought in a casual way: the Italian consumer is expressing very specific preferences these days, as concerns shelled fruit, dried fruit, red berries and goji berries in particular. Besides, having

In the past years, Nucis Italia has taken upon itself the task of “accompanying” the consumer toward a correct knowledge of the properties of dried fruit and nuts, creating the nutrition educational project “Dried fruit and nuts are

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Wellbeing”*. In order to do so, Nucis has started various initiatives aimed at attracting various targets. First of all, it supported the operators of the health and fitness sector so that they themselves could become promoters, among their patients, of an adequate consumption of nuts –the famous 30-40 gr a day– and of the information regarding the healthy and nutritional properties of dried fruit and nuts. Scientific and educational materials drawn up by Nucis Italia are now available in the waiting rooms of 1,000 nutritional experts and doctors. Nucis has also helped the final consumers, supplying the points of sale of the supermarket chains with materials that contain detailed information about the daily portion and suggestions on new ways to consume the product. Today, also thanks to this hard informative work, Italians appreciate dried fruit and nuts as a snack, for breakfast, or to sustain themselves when doing sports. The job of Nucis Italia never ends: the awareness gained by the consumer opens the door to new and different occasions of consumption. The next frontier for dried fruit and nuts –already here in many ways– sees them as main ingredients of recipes that reprise and revisit the Mediterranean tradition, focusing mainly on calories and diets. Recent research in fact confirms that dried fruit and nuts combined with the Mediterranean diet enhance its advantages: a very interesting “hook” for the Italian people who, in 2016, prefer to consume some of their meals at home and amuse themselves with preparing new recipes.

Sources: Fruitimprese on Istat data; INC – International Nut & Dried Fruit Council; IRI infoscan. * Project supported by the INC International Nut and Dried Fruit Council.

Feature Articles

CHILEAN WALNUT:

SYNONYMOUS WITH QUALITY AND SAFETY

Juan Luis Vial

President of Chile Nut and

Andrés Rodríguez

President of the Chilean Walnut Commission

The mere fact of producing fruits and vegetables in Chile provides unique advantages. If on top of that you add the exporting experience and skills of its people, we are faced with a top-quality product.

is not by chance that Chile is a world leader in fruit and vegetable production. Its geographic location between the 18th and 57th southern parallels allows it to produce fruits and vegetables when harvests in the Northern Hemisphere are almost complete. There is, however, a much more relevant factor that allows it to produce in considerably more advantageous phytosanitary conditions than its competitors: the natural barriers that constitute a real enclosure that significantly reduces the incidence of pests and disease. Chile is flanked by the imposing Andes and the immensity of the Pacific Ocean; to the North is the Atacama Desert, the driest on the planet; to the South are the southern seas and ancient Antarctic ice. Hence it’s renowned as a world supplier of high quality products and low agrochemical use, a quality that the country’s walnut producers and exporters have known how to capitalize on in a significant way. The dry fruit industry in Chile is going through a great time. There is increasing demand in world markets for its unique nutritional qualities that stand out from those of its competitors. This puts it in a very favorable situation to diversify its offer and break into a position capable of absorbing the totality of its exports. It is in this way that the Integrated Pest Management program collects information about a pest or pests, their natural enemies, relevant crop characteristics and different varieties. It is a pest monitoring plan and records management. The setting of control criteria and financial loss thresholds, and their periodic adjustment in accordance with the two previous points. Without a doubt, the sum of these factors, such as the natural surroundings and the exporting and productive capabilities of Chilean businessmen, gives the southernmost walnut in the world exceptional quality and safety.

New perspectives of the Chilean Walnut Industry Chile has grown amazingly in walnut production in the last 10 years. 40,000 hectares nationwide, expecting a crop of 80,000 tons this season and to double the volume in the following 5 years, first exporter from the Southern Hemisphere and the third largest walnut exporter worldwide.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Although Chile has a premium quality walnut, counter-season supply to major world markets and FTA with the main economies worldwide, this current scenario of large production generates new challenges that the walnut industry is facing today.

One of the main concerns was how Chile was going to be able to process all that production with 100% hand cracking, so today the industry has developed important investments to be able to crack mechanically as well, today representing more than 60% of the shelled product supply. Chile presently has a much broader product portfolio, making the country a more attractive exporter at a global level. There will always be niche markets that will continue demanding hand-cracked walnuts that are the most premium product that you could find, but also the country has gained an important position in terms of mechanically-cracked walnuts, standing-out due to the quality of the raw materials, the process and the level of selection. Besides process challenges that Chile has overcome, one of the main aims is to develop new markets to face this fast growing production, given that Chile has a very small domestic market, so more than 95% of the production is exported. Asia has been the new focus. In the last 3 years, the Chilean Walnut has achieved access to Korea, India, and the last agreement signed with China in January 2016, but this is a continuous process that can’t stop. Chile has grown exceptionally in walnut production but there are still many challenges to go through, which have to be faced together by growers and exporters. The efforts that today are being done between the private and public sector will be fundamental in the long-term success of the industry.

Feature Articles

WE ARE

PRUNES WALNUTS FROM CALIFORNIA GROWER OWNED COMPANIES

SINCE 1991

SINCE 1886

Sacramento Packing, Inc. 833 Tudor Road, Yuba City, CA 95991, USA (530) 671-4488 P | (530) 671-7841 F www.sacramentopacking.com

Valley View Packing 7547 Sawtelle Ave, Yuba City, CA 95991, USA (530) 673-7356 P | (530) 673-9432 F www.valleyviewpacking.com

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Health News PROF. JORDI SALAS-SALVADÓ

Dr. Albert Salas-Huetos 1 Prof. Jordi Salas-Salvadó 1,2

TREE NUTS FOR ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION AND MALE INFERTILITY: A NATURAL DRUG?

A new research project is underway to evaluate the effect of tree nut consumption on sperm quality and function. Increasing the chances of fertility is of great interest for developing public health strategies in developed countries.

nfertility is a disease defined by the failure to achieve a successful pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected intercourse. It is estimated that one in seven couples worldwide have problems conceiving (Evers, 2002; Boivin et al., 2007). Male factors, including but not limited to urogenital abnormalities, infections of male accessory glands, varicocele, endocrine disturbances, immunologic factors are responsible for 40-50% of these cases (S. Sabanegh, 2011). Currently, the etiology of suboptimal semen quality is poorly understood, and many physiological, environmental, and genetic factors, including oxidative stress, have been implicated (Auger et al., 2001). Moreover, the dietary pattern, or different components of the diet have been studied as possible determinants of sperm function and/or fertility. In this context, a high intake of antioxidants, fruits, vegetables, poultry, sea foods, skim milk, and shellfish as well as low intake of full-fat dairy, sweets, and processed meat, especially with high-saturated fat foods, have been positively or inversely associated with sperm quality (Eslamian et al., 2012; Wirleitner et al., 2012; Afeiche et al., 2013). Moreover, several nutrients have been implicated in fertility. L-Arginine (present in walnuts) has been demonstrated to improve sperm concentration and motility (Eskiocak and Gozen, 2006; Srivastava et al., 2006; Srivastava and Agarwal, 2010). Selenium protects sperm from oxidative damage and defines sperm morphology in the epididymis (Beckett and Arthur, 2005; Camejo et al., 2011; Moslemi and Tavanbakhsh, 2011). Zinc and vitamins C and E have antioxidant properties believed to be important to male fertility (Young et al., 2008; Colagar et al., 2009; Ross et al., 2010; Camejo et al., 2011). Low folate levels have been associated with sperm aneuploidy (Young et al., 2008), total sperm concentration and infertility (Young et al., 2008; Murphy et al., 2011). Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been shown to play critical roles in sperm maturation and membrane function (Lenzi et al., 1996, 2002; Wathes et al., 2007), and are associated to an increase of sperm count, as well as some but not all clinical investigations of male infertility (Aksoy et al., 2006; Tavilani et al., 2006; Khosrowbeygi and Zarghami, 2007; Oborna et al., 2010; Safarinejad et al., 2010; Attaman et al., 2012).

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

1. Human Nutrition Unit, Biochemistry Biotechnology Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hospital Universitari de Sant Joan de Reus, IISPV (Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, C/Sant Llorenç, 21, 43201, Reus, Spain. 2. CIBERobn (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.

In this context, nuts are rich in several of the previously mentioned nutrients that have been associated to sperm function and fertility. Most of the fats in nuts are monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) which are less susceptible to oxidation than long chain PUFA (López-Uriarte et al., 2009; Ros, 2009). Although walnuts are richer in PUFA compared to other nuts and therefore more susceptible to LDL oxidation, the higher amounts of antioxidants that they contain may counteract the pro-oxidant effect of fat (Kris-Etherton et al., 2008). Tree nuts also contain dietary fiber, minerals (e.g. magnesium that stimulates the production nitric oxide), antioxidant vitamins (e.g. folate, vitamin E) and other bioactive compounds such as phytosterols, polyphenols and other dietary antioxidants, which can prevent adverse effects on oxidative stress (Ros, 2009; Ros et al., 2010). This is important because increased seminal antioxidant levels have repeatedly been linked with improved semen parameters and fertility outcomes (Sikka and Orleans, 1995; Saleh et al., 2003; Eskenazi et al., 2005; Tremellen, 2008; Young et al., 2008). Interestingly, Robbins and collaborators (2012) described a beneficial effect of chronic nut consumption on semen quality, demonstrating that walnuts added to a Western-style diet improved sperm vitality, motility, and morphology (conventional semen parameters) (Robbins et al., 2012). Unfortunately we have only scarce evidences suggesting that nuts may be important in modulating other fertility parameters in men. For these reasons, we believe that a large randomized dietary intervention trial with tree nut consumption in the context of an unhealthy dietary pattern like a westernized diet would beneficially affect semen quality and functionality, not only in the all of considered conventional classic semen parameters as mentioned above, but also in other parameters like: sperm DNA fragmentation, sperm ROS index, sperm miRNA expression profiles, sperm DNA methylation, and sperm chromosome stability. In this context it is important to mention that recently the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council Foundation - World Forum for Nutrition Research and Dissemination has co-funded a new study that will be conducted in the next two years by the Human Nutrition Unit of the Rovira i Virgili University in collaboration with the Cell Biology Unit of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. It is important to remark that tree nuts have been related throughout history as a symbol of procreation and fertility (Casas-Agustench et al.

Health News

Nuts are rich in several nutrients that have been associated to sperm quality and functionality 2011). In fact, a recent study has demonstrated that pistachio consumption improves erectile function, probably because it contains (as other types of nuts) several antioxidants and arginine, a precursor of nitric oxide, a powerful substance that increases vasodilatation (Aldemir et al. 2011). As stated before, to demonstrate that a food group such as nuts can modulate sperm function increasing the chances of fertility is of great interest for developing public health strategies in developed countries where infertility seems to have increased drastically. This will add more evidence in demonstrating that nut consumption will be important for fertility not only improving erectile function, but also modulating the functionality of semen.

2015 RESEARCH GRANT: https://www.nutfruit.org/2015-inc-grants-recipients Project: Effect of nut consumption on semen quality and functionality in a cohort of healthy males (clinical study). Principal Investigator: Dr. Mònica Bulló, Rovira i Virgili University, Biochemistry and Biotechnology Department, Human Nutrition Unit, Pere Virgili Health Research Institute Foundation IISPV, Reus, Spain.

REFERENCES Afeiche M, Williams PL, Mendiola J, Gaskins AJ, Jørgensen N, Swan SH, Chavarro JE. Dairy food intake in relation to semen quality and reproductive hormone levels among physically active young men. Hum Reprod 2013;28:2265-2275. Aksoy Y, Aksoy H, Altinkaynak K, Aydin HR, Ozkan A. Sperm fatty acid composition in subfertile men. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2006;75:75-79. Aldemir M, Okulu E, Neşelioğlu S, Erel O, Kayıgil O. Pistachio diet improves erectile function parameters and serum lipid profiles in patients with erectile dysfunction. Int J Impot Res. 2011;23(1):32-8. Attaman JA, Toth TL, Furtado J, Campos H, Hauser R, Chavarro JE. Dietary fat and semen quality among men attending a fertility clinic. Hum Reprod 2012;27:1466-1474. Auger J, Eustache F, Andersen AG, Irvine DS, Jørgensen N, Skakkebæk NE, Suominen J, Toppari J, Vierula M, Jouannet P. Sperm morphological defects related to environment , lifestyle and medical history of 1001 male partners of pregnant women from four European cities. Hum Reprod 2001;16:2710-2717. Beckett GJ, Arthur JR. Selenium and endocrine systems. J Endocrinol 2005;184:455-465. Boivin J, Bunting L, Collins JA, Nygren KG. International estimates of infertility prevalence and treatment-seeking  : potential need and demand for infertility medical care. Hum Reprod 2007; 22: 1506-1512. Camejo MI, Abdala L, Vivas-Acevedo G, Lozano-Hernández R, Angeli-Greaves M, Greaves ED. Selenium, copper and zinc in seminal plasma of men with varicocele, relationship with seminal parameters. Biol Trace Elem Res 2011;143:1247-1254. Casas-Agustench P, Salas-Huetos A, Salas-Salvadó J. Mediterranean nuts: origins, ancient medicinal benefits and symbolism. Public Health Nutr. 2011;14(12A):2296-301. Colagar AH, Marzony ET, Chaichi MJ. Zinc levels in seminal plasma are associated with sperm quality in fertile and infertile men. Nutr Res 2009;29:82-88. Eskenazi B, Kidd SA, Marks AR, Sloter E, Block G, Wyrobek AJ. Antioxidant intake is associated with semen quality in healthy men. Hum Reprod 2005;20:1006-1012. Eskiocak S, Gozen AS. Effect of psychological stress on the L-arginine-nitric oxide pathway and semen quality. Brazilian J Med Biol Res 2006;39:581-588. Eslamian G, Amirjannati N, Rashidkhani B, Sadeghi

MR, Hekmatdoost A. Intake of food groups and idiopathic asthenozoospermia: a case-control study. Hum Reprod 2012; 27: 3328-3336. Evers JLH. Female subfertility. Lancet 2002;360:151–159. Khosrowbeygi A, Zarghami N. Fatty acid composition of human spermatozoa and seminal plasma levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in subfertile males. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2007;77:117-121. Kris-Etherton PM, Hu FB, Ros E, Sabate J. The Role of Tree Nuts and Peanuts in the Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease : Multiple Potential Mechanisms 1 , 2. J Nutr 2008;1746-1751. Lenzi A, Gandini L, Lombardo F, Picardo M, Maresca V, Panfili E, Tramer F. Polyunsaturated fatty acids of germ cell membranes , glutathione and blutathione-dependent enzyme-PHGPx : from basic to clinic. Contraception 2002;65:301-304. Lenzi A, Picardo M, Gandini L, Dondero F. Lipids of the sperm plasma membrane : from polyunsaturated fatty acids considered as markers of sperm function to possible scavenger therapy. Hum Reprod Update 1996;2:246-256. López-Uriarte P, Bulló M, Casas-Agustench P, Babio N, SalasSalvadó J. Nuts and oxidation: a systematic review. Nutr Rev 2009;67:497-508. Moslemi MK, Tavanbakhsh S. Selenium-vitamin E supplementation in infertile men: effects on semen parameters and pregnancy rate. Int J Gen Med 2011;4:99-104. Murphy LE, Mills JL, Molloy AM, Qian C, Carter TC, Strevens H, Wide-Swensson D, Giwercman A, Levine RJ. Folate and vitamin B12 in idiopathic male infertility. Asian J Androl 2011;13:856-861. Oborna I, Wojewodka G, Sanctis JB, Fingerova H, Svobodova M, Brezinova J, Hajduch M, Novotny J, Radova L, Radzioch D. Increased lipid peroxidation and abnormal fatty acid profiles in seminal and blood plasma of normozoospermic males from infertile couples. Hum Reprod 2010;25:308-316. Robbins WA, Xun L, FitzGerald LZ, Esguerra S, Henning SM, Carpenter CL. Walnuts improve semen quality in men consuming a Western-style diet: randomized control dietary intervention trial. Biol Reprod 2012;87:101. Ros E, Tapsell LC, Sabaté J. Nuts and berries for heart health. Curr Atheroscler Rep 2010;12:397-406. Ros E. Nuts and novel biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr 2009;89:1649S-56S.

Ross C, Morriss A, Khairy M, Khalaf Y, Braude P, Coomarasamy A, El-Toukhy T. A systematic review of the effect of oral antioxidants on male infertility. Reprod Biomed Online 2010;20:711-723. S.Sabanegh E. Male Infertility—problems and solutions. New York: Springer; 2011. Safarinejad MR, Hosseini SY, Dadkhah F, Asgari MA. Relationship of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids with semen characteristics , and anti-oxidant status of seminal plasma : A comparison between fertile and infertile men. Clin Nutr 2010;29:100-105. Saleh RA, Agarwal A, Nada EA, El-Tonsy MH, Sharma RK, Meyer A, Nelson DR, Thomas AJ. Negative effects of increased sperm DNA damage in relation to seminal oxidative stress in men with idiopathic and male factor infertility. Fertil Steril 2003;79:1597-1605. Sikka C, Orleans N. Role of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants in Male Infertility Minireview. J Androl 1995;16:464-468. Srivastava S, Agarwal A. Effect of anion channel blockers on L -arginine action in spermatozoa from asthenospermic men. Andrologia 2010;76-82. Srivastava S, Desai P, Coutinho E, Govil G. Mechanism of action of L-arginine on the vitality of spermatozoa is primarily through increased biosynthesis of nitric oxide. Biol Reprod 2006; 74:954-958. Tavilani H, Doosti M, Abdi K, Vaisiraygani A, Joshaghani HR. Decreased polyunsaturated and increased saturated fatty acid concentration in spermatozoa from asthenozoospermic males as compared with normozoospermic males. Andrologia 2006; 38:173-178. Tremellen K. Oxidative stress and male infertility -a clinical perspective. Hum Reprod Update 2008;14:243-258. Wathes DC, Abayasekara DRE, Aitken RJ. Polyunsaturated fatty acids in male and female reproduction. Biol Reprod 2007; 77: 190-201. Wirleitner B, Vanderzwalmen P, Stecher A, Spitzer D, Schuff M, Schwerda D, Bach M, Schechinger B, Herbert Zech N. Dietary supplementation of antioxidants improves semen quality of IVF patients in terms of motility, sperm count, and nuclear vacuolization. Int J Vitam Nutr Res 2012;82:391-398. Young SS, Eskenazi B, Marchetti FM, Block G, Wyrobek AJ. The association of folate , zinc and antioxidant intake with sperm aneuploidy in healthy non-smoking men. Hum Reprod 2008;23:1014-1022.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Health News

NEW SCIENTIFIC STUDIES

Baer DJ, Gebauer SK, Novotny JA. Walnuts Consumed by Healthy Adults Provide Less Available Energy than Predicted by the Atwater Factors. J Nutr. 2015 Nov 18.

Njike VY, Ayettey R, Petraro P, Treu JA, Katz DL. Walnut ingestion in adults at risk for diabetes: effects on body composition, diet quality, and cardiac risk measures. BMJ Open Diab Res Care 2015;3:e000115.

Mayhew AJ, de Souza RJ, Meyre D, Anand SS, Mente A. A systematic review and metaanalysis of nut consumption and incident risk of CVD and all-cause mortality. Br J Nutr. 2015 Nov 9:1-14.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that the metabolizable energy (ME) content (energy available to the body) of certain nuts is less than predicted by the Atwater factors. However, very few nuts have been investigated to date, and no information is available regarding the ME of walnuts. OBJECTIVE: A study was conducted to determine the ME of walnuts when consumed as part of a typical American diet. METHODS: Healthy adults (n = 18; mean age = 53.1 y; body mass index = 28.8 kg/m2) participated in a randomized crossover study with 2 treatment periods (3 wk each). The study was a fully controlled dietary feeding intervention in which the same base diet was consumed during each treatment period; the base diet was unsupplemented during one feeding period and supplemented with 42 g walnuts/d during the other feeding period. Base diet foods were reduced in equal proportions during the walnut period to achieve isocaloric food intake during the 2 periods. After a 9 d diet acclimation period, subjects collected all urine and feces for ˜1 wk (as marked by a Brilliant Blue fecal collection marker) for analysis of energy content. Administered diets, walnuts, and fecal and urine samples were subjected to bomb calorimetry, and the resulting data were used to calculate the ME of the walnuts. RESULTS: One 28-g serving of walnuts contained 146 kcal (5.22 kcal/g), 39 kcal/serving less than the calculated value of 185 kcal/ serving (6.61 kcal/g). The ME of the walnuts was 21% less than that predicted by the Atwater factors (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Consistent with other tree nuts, Atwater factors overestimate the metabolizable energy value of walnuts. These results could help explain the observations that consumers of nuts do not gain excessive weight and could improve the accuracy of food labeling.

BACKGROUND: Despite their energy density, walnuts can be included in the diet without adverse effects on weight or body composition. The effect of habitual walnut intake on total calorie intake is not well studied. Effects on overall diet quality have not been reported. METHODS: Randomized, controlled, modified Latin square parallel design study with 2 treatment arms. The 112 participants were randomly assigned to a diet with or without dietary counseling to adjust calorie intake. Within each treatment arm, participants were further randomized to 1 of the 2 possible sequence permutations to receive a walnut-included diet with 56 g (providing 366 kcal) of walnuts per day and a walnut-excluded diet. Participants were assessed for diet quality, body composition, and cardiac risk measures. RESULTS: When compared with a walnut-excluded diet, a walnut-included diet for 6 months, with or without dietary counseling to adjust caloric intake, significantly improved diet quality as measured by the Healthy Eating Index 2010 (9.14±17.71 vs 0.40±15.13; p=0.02 and 7.02±15.89 vs -5.92±21.84; p=0.001, respectively). Endothelial function, total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol improved significantly from baseline in the walnut-included diet. Body mass index, percent body fat, visceral fat, fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and blood pressure did not change significantly. CONCLUSIONS: The inclusion of walnuts in an ad libitum diet for 6 months, with or without dietary counseling to adjust calorie intake, significantly improved diet quality, endothelial function, total and LDL cholesterol, but had no effects on anthropometric measures, blood glucose level, and blood pressure.

Dietary patterns containing nuts are associated with a lower risk of CVD mortality, and increased nut consumption has been shown to have beneficial effects on CVD risk factors including serum lipid levels. Recent studies have reported on the relationship between nut intake and CVD outcomes and mortality. Our objective was to systematically review the literature and quantify associations between nut consumption and CVD outcomes and all-cause mortality. Five electronic databases (through July 2015), previous reviews and bibliographies of qualifying articles were searched. In the twenty included prospective cohort studies (n 467 389), nut consumption was significantly associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (ten studies; risk ratio (RR) 0·81; 95 % CI 0·77, 0·85 for highest v. lowest quantile of intake, P het=0·04, I 2=43 %), CVD mortality (five studies; RR 0·73; 95 %

Health News

CI 0·68, 0·78; P het=0·31, I 2=16 %), all CHD (three studies; RR 0·66; 95 % CI 0·48, 0·91; P het=0·0002, I 2=88 %) and CHD mortality (seven studies; RR 0·70; 95 % CI 0·64, 0·76; P het=0·65, I 2=0 %), as well as a statistically non-significant reduction in the risk of non-fatal CHD (three studies; RR 0·71; 95 % CI 0·49, 1·03; P het=0·03, I 2=72 %) and stroke mortality (three studies; RR 0·83; 95 % CI 0·69, 1·00; P het=0·54, I 2=0 %). No evidence of association was found for total stroke (two studies; RR 1·05; 95 % CI 0·69, 1·61; P het=0·04, I 2=77 %). Data on total CVD and sudden cardiac death were available from one cohort study, and they were significantly inversely associated with nut consumption. In conclusion, we found that higher nut consumption is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality, total CVD, CVD mortality, total CHD, CHD mortality and sudden cardiac death.

Tey SL, Robinson T, Gray AR, Chisholm AW, Brown RC. Do dry roasting, lightly salting nuts affect their cardioprotective properties and acceptability? Eur J Nutr. 2016 Jan 8.

Gopinath B, Flood VM, Burlutksy G, Mitchell P. Consumption of nuts and risk of total and cause-specific mortality over 15 years. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2015 Dec;25(12):1125-31.

PURPOSE: Previous studies have reported improvements in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors with the consumption of raw nuts. However, around one-third of nuts consumed are roasted and salted. Thus, it is important to determine whether roasting and salting nuts affect the health benefits observed with raw nuts. This study aimed to compare the effects of consuming two different forms of hazelnuts on cardiovascular risk factors and acceptance. METHODS: Using a randomised crossover design, 72 participants were asked to consume 30 g/ day of either raw or dry roasted, lightly salted hazelnuts for 28 days each. CVD risk factors were measured at the beginning and end of each treatment period. “Desire to consume” and “overall liking” for both forms of hazelnuts were assessed daily using a 150-mm visual analogue scale. RESULTS: Body composition, blood pressure, plasma total and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, apolipoprotein A1 and B100, glucose and a-tocopherol concentrations did not differ between forms of hazelnuts (all P ≥ 0.054). High-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (P = 0.037) and triacylglycerol (P < 0.001) concentrations were significantly lower following the consumption of dry roasted, lightly salted hazelnuts when compared to the raw hazelnuts. Compared with baseline, consuming both forms of hazelnuts significantly improved HDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein A1 concentrations, total-C/ HDL-C ratio, and systolic blood pressure without significantly changing body composition. Acceptance ratings did not differ between forms of hazelnuts and remained high throughout the study. CONCLUSION: Dry roasting and lightly salting nuts do not appear to negate the cardioprotective effects observed with raw nut consumption, and both forms of nuts are resistant to monotony. Public health messages could be extended to include dry roasted and lightly salted nuts as part of a heart healthy diet.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The published literature shows that nut consumption has a favorable impact on health. We aimed to assess the association between nut consumption and risk of 15-year total mortality, and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) (including ischemic heart disease, IHD, and stroke), and cancer. METHODS AND RESULTS: Prospective analyses involved 2893 participants aged ≥49 years at baseline. Dietary data were collected by using a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire, and nut intakes were calculated. Deaths and cause of death were confirmed by data linkage with the Australian National Death Index. Over 15 years, 1044 participants had died, of these 430 had died from stroke and another 430 had died from IHD. Participants in the second tertile of nut consumption versus those in the first tertile of intake had reduced risk of total mortality: multivariable-adjusted HR 0.76 (95% CI 0.65-0.89). Participants in the second tertile compared to those in the first tertile had 24% and 23% reduced risk of 15-year CVD and IHD mortality, respectively. Associations were more marked in women compared to men. Women in the second versus first tertile of nut consumption had 27%, 39%, 34% and 49% reduced risk of death from all causes (n = 489), CVD (n = 258), IHD (n = 188) and stroke mortality (n = 101), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Nut consumption was independently associated with a decreased risk of overall and vascular-disease mortality, particularly in women.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Health News

Burnsa AM, Zitta MA, Rowea CC, Langkamp-Henkena B, Maib V, Nieves C, Ukhanovab M, Christmanc MC, Dahla WJ. Diet quality improves for parents and children when almonds are incorporated into their daily diet: a randomized, crossover study. Nutrition Research, Volume 36, Issue 1, January 2016, Pages 80-89.

Grosso G, Estruch R. Nut consumption and agerelated disease. Maturitas. 2016 Feb;84:11-6.

Le T, Flatt SW, Natarajan L, Pakiz B, Quintana EL, Heath DD, Rana BK, Rock CL. Effects of Diet Composition and Insulin Resistance Status on Plasma Lipid Levels in a Weight Loss Intervention in Women. J Am Heart Assoc. 2016 Jan 25;5(1).

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

The health benefits of nuts may, in part, be due to the fiber that provides substrate for the maintenance of a healthy and diverse microbiota. We hypothesized that consuming almonds would benefit immune status through improving diet quality and modulation of microbiota composition in parents and their children, while improving gastrointestinal function. In a crossover trial, 29 parents (35 ± 0.6 years) and their children (n = 29; 4 ± 0.2 years; pairs) consumed 1.5 and 0.5 oz, respectively, of almonds and/or almond butter or control (no almonds) for 3 weeks followed by 4-week washouts. Parents completed daily questionnaires of stool frequency and compliance with nut intake. The Gastrointestinal Symptom Response Scale was administered weekly. Participants provided stools for microbiota analysis and saliva for secretory immunoglobulin A. Serum antioxidant/proinflammatory balance was determined in parents. From weekly dietary recalls (Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Recall), nutrient and energy intake were assessed and Healthy Eating Index-2010 scores were calculated. Consuming almonds increased total Healthy Eating Index score from 53.7 ± 1.8 to 61.4 ± 1.4 (parents) and 53.7 ± 2.6 to 61.4 ± 2.2 (children; P < .001). Minimal changes in gastrointestinal symptoms and no change in stool frequency were noted with the almond intervention. Microbiota was stable at the phylum and family level, but genus-level changes occurred with nut intake, especially in children. No differences were observed for immune markers. Although higher intakes of almonds or longer interventions may be needed to demonstrate effects on immune status, a moderate intake of almonds improves diet quality in adults and their young children and modulates microbiota composition.

Current knowledge on the effects of nut consumption on human health has rapidly increased in recent years and it now appears that nuts may play a role in the prevention of chronic age-related diseases. Frequent nut consumption has been associated with better metabolic status, decreased body weight as well as lower body weight gain over time and thus reduce the risk of obesity. The effect of nuts on glucose metabolism, blood lipids, and blood pressure is still controversial. However, significant decreased cardiovascular risk has been reported in a number of observational and clinical intervention studies. Thus, findings from cohort studies show that increased nut consumption is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality (especially that due to cardiovascular-related causes). Similarly, nut consumption has been also associated with reduced risk of certain cancers, such as colorectal, endometrial, and pancreatic neoplasms. Evidence regarding nut consumption and neurological or psychiatric disorders are scarce, but a number of studies suggest significant protective effects against depression, mild cognitive disorders and Alzheimer’s disease. The underlying mechanisms appear to include antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions, particularly related to their mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids (MUFA and PUFA, as well as vitamin and polyphenol content). MUFA have been demonstrated to improve pancreatic beta-cell function and regulation of postprandial glycemia and insulin sensitivity. PUFA may act on the central nervous system protecting neuronal and cell-signaling function and maintenance. The fiber and mineral content of nuts may also confer health benefits. Nuts therefore show promise as useful adjuvants to prevent, delay or ameliorate a number of chronic conditions in older people. Their association with decreased mortality suggests a potential in reducing disease burden, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and cognitive impairments.

BACKGROUND: Optimal macronutrient distribution of weight loss diets has not been established. The distribution of energy from carbohydrate and fat has been observed to promote differential plasma lipid responses in previous weight loss studies, and insulin resistance status may interact with diet composition and affect weight loss and lipid responses. METHODS AND RESULTS: Overweight and obese women (n=245) were enrolled in a 1-year behavioral weight loss intervention and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 study groups: a lower fat (20% energy), higher carbohydrate (65% energy) diet; a lower carbohydrate (45% energy), higher fat (35% energy) diet; or a walnut-rich, higher fat (35% energy), lower carbohydrate (45% energy) diet. Blood samples and data available from 213 women at baseline and at 6 months were the focus of this analysis. Triglycerides, total cholesterol, and high- and lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol were quantified and compared between and within groups. Triglycerides decreased in all study arms at 6 months (P<0.05). The walnut-rich diet increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol more

Health News

than either the lower fat or lower carbohydrate diet (P<0.05). The walnut-rich diet also reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in insulin-sensitive women, whereas the lower fat diet reduced both total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in insulin-sensitive women (P<0.05). Insulin sensitivity and C-reactive protein levels also improved. CONCLUSIONS: Weight loss was similar across the diet groups, although insulin-sensitive women lost more weight with a lower fat, higher carbohydrate diet versus a higher fat, lower carbohydrate diet. The walnut-rich, higher fat diet resulted in the most favorable changes in lipid levels.

Batool Z, Sadir S, Liaquat L, Tabassum S, Madiha S, Rafiq S, Tariq S, Batool TS, Saleem S, Naqvi F, Perveen T, Haider S. Repeated administration of almonds increases brain acetylcholine levels and enhances memory function in healthy rats while attenuates memory deficits in animal model of amnesia. Brain Res Bull. 2015 Nov 5;120:63-74.

Bahaeddin Z, Yans A, Khodagholi F, Hajimehdipoor H, Sahranavard S. Hazelnut and neuroprotection: Improved memory and hindered anxiety in response to intrahippocampal Aβ injection. Nutr Neurosci. 2016 Jan 25.

Dietary nutrients may play a vital role in protecting the brain from age-related memory dysfunction and neurodegenerative diseases. Tree nuts including almonds have shown potential to combat age-associated brain dysfunction. These nuts are an important source of essential nutrients, such as tocopherol, folate, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and polyphenols. These components have shown promise as possible dietary supplements to prevent or delay the onset of age-associated cognitive dysfunction. This study investigated possible protective potential of almond against scopolamine induced amnesia in rats. The present study also investigated a role of acetylcholine in almond induced memory enhancement. Rats in test group were orally administrated with almond suspension (400mg/kg/day) for four weeks. Both control and almond-treated rats were then divided into saline and scopolamine injected groups. Rats in the scopolamine group were injected with scopolamine (0.5mg/kg) five minutes before the start of each memory test. Memory was assessed by elevated plus maze (EPM), Morris water maze (MWM) and novel object recognition (NOR) task. Cholinergic function was determined in terms of hippocampal and frontal cortical acetylcholine content and acetylcholinesterase activity. Results of the present study suggest that almond administration for 28 days significantly improved memory retention. This memory enhancing effect of almond was also observed in scopolamine induced amnesia model. Present study also suggests a role of acetylcholine in the attenuation of scopolamine induced amnesia by almond.

OBJECTIVES: Corylus avellana L. (hazelnut) is known to be a delicious and nutritious food. This study was carried out to evaluate the use of hazelnut as a therapy for memory impairment because in Iranian traditional medicine, it is recommended for those suffering from a particular type of dementia, with symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. METHODS: In this study, rats were fed with hazelnut kernel [(without skin) 800 mg/kg/day] during 1 week before stereotaxic surgery to 24 hours before behavioral testing (in general, for 16 consecutive days) and the effect of hazelnut eating on memory, anxiety, neuroinflammation and apoptosis was assessed in the amyloid beta-injected rat. RESULTS: The results of this study showed that feeding with hazelnut improved memory, (which was examined by using Y-maze test and shuttle box apparatus), and reduced anxiety-related behavior, that was evaluated using elevated plus maze. Also, western blotting analysis of cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin-1ß, tumor necrosis factor-a, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein, and caspase-3 showed that hazelnut has an ameliorating effect on the neuroinflammation and apoptosis caused by Aβ. DISCUSSION: These ﬁndings suggest that hazelnut, as a dietary supplement, improves healthy aging and could be a beneficial diet for the treatment of AD.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

SAN DIEGO IS THE PLACE WHERE THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY WILL COME TOGETHER THIS COMING MAY 2016

mong the INC guiding principles, ensuring that the nut and dried fruit industry preserves a united and focused message is of utmost importance. How fortunate we are to have the opportunity to exercise that initiative at the three-day meeting of 1,500 world-class industry leaders and professionals seeking business opportunities, learning, and networking. That’s how we envisioned the first INC Congress in 1980, and are happy to see that legacy remain consistent throughout the last 35 years. The upcoming San Diego XXXV World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress will provide us with the opportunity to examine the course of the industry in terms of crop forecasts, consumption, and market trends. Current industries are subject to regular changes and upheavals, and this is the reason why keeping a close eye on the market is paramount. Keynote speakers, round table discussions, satellite presentations, scientific and technical seminars will give participants a comprehensive view, allowing them to maximize their business potential. Aside from discussing the present and future of our industry, INC Congress represents a unique opportunity to recognize outstanding advancements in the nut and dried fruit sectors. Individuals, companies, and organizations whose vast effort resulted in the industry’s progress deserve recognition and, therefore, the INC Awards present themselves as an opportunity to highlight these contributions.

We could not have a more ideal setting than to be surrounded by the beautiful California sun and sand to celebrate the XXXV INC Congress, acknowledged by its deep rooted tradition in growing nuts and dried fruits. In an attempt to capture these traditions and experiences, an exciting program of technical tours through the growing regions of California will be offered to participants. Beyond the walls of INC, one can find endless culture and charm within the city of San Diego. Take advantage of the tours of the local area listed on the program of social events and experience what this unique part of California has to offer. When it comes to San Diego’s landmarks, the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego sits unrivalled as the selected venue to celebrate the Congress. Being the tallest urban waterfront resort on the West Coast, Grand Hyatt’s striking views of the Bay and sophisticated facilities promise to fulfill expectations. Thus far, over 60 sponsorship opportunities have been taken, resulting in more companies entrusting the INC to promote their brand globally. We thank all of our sponsors for their support as it is vital to the success of the world’s greatest nuts and dried fruits event. We look forward to seeing you in marvelous San Diego, 30 May - 1 June 2016, for another memorable Congress. Yours Sincerely,

Organizing Committee

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

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

INC Congress

XXXV WORLD NUT AND DRIED FRUIT CONGRESS 30 MAY - 1 JUNE, 2016 +1.300 PROFESSIONALS FROM + 60 COUNTRIES REGISTER NOW AND JOIN US!

www.nutfruitcongress.org March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

INC Congress

INC CONGRESS PROGRAM

come and see what we have prepared for you Over the course of three days, the INC 2016 Congress will provide a unique environment for participants to learn, network and share knowledge and experiences. From keynote speakers to round tables and scientific seminars, there are a lot of reasons to participate in the world’s greatest event of nuts and dried fruits. Monday 30

Tuesday 31

9:00-9:15 CONGRESS OPENING Balsu Seaport Ballroom 9:15-10:15 DRIED FRUITS Round Table Balsu Seaport Ballroom

9:15-10:15 PISTACHIOS Round Table Balsu Harbor Ballroom

10:15-11:00 KEYNOTE SPEAKER Balsu Seaport Ballroom

Wednesday 1

9:00-10:00 HAZELNUTS Round Table Balsu Seaport Ballroom

9:00-10:00 MACADAMIAS Round Table Balsu Harbor Ballroom

9:00-10:00 ANNUAL REPORT Balsu Seaport Ballroom

10:00-11:00 WALNUTS Round Table Balsu Seaport Ballroom

10:00-11:00 PEANUTS Round Table Balsu Harbor Ballroom

10:00-11:00 CASHEWS Round Table Balsu Seaport Ballroom

10:00-11:00 PECANS, PINE NUTS, BRAZIL NUTS Round Table Balsu Harbor Ballroom

11:00-11:30 Coffee Break Balsu Seaport Foyer Sponsored by Diamond Foods

11:00-11:30 Coffee Break Balsu Seaport Foyer Sponsored by Blue Diamond Growers

11:00-11:30 Coffee Break Balsu Seaport Foyer Sponsored by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc.

11:30-12:30 ALMONDS Round Table Balsu Seaport Ballroom

11:30-12:15 SCIENTIFIC SEMINAR Balsu Seaport Ballroom

11:30-12:15 KEYNOTE SPEAKER Balsu Seaport Ballroom

12:15-1:00 NUTRITION RESEARCH UPDATE Balsu Seaport Ballroom

12:15-1:00 GLOBAL SUMMIT Balsu Seaport Ballroom

1:00-2:00 BUFFET WORKING LUNCH Balsu Harbor Ballroom Sponsored by The Green Valley Pecan Company

1:00-2:00 BUFFET WORKING LUNCH Balsu Harbor Ballroom Sponsored by Rajkumar Impex Pvt Ltd.

1:00-2:00 BUFFET WORKING LUNCH Balsu Harbor Ballroom Sponsored by Sun-Maid Growers of California

6:00-8:00 WELCOME COCKTAIL Grand Hyatt, Balsu Pool Deck Sponsored by V. Besana S.P.A.

7:00-10:00 BUFFET CASUAL DINNER USS Midway Boat Sponsored by The Wonderful Company

6:00-7:00 GALA COCKTAIL Balsu Seaport Foyer 7:00-11:00 GALA DINNER AND BALL Grand Hyatt, Balsu Seaport Ballroom Sponsored by Mariani Family

Registration: Saturday, 28 May, from 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm • From Sunday 29 through Tuesday 31: from 8:00 am - 6:00 pm • Wednesday 1, from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. Exhibition: From Monday 30 through Wednesday 1, from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm • On Wednesday 1, from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm.

ACCOMPANYING PERSON TOURS SAN DIEGO BY LAND WITH LUNCH: Gaslamp, Little Italy, Old Town

Capture the essence of this dynamic seaside city by a guided Motor Coach adventure! Along the way, you will see iconic areas such as the historic Gaslamp District, Little Italy, and Old Town! In Old Town, we invite you to enjoy an authentic Mexican lunch at Casa Guadalajara – one of San Diego’s most reputable Mexican restaurants! This spectacular Mexican restaurant is a welcoming landmark for Old Town San Diego, capturing the “Spirit of Mexico” at its best. Discover authentic regional Mexican cuisine presented with flair in beautiful dining rooms and patios, and enjoy the famous margaritas in the lively cantina.

A CULTURAL EXPLORATION WITH LUNCH AT THE PRADO: Balboa Park Tour.

Balboa Park, at the cultural heart of San Diego, has more than 1,100 acres of sprawling green vistas. At the center of the park there is a cultural complex of fifteen museums and galleries, second in size only to the Smithsonian. These fine museums and galleries offer the visitor a cultural mixture from the fine arts to the realm of anthropology and science. The museums along the Prado are housed in magnificent Spanish Colonial Revival buildings, and serve as reminders of the two world’s fairs that brought Balboa Park to the attention of the world.

TUESDAY, MAY 31ST

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1ST

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Capture the essence of San Diego and discover the refined combination of modernity and tradition of the second largest city in the state of California. From exploring San Diego’s origins to discovering its many hidden treasures, the INC accompanying person tours will provide participants with an unparalleled experience.

INC Congress

INC AWARDS TO RECOGNIZE THE BEST CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE INDUSTRY

Good work deserves recognition. Following this principle, the INC will deliver its annual awards to those individuals, companies or organizations that have made a significant contribution to the progress of the nut and dried fruit industry.

The Individual Golden Nut Award will be given to JACK MARIANI for his successful career and great contribution to the INC and the nuts and dried fruits industry. Jack Mariani has been member of the INC since 1984. He served as INC Chairman from 2007 to 2011. It was during his chairmanship that the INC moved to its future home offices in Mas Barrufet, an historical building restored by the contribution of over 70 INC members. Previously, Jack Mariani chaired the DFA of California. He is a partner in Mariani Nut Company. Jack Mariani is also on the board of directors of the California Walnut Board, DFA of California, California Walnut Commission, INC-NREF and University of California-Davis Foundation. He has been chairman of the Macadamia Working Group since its inception in Budapest in 2011. The Award for Excellence in Research will be delivered to DR. PENNY KRIS ETHERTON, distinguished professor of Nutrition at Penn State University. Dr. Kris-Etherton’s clinical nutrition research program has focused on understanding the role of nutrition in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Her research has evaluated the effects of different nutrients, bioactive components and specific foods on established and emerging risk factors for CVD. She has evaluated chocolate/cocoa, dairy, lean red meat, nuts (including walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and the legume peanuts), mushrooms, and avocados. Understanding how specific foods affect CVD risk within the context of a healthy dietary pattern is useful for issuing food-based dietary guidance. The Corporate Golden Nut Award will go to THE WONDERFUL COMPANY for its great effort to achieve nut industry’s progress. Headquartered in Los Angeles, The Wonderful Company is a privately held $4.8 billion global company dedicated to harvesting health and happiness around the world through its iconic consumer brands. The company’s 7,800 employees worldwide are dedicated to bringing consumers everywhere the freshest, most wholesome pistachios, almonds, citrus and pomegranates; bottling the finest water and wines; and creating colorful bouquets that are sure to touch the heart. This commitment is reflected in the company’s market share: Wonderful Pistachios is America’s No. 1 tree nut brand and one of the top-selling salty snacks; Wonderful Halos is the No. 1 mandarin orange in America; POM Wonderful is the No. 1 100% pomegranate brand in America; FIJI Water is America’s No. 1 premium bottled water brand; Teleflora is the No. 1 floral delivery service through local florists; and JUSTIN Wine has the No. 1 Cabernet Sauvignon in California.

Innovation Award The INC celebrates the creative spirit of the nut and dried fruit industry by focusing attention on the most significant new product/service introduced in the market. The Innovation Award selects the Top Best new product or service at the World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress.

Tomra Sorting NV receives the Innovation Award at the INC Congress 2015

INC INNOVATION AWARD IS OPEN ONLY TO INC MEMBERS ATTENDING THE CONGRESS. THOSE INTERESTED ARE INVITED TO APPLY BEFORE APRIL 10, 2016 (ONLY ONE PRODUCT OR SERVICE PER APPLICANT). DON’T MISS THAT OPPORTUNITY TO ENHANCE YOUR COMPANY’S REPUTATION FOR INNOVATION! Why participating?: Participants will be displayed in the Exhibition Area of the 2016 World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress, in San Diego, California, 30 May 1 June 2016. • The winner will be announced at the 2016 World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress, in San Diego, California. • The winner will be featured in the INC Magazine and Congress video. Requirements: Entries must submit the product/service description (300 words max.), press releases, images/pictures (high quality, jpeg/tiff, 300 dpi or greater) and company logo. • Entrants shall e-mail the information before April 10th, 2016 to inc@nutfruit.org, enclosing high-quality product shots and the company logo. • Once accepted, entrants will be asked to send product samples and/or supporting material to the Congress venue for the Exhibition Area. Shipment details will be provided. Eligible products must be newly launched. This includes: A new product or service that has been introduced in the market in 2015 or early 2016. • A completely new product, product line, service, packaging or technology launched by the participating company in 2015 or early 2016. • A product with a signiﬁcant modiﬁcation to the original offering introduced in the market in 2015 or early 2016. For example, the addition/deletion of an ingredient, or a significant modification to equipment functionality, or innovation in packaging.

www.nutfruitcongress.org March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

INC Congress

DISCOVER CALIFORNIA WITH THE INC PRE-TOUR

MAY 25

Before the San Diego 2016 Congress starts, the INC offers participants the opportunity to experience the best of California, from San Francisco with its eclectic mixture of historical landmarks, to the Central Valley heartland filled with orchards, vineyards and farms. This tour will give you one of the state’s most authentic and sensory-rich experiences. A chance to see and taste the state’s bounties at every turn, while producing a rich and rewarding experience. Hilton at Union Square, San Francisco. Welcome Cocktail Reception

SOUTH SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

1ST DAY. MAY 26

Host/Organizer: Sun-Maid Growers & American Pistachio Growers Departure by chartered buses from the Hilton at Union Square, San Francisco, following the contours of the coastal mountain range and on to the great central valley, accompanied by presentations describing the uniqueness of California’s climate, water conveyance systems, early migration and its impact on California agriculture of today.

Sun-Maid Facility, Kingsburg • Lunch sponsored jointly by Sun-Maid Growers and American Pistachio Growers, presentations, Sun-Maid facility tour and vineyard stop. • Wonderful Pistachios Orchard Tour. Pistachio Facility Tour • Horizon Nut Company, Tulare. Host/Organizer: Almond Board of California • Cocktail/Dinner at Galletto Ristorante, Modesto.

2ND DAY. MAY 27

NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN AND SACRAMENTO VALLEYS Host/Organizer: Almond Board of California

Host/Organizer: California Walnut Board/Commission

• Breakfast Meeting at Almond Board Ofﬁce, Modesto.

• Tour Carriere Family Farms and Processing Facility.

• Tour Travaille and Phippen Almond Orchard/ Processing Facility.

• Dinner in Carriere Family Farms, Glenn.

• Tour Blue Diamond Growers Innovation Center, Sacramento.

3RD DAY. MAY 28

SACRAMENTO VALLEY Host/Organizer: DFA of California

Host/Organizer: California Dried Plum Board

• Breakfast Meeting at Hilton Garden Inn, Fairfield.

• Turkovich Farms Prune Orchard Tour and Lunch.

Host/Organizer: California Walnut Board/Commission • Mariani Nut Company Facility and Orchard Tour.

• Dinner by the Bay at a waterfront restaurant featuring panoramic views of the of the San Francisco Bay Bridge,Treasure Island and the San Francisco Skyline. Enjoy the closing evening of wine pairing with the best of California’s products. Including a final send off from Mark Mariani, INC Chairman.

More info and registration at

www.nutfruitcongress.org

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

INC Congress

ONLINE MEETING POINT & INC CONGRESS APP

ENHANCE YOUR EXPERIENCE AND KEEP ABREAST OF WHAT’S NEW

INC CONGRESS ONLINE MEETING POINT provides INC members with a useful tool to connect with other attendees and exhibitors before, during and after the Congress. This year’s edition brings new changes featured by including the attendee’s pictures at their profile. In addition, online meeting point is linked to the INC Congress App so as to enhance participant’s experience.

INC members can use the online meeting point to: Connect Network with other attendees and INC prior to the event. Meet Contact attendees and exhibitors with shared interests and set up on-site meetings. Plan Create a personalized schedule including conference sessions and meetings.

Sponsored by Crain Walnut Shelling, Inc. and Crisol de Frutos Secos, SAT

INC CONGRESS APP contains a complete set of information regarding the Congress program, speakers, INC Awards, list of participants and sponsors. User can get hold of Congress documents, exhibition floor plan and information about tours. Download the Congress App at Play Store (for Android) or App Store (for Apple) and enjoy its many benefits.

Sponsored by C.G Hacking & Sons Ltd

www.nutfruitcongress.org March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

INC Congress

SPONSORS Enhance your brand, increase your reputation and take advantage of an environment fully oriented to the nuts and dried fruits industry. Take a sponsorship opportunity and ensure your brand is seen by +1,300 world class industry leaders and professionals.

PREMIUM TREE NUTS

We thank our sponsors for their ongoing support www.nutfruitcongress.org 60

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

INC Congress

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

All-sided Surface Inspection | pixel Fusionâ&#x201E;˘ | Intuitive UX | Intelligent automation

TAKE A CRACK AT THE NEW STANDARD FOR SORTING NUTS. Introducing the VERYXâ&#x201E;˘ digital sorting platform. The new standard of intelligence. Nut processors asked for transformative quality, efficiency and yield. Key Technology has answered. Sustained all-sided viewing to see all defects. Breakthrough, high-definition sensors with sub-millimeter resolution to discriminate shell, membrane, mold, insect damage and other defects and FM. Precision ejection removes only undesirable elements from the product stream and an intuitive user experience minimizes operator intervention. With VERYX, now you can crack open new levels of performance.

Discover VERYX at TheKeyStandard.com

INC News

INC News ROAD TO SIAL PARIS 2016 INC will join the world’s largest food innovation exhibition with the only pavilion exclusively dedicated to nuts and dried fruits.

2016

has a landmark in its calendar when it comes to trade shows and international food exhibitions. SIAL-Paris, from 16th to 20th October 2016, presents itself as the world’s largest food innovation exhibition, revisiting the food sector of today and inventing that of tomorrow. As it has been usual in the previous editions, the INC will participate in SIAL-Paris with the only pavilion exclusively dedicated to nuts and dried fruits. Following the success of 2014 edition, the INC will replicate the same concept: an open-up pavilion featured by an inspiring design and where all exhibitors can maintain their own visual identity. Besides these key points, exhibitors joining the INC pavilion can benefit from a matchless service, including premium location, graphic design and printing, free Wi-Fi connection, private meeting rooms and storage rooms. In addition, those exhibitors attending SIAL-Paris with the INC will benefit from one free delegate registration for the World Nut & Dried Fruit Congress. Among the most appreciated facilities is the common area, where co-exhibitors and clients can enjoy a coffee, tea, refreshments and snacks. What visitors perceive when visiting this hospitality lounge is a relaxed atmosphere, specifically conceived to have informal business meetings right at the core of the trade show. Once again, the INC pavilion will reinforce its multiculturalism by hosting co-exhibitors from many different nationalities. In 2014 edition, there were 13 countries represented (China, Tunisia, South Africa, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Romania, Turkey, Japan, Australia and United States) and this year edition promises to strengthen this international position.

INC Pavilion in Figures (2014 edition)

METERS 329.5 SQUARE PAVILION 20 CO-EXHIBITORS 13 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED

MEETING ROOMS

STORAGE ROOMS

150,000 6,500

LOUNGE AREA

VISITORS AND EXHIBITORS

(TOTAL ATTENDANCE TO SIAL 2014)

Welcome Cocktail One of the main events being celebrated at the INC Pavilion during SIAL-Paris is the Welcome Cocktail. Besides its festive atmosphere, the Welcome Cocktail represents an opportunity to do networking with the industry’s best, as representatives of the main nuts and dried fruits companies will join the event. Menu is composed of canapés, champagne and assorted nuts and dried fruits, but is the Welcome Cocktail as a meeting point for the entire industry what best summarizes its importance. The INC offers its members a sponsorship opportunity to promote their company internationally by linking their brand to this event. Should you be interested in sponsoring the Welcome Cocktail, please contact marc.centelles@nutfruit.org or reach the INC at +34 977 331 416.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

INC News

A NEW CONCEPT EMERGES AT GULFOOD 2016 For the first time, INC attends Dubai’s food and hospitality show with a Pavilion joined by 5 members

onsidered as the world’s biggest annual food and hospitality show, exhibiting at GulFood is of great importance for those companies willing to expand their scope and reach prospective customers in the Middle East market. This is the reason why the INC has given its members the opportunity to participate in one of the most important trade shows of the year. For the first time, the INC has attended GulFood with a Pavilion embracing 5 members. Such a new concept has taken inspiration from INC Pavilion at SIAL-Paris and ANUGA-Köln, the two scenarios where INC’s pavilion has become a classic year after year.

deal of satisfaction when it comes to evaluating their participation. Needless to say that the INC Pavilion received thousands of visitors who showed their kind interest for the main INC projects: San Diego 2016 Congress, INC Pavilion at European trade shows (SIAL and ANUGA) and the Nutfruit (former The Cracker) magazine, among others.

Noberasco, Kirlioglu, UniPer, Narin Bys and Ratin Khosh are the members that have accompanied the INC in this new adventure. INC Pavilion at GulFood 2016 presented a 20 sq m space where each exhibitor had its own visual identity.

Dubai, the Trading Hub of the Middle East

Exhibitor’s booths were customized with their own graphic design. They were equipped with a front desk where to receive visitors and methacrylate showcases so as to show product samples. Apart from visual identity, Premium location and high-traffic visitors were the most appreciated benefits for exhibitors, who expressed a great

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

INC offers you the possibility of joining the INC Pavilion at GulFood 2017 edition. Should be interested, please contact Mr. Marc Centelles at marc.centelles@nutfruit.org or +34 977 331 416.

Addressing the world with the message ‘More Tastes, More Trends and More Trade’, GulFood is internationally renowned for providing a platform to enter the Middle East food market. With almost 5,000 exhibitors participating from over 120 countries, GulFood connects nations and suppliers, opens distribution channels for industry-related business, and highlights Dubai’s strategic role as a key global food industry trading hub. Over 85,000 buyers from more than 170 countries have visited this edition, providing GulFood organization and participants with a resounding success.

INC News

INC Pavilion at a Glance • PREMIUM LOCATION • HIGH TRAFFIC OF VISITORS • PRE-SHOW PROMOTION AND MARKETING SUPPORT SERVICES • STAND BUILD AND PAVILION DESIGN • COMMON AREA TO HAVE INFORMAL MEETINGS

• COFFEE SERVICE • WI-FI

We thank our exhibitors for joining us in the WORLD’S BIGGEST ANNUAL FOOD AND HOSPITALITY SHOW

A SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN TO REACH NEW AUDIENCES INC launches profiles on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn aimed at promoting nuts and dried fruits health benefits among consumers.

he Cluetrain manifesto, a pivotal document for those companies willing to operate in the World Wide Web, claims that internet consists of thousands of conversations. Reaching success requires speaking with a human voice so as to engage consumers in conversation. Following these basic principles, the INC has launched a new social media plan aiming to reach new audiences. Such new audiences are composed of final consumers to whom social media have become part of their daily routine. They belong to social communities ruled by their own codes, mentors and trustworthy sources of information. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are within this online environment where thousands of conversations are taking place every minute.

Health and healthy issues are drivers of a global trend that has become increasingly important for consumers worldwide. It entails reaching wellness by regular sport habits and healthy eating. Not surprisingly, consciousness for wholesome food is now higher than ever before. INC social media plan pretends to lead this global trend in terms of promoting nuts and dried fruits as basic elements on a healthy diet. The Nutfruit&Health blog plays a key role within the INC digital environment. It includes weekly articles highlighting nuts and dried fruit benefits and nutritional elements. Moreover, creative recipes made by international renowned chefs are published so as to prompt blog readers to make their servings haute cuisine by adding nuts and dried fruits.

INC SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN POINTS

The Nutfruit&Health blog emerges as a central element nurturing INC Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter profiles.

TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS IMMENSE DIALOGUE WITH TOPICS BELONGING TO CONSUMERS’ AREA OF INTEREST

These are spaces filled with updated and quality contents where to disseminate the health benefits of nuts and dried fruits. Not only is the social media plan aimed at releasing quality contents, but it also allows the INC to monitor what is being said about the industry on the digital environment. After six months, results show that the number of fans in Facebook has risen steadily from 2,000 to 20,000. When it comes to Twitter, there has been a 11% rise in the number of followers since October 2015.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

INC News

2015 EU RASFF ALERTS FOR NUTS AND DRIED FRUITS EU notifications for nuts increase by 43%; dried fruits remain stable.

RASFF Notiﬁcations for

Dried Fruits

Edible Nuts

555

179 453

383

365 241 251 256

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

ompared with 2014, the number of European Union’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) notifications for nuts increased 43%, breaking the decreasing trend of the last years. This significant growth is partly linked with the increase of notifications for peanuts, from 110 notifications in 2014 to 171 in 2015 (31% of which from China). On the contrary, the total RASFF notifications for dried fruits remained stable at 121. In 2015, the total number of notifications for nuts issued by the RASFF was 365. The most notified products were peanuts, with 171 notifications, followed by pistachios (104 notifications) and hazelnuts (37 notifications). The main reasons for notifying nuts were the presence of aflatoxins with 303 notifications (83% of total notifications for nuts), followed by improper health certificates (29 notifications) and insects (9 notifications). Focusing on the country of origin, peanuts from China lead the ranking (31% of total notifications), followed by pistachios from Iran (15%) and pistachios from the United States (9%).

103

2009

110

2010

121 92

2011

2012

2013

115 121

2014

2015

With regard to dried fruits, a total of 121 notifications were registered. Dried figs with 62 notifications and dried apricots with 33 notifications were the most notified products. As in the case of edible nuts, aflatoxins were the main reason for notifying, reaching a total of 47 notifications (39% of total notifications for dried fruits), followed by sulphites (33 notifications) and ochratoxin A (19 notifications). The RASFF exchanges information within EU Member States about measures taken in response to serious risks detected in relation to food or feed. The INC collects and classifies all RASFF notifications for nuts (including peanuts for feed) and dried fruits intended for food published in the RASFF portal web page, by product, country of origin, notifying country and type of notification. Some caution is needed when drawing conclusions from this report, for example, it is not because a Member State has a relatively high number of notifications that the situation regarding food safety is disastrous. On the contrary, it could indicate that a greater number of checks are carried out.

INC monitors food safety alerts in Europe, USA, Australia, and Japan, analyzing the trend and monitoring the causes and origins. If you wish to receive the INC Annual Report of RASFF Notifications, please contact us at ana.bermejo@nutfruit.org.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

INC News 2015 RASFF Notiﬁcations for Edible Nuts

Reasons for Notifying Edible Nuts

31% Peanuts (China)

20% Others

8% Improper health certiﬁcate 2% Moulds

3% Peanuts (Brazil)

2% Insects 5% Others

3% Peanuts (India) 5% Peanuts (Egypt)

83% Aﬂatoxins

5% Pistachios (Turkey) 8% Hazelnuts (Turkey)

9% Pistachios (USA)

15% Pistachios (Iran)

2015 RASFF Notiﬁcations for Dried Fruits 14% Others 2% Prunes (Chile)

Reasons for Notifying Dried Fruits 48% Dried Figs (Turkey)

27% Sulphites

2% Dried Grapes (Turkey)

16% Ochratoxin

2% Dried Grapes (Iran) 2% Dried Figs (Spain)

7% Insects

4% Dates (Tunisia) 12% Others

24% Dried Apricot (Turkey) 39% Aﬂatoxins

2015/2016 GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

he INC is pleased to announce the sixth issue of the book Global Statistical Review, which is INC’s annual collection of statistics on world production, imports, exports and estimated consumption of nuts and dried fruits. In season 2015/2016, tree nuts production achieved 3.8 million metric tons, up 5% on the previous year and up 52% compared with 2005/06. Almonds and macadamias were the tree nuts that experienced the greatest growth in the last decade, achieving increases of 92 and 88% respectively. Historically, USA has been the world’s largest tree nut producer, accounting 12.8 million MT produced since 2005. More than 2.8 million MT of dried fruits were produced in 2015/16, that is, up 0.3% from the previous season and up 22% compared with 2005/06. Dried grapes (raisins, sultanas and currants) were the most produced dried fruits in 2015 with almost 1.3 million MT. USA, Turkey and Iran led the production of dried fruits with 413,000 MT, 355,000 MT and 320,000 MT respectively.

Total consumption of tree nuts and dried fruits has grown 57% and 29% respectively over the last ten years, being almonds and dried grapes the products with the highest increases. China was the main producer of peanuts with almost 17 millions MT, followed by India and Nigeria with 4.7 millions MT and 3 millions MT respectively. In total, more than 39.5 millions MT of peanuts were produced in 2015/16. Using the World Bank Atlas method, INC offers an analytical study about the role of the three world income groups in the nut and dried fruit market. In 2015, middle-income economies (MIC) led the production of tree nuts, accounting for 51% of the total. High-income economies (HIC) were the income group with the highest consumption (60%), being almonds the most consumed tree nut. MIC have historically led the production and consumption of dried fruits. In 2015, MIC produced almost 60% of world total, 20

percentage points more than HIC. Dates were the dried fruit most demanded by MIC. Peanuts are basically produced by MIC due to the weight of countries like China, India and Nigeria. North America was the region with the highest tree nut production, followed by Asia and Middle East. It should be noted that 86% of the tree nuts produced in 2015 in Africa were cashews, and that Europe, which only produced 8% of world tree nuts, ranked second in tree nut consumption. Middle East clearly led the world production of dried fruits, being table dates and dried grapes the most produced. Finally, tree nuts and dried fruits reached a supply value of almost 30,000 million dollars and more than 7,000 million dollars respectively, that is, an increase of 117% and 47% since 2006.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

INC News

PRESENTING OUR INC INNOVATION AWARD WINNING SORTER* : NIMBUS BSI

• • • • • •

Unique signature identification Huge contrast between good and bad Unbeatable yield and recovery Stable and reliable detection Total process efficiency increase High resolution: detection of smaller defects • Modular: in combination with other detection modules on the same platform *Winner of the INC Innovation Award at the INC congress 2015

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

food-sorting@tomra.com

www.tomra.com/nimbus-bsi

Statistical Review

WORLD CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION TRENDS

Global Statistical Review March 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 d’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.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Statistical Review

ALMONDS 杏仁

/ ALMENDRA / AMANDE / MANDORLE / MANDEL / BADEM

USA. Almond receipts through 31 December 2015 of 839,219 metric tons (1.85 billion pounds) were 2.5% above the USDA NASS almond forecast of 816,417 MT. Huller/Sheller operations efficiencies continue to increase, resulting in shorter harvest time. Overall shipments were down 12% according to the December 2015 Position Report. The number one export destination was China at 31,820 MT (70 million pounds), down 12% from last year, followed by India with 30,410 MT (67 million pounds; down 1% from last year) and Spain with 29,040 MT (64 million pounds, up 14% from last year). Domestic shipments were down 6.4% compared to the same time period last year.

California is looking forward to the 2016 crop with bees arriving to orchards and the bloom about to begin.

crop losses to frost, hail and wind damaged trees, particularly to young trees, has reduced the forecast crop in 2016.

AUSTRALIA. The Australian almond industry recorded export sales of 60,593 MT for the 2015 calendar year. This tonnage delivered a value of approximately $AUD 750 million which was 74% higher than for the same period the previous year. For the Australian crop year to date –i.e. from March to December 2015– exports increased by 10,842 MT or 23%, up from 47,049 MT in 2014 to 57,891 MT in 2015. The forecast 2016 Australian almond crop is 73,200 MT which is 9% down from the record 2015 crop of 80,500 MT. An inconsistent pollination across the production regions and

SPAIN. The Spanish almond crop is fully harvested and slightly reduced from the initial estimate after a very dry and hot summer. The mean size has been very nice, providing averages on the 23/35 - 27/30. Export sales (mainly to EU countries) were extremely good during the Christmas season, providing a good liquidity to the market. The remaining stocks started to be limited at end of January and offers were limited at pre-blooming. The winter has been dry with mild temperatures which are not the best conditions -an early blooming is expected.

Estimated World Almond Production. Kernel Basis · Metric Tons. Country USA* MM lbs USA* AUSTRALIA SPAIN IRAN TUNISIA TURKEY CHILE MOROCCO ITALY GREECE OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

2014/2015 Beginning Stock 351 159,545 1,000 2,000 0 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 163,045

2015/2016

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

1,837 835,000 66,300 60,750 15,000 14,000 10,000 10,000 9,000 9,000 5,000 30,000 1,064,050

2,188 994,545 67,300 62,750 15,000 14,500 10,000 10,000 9,000 9,000 5,000 30,000 1,227,095

377 171,364 1,000 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 172,864

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Beginning stock 377 171,364 1,000 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 172,864

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

1,850 839,219 80,500 64,500 15,000 15,000 13,000 13,000 11,000 7,500 4,000 30,000 1,092,719

2,227 1,010,583 81,500 65,000 15,000 15,000 13,000 13,000 11,000 7,500 4,000 30,000 1,265,583

331 150,455 1,000 2,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 153,455

1,054,232

1,112,128

*USA Crop accounts for 2.0% inedible & process loss. Source: Almond Board of California, Almond Board of Australia, Greek Nut Association and other INC sources.

California Almond Exports. August-December 2015. Metric Tons

Source: Almond Board of California.

March 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

Aug-Dec 2015 (MT) 82,964 29,042 16,241 9,753 6,818 5,231 3,916 3,621 2,473 91,233 31,823 30,410 11,764 6,697 4,545 17,531 6,332 5,357 209,090 111,901

% Change from Last Year -7% 14% -34% 21% -32% 2% -1% -7% -41% -12% -12% -1% 4% -32% -41% -39% -61% -30% -15% -6%

Statistical Review

BRAZIL NUTS

巴西果 / COQUITO DE BRASIL / NOIX DE VRESIL /

NOCE DE BRASILE / PARANUSS / BREZILYA FINGIGI

The collection and processing of Brazil nuts during 2015 had a stable year. The rains were sufficient to start the harvest but were not too heavy and did not last too long to block the roads. Although the port in Arica did close a number of times during the year due to high swells, strikes and an earthquake none of these had a dramatic effect on the shipment schedules. The weakness of the Brazilian Real against the dollar allowed for an increase of raw material trade between Bolivia and Brazil further increasing the material available for

export. The Brazilian producers found more attractive to export their material than sell it locally. In 2015, Brazil increased their exports from 800 MT in 2014 to over 3,000 MT in 2015, with the majority of this increase went to US, which increased its imports from 450 MT in 2014 to 1,500 MT in 2015. The 2015/16 harvest started in December and although In Shell Raw Material prices started low it climbed very quickly. The increasing price of raw material coupled with a falling export price is pushing factories below the cost of production and is unsustainable.

Although traditionally Brazil Nut In shell prices do not reduce during the year some factories have stopped buying In Shell Brazil nuts as they have been out priced of the market. If this equilibrium between raw material and export prices is not found some factories will be forced to process less or not process at all which in turn will affect the total availability of material. According to the National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia, the country exported 23,944 metric tons of Brazil nuts from January to November 2015, accounting for 179 million USD.

Estimated World Amazonia (Brazil) Nut Production. Kernel Basis · Metric Tons · Conversation rate 1:3 2014/2015

Country

Beginning Stock

BOLIVIA PERU BRAZIL WORLD TOTAL

Crop

2,550 150 100 2,800

2015/2016

Total Supply

21,450 4,000 3,050 28,500

24,000 4,150 3,150 31,300

Ending Stock

Beginning stock

1,500 150 100 1,750

Crop

Total Supply

22,000 4,500 3,465 29,965

29,550

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Ending Stock

23,500 4,650 3,565 31,715

1,500 150 100 1,750

29,965

Source: INC.

In-shell Basis · Metric Tons 2014/2015

Country

Beginning Stock

BOLIVIA PERU BRAZIL WORLD TOTAL

Crop

7,650 450 300 8,400

2015/2016

Total Supply

64,350 12,000 9,150 85,500

72,000 12,450 9,450 93,900

Ending Stock

Beginning stock

4,500 450 300 5,250

Crop

Total Supply

66,000 13,500 10,395 89,895

70,500 13,950 10,695 95,145

88,650

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End, Stock)

Ending Stock 4,500 450 300 5,250

89,895

Source: INC.

Bolivia's Exports of Brazil Nuts Metric Tons

Million USD

30,000 25,000 20,000

17,257

19,421

20,858

20,785

22,339

15,000 10,000

2005

2006

2007

21,120

104

19,517

22,304

148

146

2011

2012

26,521

23,944

175

179

21,049

129

5,000 0

2008

2009

2010

2013 (p) 2014 (p) 2015 (p) Jan-Nov

200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

Source: National Insitute of Statistics of Bolivia and Bolivian Institute of Foreign Trade. (p): Preliminary Data.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Statistical Review

CASHEWS 腰果 / ANACARDO / NOIX DE CAJU / ANACARDIO /

CASHWKERNE / CASHEW CEVIZI The cashew market remained steady over the last months. Trade volumes were very low. However, rawseed sellers were offering rawnuts from East Africa at very high levels, with very few takers. This mismatch between raw seed price expectations and kernel price levels brought the trade to a virtual stand still. The crop in the Northern Hemisphere is expected is starting in February-March. The conditions may be favorable for a normal crop. Although price expectation at origin continue to be high, it may ease when crop arrivals pick-up. Overall, the African continent has seen an increase in cashew production from 1.2 million metric tons to 1.8 million MT in the 2015/16 season. According to the African Cashew Alliance, West Africa registered

an increment of 175,000 MT. Meanwhile, Guinea-Bissau –the second largest producer of raw cashew nut (RCN) in Africa– saw an increase in production by 60,000 MT. In contrast, Nigeria and Benin only witnessed a slight increase in their production by 30,000 MT and 10,000 MT respectively. On the contrary, in East Africa, Kenya’s crop suffered a decrease from 15,000 MT to 6,000 MT due to unfavorable weather conditions and lack of access to agricultural inputs. Approximately 90% of African RCN (about 1.5 million MT) supplies processors in India, Vietnam, and Brazil. In turn, 10% (about 27,000 MT) of this processed cashew kernel is supplied to consumers in Europe and North America.

Meanwhile, in Brazil, the estimate for the current crop has been slightly reduced to 30,000 MT (kernel basis) slightly better than last year, although still very low. The industry saw certain improvements in arrivals, mainly from the Southern states, whose crop arrived in January –the last month of the harvest. In Ceará the rains started well, but the sector needs a lot of rain after four long years of drought. The peak month of the rainy season is usually April. There are now only four shellers still active in Brazil; the economic and political situation has led to a large devaluation of the local currency, which has brought operating costs down considerably in USD terms. Despite that, the local market continues strong –especially the chocolate market.

Estimated World Cashew Production. Kernel Basis · Metric Tons. Country

2014/2015 Beginning Stock

INDIA COTE D'IVOIRE VIETNAM GUINEA-BISSAU NIGERIA BRAZIL BENIN TANZANIA CAMBODIA BURKINA FASO GHANA INDONESIA SENEGAL MOZAMBIQUE GAMBIA KENYA OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

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

Crop

Total Supply

175,476 161,111 119,048 48,889 34,444 25,000 30,000 32,222 19,048 16,667 13,333 12,000 10,444 7,778 1,778 1,111 8,333 716,682

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

2015/2016 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 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Beginning 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 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Crop

Total Supply

172,719 171,111 113,095 52,889 36,889 33,000 32,000 31,111 19,048 18,222 15,333 12,000 11,778 7,778 2,444 1,111 8,333 738,861

716,682

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

738,861

Source: Global Cashew Council and INC.

India. Cashew Data Exports (kernels) Quantity (MT) Value (Million US$) Imports (rawnuts) Quantity (MT) Value (Million US$) Kernel Exports (%) USA UAE Japan Netherlands UK

2015 99,867 771

Major Destinations

961,930 1,304 2015 26 14 9.2 6 2.1

Source: Cashew Export Promotion Council of India.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Statistical Review

HAZELNUTS

榛子 / AVELLANA / NOISETTE / NOCCIOLA / HASELNUSS / FINDIK

TURKEY: After an expected reluctant release from farmer’s side, TL based prices climbed from 22.50 to 28.00 TL in the first 3 months of the season. However, due to the disciplined procurement activity by mostly European based confectionary sector, prices started a smooth landing first to 24 TL in the holiday season and later to the season

start levels in the first half of January. Export performance indicates that the expected carry over levels will be realized by the end of the season, so the crop will be sufficient, if there is no severe damage to the next crop year until April. Cold weather front and snow in the first half of January also satisfied the orchards

in terms of the water supply and cold period requirement for the hazelnut trees. The market estimates that farmers are still holding significant quantities, which are expected to be released depending on the projected performance of the next crop.

Estimated World Hazelnut Production. Kernel Basis · Metric Tons . Country TURKEY ITALY GEORGIA AZERBAIJAN USA SPAIN CHILE FRANCE IRAN CHINA OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

2014/2015 Beginning Stock 32,500 2,250 800 1,200 2,115 480 0 480 0 0 0 39,825

Crop

Total Supply

250,000 36,000 15,200 12,000 15,750 8,640 5,850 4,800 4,500 2,250 2,250 357,240

282,500 38,250 16,000 13,200 17,865 9,120 5,850 5,280 4,500 2,250 2,250 397,065

2015/2016 Ending Stock 15,000 450 0 0 220 240 0 240 0 0 0 16,150

Beginning stock 15,000 450 0 0 220 240 0 240 0 0 0 16,150

Crop

Total Supply

342,500 58,500 24,000 16,000 11,500 10,560 6,750 4,800 4,500 2,250 6,750 488,110

357,500 58,950 24,000 16,000 11,720 10,800 6,750 5,040 4,500 2,250 6,750 504,260

380,915

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Ending Stock 37,500 1,350 400 400 450 240 0 0 0 0 0 40,340

463,920

Source: INC.

In-shell Basis · Metric Tons . Country TURKEY ITALY GEORGIA AZERBAIJAN USA SPAIN CHILE FRANCE IRAN CHINA OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

2014/2015 Beginning Stock 65,000 5,000 2,000 3,000 4,700 1,000 0 1,000 0 0 0 81,700

Crop

Total Supply

500,000 80,000 38,000 30,000 35,000 18,000 13,000 10,000 10,000 5,000 5,000 744,000

565,000 85,000 40,000 33,000 39,700 19,000 13,000 11,000 10,000 5,000 5,000 825,700

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

2015/2016 Ending Stock 30,000 1,000 0 0 500 500 0 500 0 0 0 32,500

793,200

Beginning stock 30,000 1,000 0 0 500 500 0 500 0 0 0 32,500

Crop

Total Supply

685,000 130,000 60,000 40,000 27,850 22,000 15,000 10,000 10,000 5,000 15,000 1,019,850

715,000 131,000 60,000 40,000 28,350 22,500 15,000 10,500 10,000 5,000 15,000 1,052,350

Ending Stock 75,000 3,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 500 0 0 0 0 0 81,500

970,850

Source: INC.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Statistical Review

MACADAMIAS

夏威夷果 / MACADAMIA / MACADAMIANUSS / MAKEDEMIA / CEVIZI

AUSTRALIA. The season has had a sound start with a strong flowering, a good nut set and follow-up rains. However some localised severe weather in the northern rivers and recent dry conditions in south east Queensland are likely to have some effect on the final crop. There has also been significant insect pressure through much of the northern rivers of NSW, particularly Sigastus weevil. It is not possible to accurately estimate the impact of this across the national crop but yield loss has been significant in some cases. Early indications are that the 2016 crop will be similar to 2015. Exports are anticipated to account for over 70% of the crop with an expected 25% of the crop exported as in-shell.

Demand remains strong across all major markets both for kernel and in-shell with Asia continuing to show the strongest growth.

SOUTH AFRICA. The South African macadamia industry’s crop forecast for 2016 is 43,000 MT in-shell (1.5% kernel moisture) according to the Southern African Macadamia Growers’ Association. This figure is 7% down on the 2015 crop due to unusually hot and dry weather conditions, as well as hail in some production regions. At least 1,000 ha of new plantings are expected in 2016 to add to the existing 20,000. Fifty-two percent of the 2015 crop was exported as in-shell; the rest was processed

to kernel. The international kernel market remains strong and demand is expected to increase due to persistent coordinated marketing strategies, implemented by many processors during the 2015 season. The additional NIS processed to kernel after the sudden drop in demand from China for NIS drove the kernel market to expand. The demand for NIS recovered and the Chinese market is expected to absorb a large portion of the South African product. South Africa is implementing a minimum standard for the export of NIS in the 2016 season, which is expected to have a positive impact on the quality of products reaching the markets.

Estimated World Macadamia Production. Kernel Basis · Metric Tons. Country AUSTRALIA SOUTH AFRICA KENYA USA GUATEMALA MALAWI CHINA BRAZIL COLOMBIA NEW ZEALAND SWAZILAND OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

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

Crop

2016

Total Supply

13,500 12,900 8,846 3,600 1,800 1,839 1,540 1,250 250 150 7 1,000 46,682

13,500 12,950 8,846 3,600 1,800 1,839 1,540 1,250 250 150 7 1,000 46,732

Ending Stock 0 115 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 115

Beginning stock 0 115 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 115

Crop

Total Supply

13,200 12,000 7,372 3,600 1,800 1,781 1,540 1,500 250 150 7 1,000 44,200

13,200 12,115 7,372 3,600 1,800 1,781 1,540 1,500 250 150 7 1,000 44,315

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

46,617

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

In-shell Basis · Metric Tons. Country AUSTRALIA SOUTH AFRICA KENYA USA GUATEMALA MALAWI CHINA BRAZIL 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 15,668 8,867 7,401 5,000 5,167 1,000 600 110 4,000 171,913

45,100 46,178 33,000 15,668 8,867 7,401 5,000 5,167 1,000 600 110 4,000 172,091

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Ending Stock 0 412 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 412

Beginning stock 0 412 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 412

Crop

Total Supply

44,000 43,000 27,500 15,668 9,050 7,304 5,000 5,596 1,000 600 110 4,000 162,828

44,000 43,412 27,500 15,668 9,050 7,304 5,000 5,596 1,000 600 110 4,000 163,240

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

171,679

Reported at 3.5% NIS moisture content. Source: Australian Macadamia Society, Southern African Macadamia Growers’ Association, Tree Nut Growers Association of Malawi, China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Exports of Foodstuffs, and other INC Sources.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Statistical Review

PECANS

/ PECANA / NOIX DE PĂ&#x2030;CAN / NOCE PECAN / PECANUSS / PEKAN CEVIZI

USA AND MEXICO. Weather continues to create problems for the pecan harvest. Continuous rain and snow throughout the USA and Mexican growing regions have caused severe flooding and have made harvesting a real challenge for most growers. What many had projected to be a strong quantity and quality crop has turned into a short crop with many quality issues in parts of the growing regions. As a result, field prices continue to climb and are closing in on the record high levels experienced during the 2010 and 2011 growing seasons. Worldwide pecan consumption continued to be strong through November, with 2015 export shipments at record levels. Early shipments from Mexico and USA to China

and Hong Kong have been on par with the past several years but with very little in shell remaining available to purchase at grower level, the industry anticipates a decline in total crop year shipments to this area. It could be down 30-40% for the entire crop year. The smaller than anticipated crop size and high field prices have led to higher kernel prices for both halves and pieces. Kernel prices have been 35-50% higher than the same period a year ago. The price gap between halves and pieces has narrowed considerably, reflecting low inventories for both halves and pieces.

SOUTH AFRICA. South Africa had

expectations of a crop in the region of 15,000 metric tons. The main cause for this is that many of the new plantings coming into production were not productive as expected in 2015 due to the abnormally dry weather and substantial farm theft. The smaller crop however did result in larger inshell sizes and therefore most of the crop was exported to China on an inshell basis. Considering the tightening in the market there was also strong interest from the USA for both inshell and pecan kernel. The result was a climb in prices at farm gate level as the season progressed to near record highs. The outlook for the 2016 crop remains positive but could well be influenced by the continuing drought.

a disappointing crop in 2015 despite earlier

Estimated World Pecan Production. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons. Country USA MEXICO SOUTH AFRICA AUSTRALIA OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

2014/2015 Beginning Stock

Crop

2015/2016

Total Supply

Ending Stock

Beginning stock

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

34,250

53,155

87,406

21,954

52,889

74,844

16,965

2,000

61,463

63,463

1,250

40,824

42,074

1,500

5,724

5,740

5,380

104

1,248

1,352

1,716

104

750

900

36,370

122,340

158,710

23,204

101,708

124,913

18,569

135,506

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

106,344

Source: INC.

In-shell Basis. Metric Tons. Country USA MEXICO SOUTH AFRICA AUSTRALIA OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

2014/2015 Beginning Stock

2015/2016

Crop

Total Supply

Crop

Total Supply

77,842

120,807

198,649

49,896

120,203

170,099

38,556

4,000

122,925

126,925

2,500

81,647

84,147

3,000

10,800

10,830

10,150

200

2,400

2,600

3,300

200

1,500

1,800

82,072

258,432

340,504

52,396

217,100

269,496

41,756

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Ending Stock

288,108

Beginning stock

Ending Stock

227,740

Source: INC.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Statistical Review

PINE NUTS 松子

/ PIÑÓN / PIGNON / PINOLI / PINIENKERNE / ÇAM FISTIGI

CHINA. Pine nut production in China in 2015 is unchanged at 5,000 metric tons -a small crop as forecasted in the Pine Nut Seminar held in Guangzhou, last August. Exports preformed well in September and October, but remained flat in November and December. With the Chinese New Year and Spring Festival approaching, a thin market is expected. According to the China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Exports of Foodstuffs, China is expected to witness a slight devaluation

of its currency this year, which would be favorable for the EU market. Pine nut prices from China are expected to be normal.

MEDITERRANEAN BASIN. Turkey’s pine nut production has been revised lower 130 MT to 280, off from the 400 MT recorded in 2014. Despite that, overall production in the Mediterranean Basin remained steady at 1,525 MT, with significant increases in Portugal and Spain.

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

2014/2015 Beginning Stock

FAR EAST CHINA RUSSIA NORTH KOREA PAKISTAN AFGHANISTAN SUBTOTAL MEDITERRANEAN (Pinus pinea) PORTUGAL ITALY TURKEY SPAIN OTHERS SUBTOTAL WORLD TOTAL

Crop

2015/2016

Total Supply

Ending Stock

Beginning stock

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

500 100 100 100 100 900

25,000 2,500 5,000 3,000 3,000 38,500

25,500 2,600 5,100 3,100 3,100 39,400

12,000 50 200 100 100 12,450

5,000 4,050 3,000 3,000 3,000 18,050

17,000 4,100 3,200 3,100 3,100 30,500

1,650 50 200 100 100 2,100

0 0 0 0 0 0 900

360 350 400 300 40 1,450 39,950

360 350 400 300 40 1,450 40,850

55 150 100 0 0 305 12,755

485 360 280 350 50 1,525 19,575

540 510 380 350 50 1,830 32,330

250 150 100 0 0 500 2,600

28,095

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

29,730

Source: China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Exports and Foodstuffs (CCCFNA) and other INC sources.

Pine Nut Production. Far East. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons Metric Tons 40,000

Pine Nut Production. Mediterranean Basin. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons Metric Tons 3,000

38,500

32,000

2,295

30,000 18,050

20,000 10,500

2,000 1,450

Russian Fed. Pakistan

10,500

10,000

1,050 1,000

1,525

2011

2012

2013

Source: CCCFNA and other INC sources.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

2014

Portugal Italy

980

Spain Turkey

Korea DPR Afghanistan

China

Others

2015

2011 Source: INC.

2012

2013

2014

2015

Statistical Review

PISTACHIOS

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

USA. Although pistachio prices were at all-time highs at the time of writing this report, shipments and overall global demand were in balance with the total supply. Due to the impact of drought and low chill hours, CY15 crop came in at a much lower than estimated crop size. The crop is revised down from 136,100 metric tons (in-shell basis) previously

estimated to 127,000 MT. Even with a higher carry-in, CY15 saleable supply is expected to be less than last year.

IRAN. According to the Iran Pistachio Association (IPA) final update on 2014 crop figures, the Iranian production has been revised up by 10,000 MT to 230,000. Likewise, the

2015/16 crop estimate has been revised up 20,000 MT to 210,000. IPA estimates that about 80% of Iran’s annual production is exported, and so about 170,000 MT of Iranian pistachios (in-shell basis) will be available for export during the current marketing crop-year.

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

2014/2015 Beginning Stock

2015/2016

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

Beginning stock

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

IRAN

4,400

230,000

234,400

4,000

210,000

214,000

n/a

USA

40,000

235,000

275,000

81,000

127,000

208,000

42,000

TURKEY

20,000

60,000

80,000

10,000

145,000

155,000

40,000

SYRIA

20,000

25,000

n/a

AFGHANISTAN

10,000

5,000

n/a

CHINA

4,200

n/a

GREECE

5,000

4,000

n/a

ITALY

2,500

n/a

AUSTRALIA

1,150

n/a

64,400

567,850

632,250

95,000

523,850

618,850

82,000

TOTAL

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

537,250

536,850

Source: Iran Pistachio Association, China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Exports of Foodstuffs, Greek Nut Association and other INC sources.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Statistical Review

WALNUTS 核桃

/ NUEZ / NOIX / NOCE / WALNUSS / CEVIZ

USA. Handler receipts indicate the 2015/16 California walnut crop exceeded the USDA Objective Measurement for walnuts, to reach 546,125 metric tons (1.2 billion pounds) up 5.6% from 2014’s production of 517,095 MT. Final inventory projections remained unchanged at the time of writing this report. Weather during the growing season was mild with excellent quality being found in USDA’s survey sample. Bearing acreage has continued to rise, reaching 300,000 acres, up 3.5% from

290,000 acres in 2014 with average trees per acre rising to 72. Global demand for California walnuts remains strong due to solid marketing programs, handler efforts and growing consumer awareness of walnuts health and versatility attributes. Shipments through December 2015 had been strong in the export markets in the Middle East and Europe.

CHINA. The initial forecast for 2015’s crop at the beginning of the season was 600,000

MT, 13% above the last season. However final receipts after harvest were not as big as expected -the yield was lower due to shrivel damage in major origins. The industry presumes that a 10% increase is more objective. Price have dropped compared with the previous season, but still not competitive with other producing countries. Imports have been down by nearly 20% due to heavy inventory, slow consumption and an optimistic forecast. Prices were firm at the end of January, waiting for the potential impact of the Chinese New Year.

Estimated World Walnut Production. Kernel Basis · Metric Tons. Country USA CHINA UKRAINE IRAN CHILE TURKEY FRANCE MOLDOVA INDIA ROMANIA HUNGARY ITALY AUSTRALIA GEORGIA TOTAL

2014/2015 Beginning Stock 16,970 4,000 0 0 250 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21,220

Crop

Total Supply

227,522 212,000 32,400 39,600 32,500 30,000 16,720 14,000 15,505 10,800 6,400 6,000 4,500 3,500 651,447

244,492 216,000 32,400 39,600 32,750 30,000 16,720 14,000 15,505 10,800 6,400 6,000 4,500 3,500 672,667

2015/2016 Ending Stock

Beginning stock

32,354 8,000 0 0 1,000 1,600 440 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 43,394

Crop

Total Supply

240,295 232,000 44,600 42,680 39,000 30,400 17,600 17,000 15,062 11,600 7,600 7,310 4,500 2,763 712,410

272,649 240,000 44,600 42,680 40,000 32,000 18,040 17,000 15,062 11,600 7,600 7,310 4,500 2,763 755,804

629,273

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Ending Stock 34,800 16,000 0 0 1,500 1,200 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 53,500

702,304

Estimated World Walnut Production. In-shell Basis · Metric Tons. Country USA CHINA UKRAINE IRAN CHILE TURKEY FRANCE MOLDOVA INDIA ROMANIA HUNGARY ITALY AUSTRALIA GEORGIA TOTAL

2014/2015 Beginning Stock 38,568 10,000 0 0 500 4,000 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 54,068

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

2015/2016

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

517,095 530,000 108,000 90,000 65,000 75,000 38,000 38,000 35,000 27,000 16,000 14,000 10,000 9,500 1,572,595

555,663 540,000 108,000 90,000 65,500 79,000 39,000 38,000 35,000 27,000 16,000 14,000 10,000 9,500 1,626,663

73,531 20,000 0 0 2,000 4,000 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100,531

Beginning stock 73,531 20,000 0 0 2,000 4,000 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100,531

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

546,125 580,000 116,000 97,000 78,000 76,000 40,000 46,000 34,000 29,000 19,000 17,000 10,000 7,500 1,695,625

619,656 600,000 116,000 97,000 80,000 80,000 41,000 46,000 34,000 29,000 19,000 17,000 10,000 7,500 1,796,156

79,089 40,000 0 0 3,000 3,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 125,089

1,526,132

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.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

1,671,067

Statistical Review

PEANUTS

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

CHINA. With the Chinese Spring Festival

companies, were crushing more peanuts for oil. The rapid growth of peanut consumption caused the market to purchase more peanuts than in previous months. China’s domestic peanut market is partly driven by a rigid demand. Recently, China’s peanut exports have been rather low, since prices have been

approaching, domestic peanut demand was rising up by the end of January. The price was overall steady with a slight increase in some parts of China, which encouraged dealers to buy more peanuts. The Spring Festival also brings the peak season for selling peanut oil and processors, especially main oil crushing

relatively high compared to US and Argentina. The Large Chinese peanut still dominates China’s export market. Although affected by depreciation, China plans to improve its competitiveness on peanut exports according to the China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Exports of Foodstuffs.

Estimated World Peanut Production. In-shell Basis · 1000 Metric Tons. 2014/2015

Country

Beginning Stock

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

Crop

500 141 843 n/a 598 28 73 46 n/a 36 59 23 n/a 40 256 2,643

2015/2016

Total Supply

16,500 4,800 2,363 3,000 1,188 1,150 669 473 440 346 197 101 90 75 7,500 38,892

Ending Stock

17,000 4,941 3,206 3,000 1,786 1,178 742 519 440 382 256 124 90 115 7,756 41,535

Beginning stock

300 51 845 n/a 670 16 13 39 n/a 31 38 19 n/a 17 352 2,391

Crop

300 51 845 n/a 670 16 13 39 n/a 31 38 19 n/a 17 352 2,391

Total Supply

16,700 4,700 2,804 3,000 1,170 1,130 725 485 440 330 215 105 90 55 7,500 39,449

Ending Stock

17,000 4,751 3,649 3,000 1,840 1,146 738 524 440 361 253 124 90 72 7,852 41,840

39,144

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

600 52 1,159 n/a 745 14 43 54 n/a 18 28 23 n/a 0 350 3,086

38,754

Source: China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Exports of Foodstuffs, United States Department of Agriculture, and other INC sources.

US Peanut Supply and Disappearance. 1000 Metric Tons Supply Year Beg. Aug. 1

Beg Stocks

Production

1,257

1,893

2014/15**

843

2015/16**

845

2013/14*

Imports

Disappearance

Total

Domestic Food

3,190

1,309

301

240

497

2,347

843

2,363

3,245

1,351

300

244

503

2,399

845

2,804

3,688

1,390

351

273

515

2,528

1,159

3,577

Crush

3,688 3,190

Seed & Residual

Exports

Total

Ending Stock

Total Supply Production

3,245

3,068 2,848 2,673

2,582 2,388

2,715

2,804 2,463 2,363

2,341 1,893 1,675

1,666

1,886

1,571 2006/07

1,660 2007/08

2008/09

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

(*) Estimated (**) Forecast. Last update: January 27, 2016. 2013/14* 2014/15** 2015/16** Source: US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Commerce.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Statistical Review

DATES / DÁTIL / DATTE / DATTERO / DATTEL / HURMA Global table date production for 2015/16 has been revised up from the November estimate by 25,000 metric tons to 836,500 MT, which is explained by Egypt’s estimate rise from 40,000 to 65,000 MT.

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

2014/2015 Beginning Stock 17,000 7,000 8,000 5,000 4,500 2,000 3,000 1,500 3,000 2,000 500 1,500 1,000 100 3,500 59,600

Crop

Total Supply

185,000 115,000 85,000 80,000 75,000 40,000 70,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 10,000 15,000 1,000 35,000 781,000

202,000 122,000 93,000 85,000 79,500 42,000 73,000 26,500 23,000 17,000 10,500 11,500 16,000 1,100 38,500 840,600

2015/2016 Ending Stock

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

Crop

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

780,550

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Ending 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

835,950

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

TURKEY. According to the Aegean Exporters’ Association, Turkish dried apricot exports reached 65,000 metric tons (including whole, diced, industrial apricots) in 2015, down 17% from the previous year. The top three export markets of Turkish dried apricots were the United States, the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom. Estimated World Dried Apricot Production. Metric Tons. Country TURKEY IRAN UZBEKISTAN CHINA AFGHANISTAN USA SOUTH AFRICA OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

2014/2015 Beginning Stock 50,000 0 0 500 0 0 220 0 50,720

Crop 10,000 25,000 9,000 5,500 4,583 2,000 1,446 30,300 87,829

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock) Source: Aegean Exporters’ Association and other INC sources.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Total Supply 60,000 25,000 9,000 6,000 4,583 2,000 1,666 30,300 138,549

2015/2016 Ending Stock 5,000 0 0 300 0 0 0 0 5,300

133,249

Beginning stock 5,000 0 0 300 0 0 0 0 5,300

Crop

Total Supply

84,500 25,000 8,500 5,000 4,000 2,000 1,446 30,300 160,746

89,500 25,000 8,500 5,300 4,000 2,000 1,446 30,300 166,046

Ending Stock 10,000 0 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 10,000

156,046

Statistical Review

DRIED CRANBERRIES 莓

/ ARÁNDANO / MIRTILLO ROSSO / KEÇIYEMISI

The North American Harvest met all expectations other than Wisconsin which was 10% off of a normal crop. The overall quality was excellent, with a deep red berry. The Christmas shipments were Buoyant in the US market, and stable overseas, as the currency is creating challenges. The Sweetened Dried Cranberry market is the bright spot in comparison to the Cranberry Concentrate Supply.

Estimated Sweetened Dried Cranberries Production. Metric Tons. 2014/2015 Country Beginning Stock

USA 10,000 CANADA 2,000 CHILE 0 TOTAL 12,000 CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Crop

Total Supply

130,000 15,000 8,000 153,000

140,000 17,000 8,000 165,000

Ending Stock 12,000 2,000 0 14,000

2015/2016

Beginning stock 12,000 2,000 0 14,000

Crop

Total Supply

134,000 25,000 6,000 165,000

146,000 27,000 6,000 179,000

151,000

Ending Stock 10,000 1,000 0 11,000

168,000

Source: INC.

DRIED FIGS

花果 / HIGO SECO / FIGUE SEC / FICO SECCO / GETROCKNETE FEIGE / KURU INSIR

TURKEY. Turkish dried fig exports reached 62,000 MT (including whole, diced, industrial figs and fig paste) in 2015, according to the Aegean Exporters’ Association, which is down 3% from the previous year. The top three export markets of Turkish dried figs were France, the United States and Germany. Estimated World Dried Fig Production. Metric Tons. 2014/2015 Country Beginning Stock

Crop

TURKEY 0 69,731 IRAN 5,000 25,000 USA 0 10,000 GREECE 0 8,000 SPAIN 0 6,000 AFGHANISTAN 0 8,013 ITALY 0 4,000 OTHERS 0 5,000 WORLD TOTAL 5,000 135,744 WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

Total Supply

USA. The 4-year drought in California affected the production, resulting in 2015/16 tonnage of 9,000 MT, according to the California Fig Advisory Board and Fresh Fig Growers Association.

2015/2016 Ending Stock

69,731 30,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 8,013 4,000 5,000 140,744

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Beginning stock 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Crop

Total Supply

63,000 20,000 9,000 8,000 6,000 6,000 4,000 5,000 121,000

140,744

Ending Stock 0 0 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0

121,000

Source: California Fig Advisory Board and other INC sources.

PRUNES

/ CIRUELA SECA / PRUNEAU / PRUGNA SECCA / BACKPFLAUME / KURU ERIK / PRUNA SECA

The USA, France, Chile and Argentina all had higher yielding crops in 2015, which increased the global supply of prunes. However, while the total supply is up, it is important to note that the total global supply of Large sized prunes could be well below demand. As for demand, it has yet to be fully realized. The

Estimated World Prune Production. Metric Tons. 2014/2015 Country Beginning Stock

Crop

Total Supply

market is still adjusting from higher priced 2014 stocks against lower priced 2015 crops. As the market settles out, it appears that larger sized fruit could be in short supply. The industry will have a better idea in March, as the total supply of the new (2016) crops from the Southern Hemisphere is known.

2015/2016 Ending Stock

Beginning stock

Crop

USA 29,186 97,164 126,350 41,576 41,576 91,000 CHILE 10,043 65,899 75,942 10,690 10,690 76,945 FRANCE 15,699 35,672 51,371 14,986 14,986 34,000 ARGENTINA 1,000 13,500 14,500 5,000 5,000 35,000 SERBIA 100 8,100 8,200 600 600 7,000 AUSTRALIA 850 2,275 3,125 300 300 3,600 ITALY 450 1,360 1,810 480 480 1,200 SOUTH AFRICA 0 950 950 80 80 1,000 TOTAL 57,328 224,920 282,248 73,712 73,712 249,745 CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock) 208,536 Natural condition tons. Source: International Prune Association, California Dried Plum Board, Chile Prunes Association and other INC sources.

Total Supply

Ending Stock

132,576 87,635 48,986 40,000 7,600 3,900 1,680 1,080 323,457

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

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

Statistical Review

RAISINS, SULTANA & CURRANTS

葡萄干 / UVA PASA / RAISIN SEC / UVETTA / ROSINE / KUZU ÜZÜM

USA. After four years of drought, California is experiencing a wet winter with El Niño-driven storms that have brought rainfall levels to about 2.5 inches ahead of the average for this time of the year and resulted in an above-average snowpack. While this is welcome news to raisin farmers, California’s reservoirs and groundwater levels remain low and several additional wet winters will be needed in order for the state to fully recover. This winter’s rainfall and cold weather are beneficial for long term vine health, and while some vineyard removals continue to take place in favor of other crops, the overall prospects for the California raisin industry’s future remain

positive as newer raisin variety planting with higher yields continue to replace some removed acreage. As of January 9th, 2016, total deliveries to handlers of all varieties (excluding Goldens), including raisins held in need of reconditioning and memo storage, were 250,724 packed metric tons.

CHINA. China’s production has been slightly revised up 20,000 MT to 165,000. The crop was damaged by rain and snow; prices for highquality goods increased while low-quality prices drop. The ending stock was revised down from 5,000 to 1,000 MT, as both export and domestic demand increased.

TURKEY. According to the Aegean Exporters’ Association, in 2015, Turkish seedless dried grapes exports reached 225,000 MT, down only 1% from the previous year. The top three export markets of Turkish dried apricots were the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands.

Estimated World Raisin/Sultana/Currant Production. Metric Tons. Country USA TURKEY IRAN CHINA INDIA CHILE SOUTH AFRICA UZBEKISTAN ARGENTINA AFGHANISTAN GREECE AUSTRALIA TOTAL

2014/2015 Beginning Stock 127,000 25,000 10,000 8,000 0 7,350 3,500 0 0 0 5,000 1,450 187,300

Crop

Total Supply

Ending Stock

280,000 328,000 180,000 160,000 135,000 65,000 46,000 34,000 27,250 35,594 27,000 11,000 1,328,844

407,000 353,000 190,000 168,000 135,000 72,350 49,500 34,000 27,250 35,594 32,000 12,450 1,516,144

97,000 45,000 15,000 10,000 0 4,000 3,500 0 2,000 0 0 0 176,500

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock) Source: Aegean Exporters’ Association and other INC sources.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

2015/2016

1,339,644

Beginning stock 97,000 45,000 15,000 10,000 0 4,000 3,500 0 2,000 0 0 0 176,500

Crop

Total Supply

294,000 196,000 190,000 165,000 135,000 70,000 56,000 50,000 35,000 32,000 27,000 12,000 1,262,000

391,000 241,000 205,000 175,000 135,000 74,000 59,500 50,000 37,000 32,000 27,000 12,000 1,438,500

Ending Stock n/a 20,000 n/a 1,000 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 n/a 21,000

Statistical Review

SPECIAL REPORT: WORLD PRUNE OUTLOOK World Prune Production. Metric Tons 350,000

313,553

293,400

300,000 250,000

230,300

217,562

200,000

253,851 244,030

230,703

199,204

197,977

224,920

249,275

USA Chile

159,461

150,000

Argentina

100,000

France

50,000

Others

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Est.

Source: INC.

Estimated World Prune Consumption. Metric Tons 350,000

311,479

300,000 250,000

219,300 228,258

242,048

USA

275,158 271,815

251,444

232,894 227,632

220,872 212,181

France Germany

200,000

Russian F.

150,000

Brazil 100,000

Japan

50,000 0

Others 2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Source: INC.

Estimated World Prune Consumption. Metric Tons

High-Income Economies

Middle-Income Economies

Low-Income Economies

250,000

High-income economies:

200,000

(USA, France, Germany...)

150,000

Middle-income economies (incl. Upper- and Lower-Middle):

100,000

1,046-12,745 $

> 12,746 $ GNI per capita

(Brazil, Mexico, Algeria...)

50,000

Low-income economies:

< 1,046 $

0 2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

(Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Kenya...)

Source: The World Bank and INC.

2012 World Prune Acreage Hectares

25,000 20,000 15,000

Bearing Non-bearing Source: International Prune Association, 2015 Conference.

10,000 USA

Argentina

France

Chile

Australia

Italy

South Africa

5,000 0

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Statistical Review WORLD PRUNE IMPORTS. Metric Tons TOP IMPORTING COUNTRIES NORTH AMERICA AMERICAS

ASIA-PACIFIC

EUROPE

MIDDLE EAST/ AFRICA

2010

USA Canada LATIN AMERICA/CARIBBEAN Brazil Mexico Chile Peru Colombia NORTHEAST ASIA Japan China Korea Rep SOUTH/CENTRAL ASIA Viet nam Bangladesh Malaysia AUSTRALIA/OCEANIA Australia New Zealand WESTERN EUROPE Germany Italy UK Spain Netherlands Belgium Greece France Denmark Finland Switzerland Norway CENTRAL/EASTERN EUROPE Russian Fed. Poland Slovakia Sweden Czech Republic Hungary Austria MIDDLE EAST Israel Egypt AFRICA Algeria

Others World Total World Prune Importers 2014. Metric Tons 7%

2012

2013

52%

247 5,325

685 5,602

1,245 5,633

7,102 6,358

14,105 9,203 1,562 1,189 1,133

15,217 9,497 1,364 1,335 1,407

15,871 9,298 735 1,454 1,537

15,027 10,308 2,231 1,383 1,390

13,142 7,683 1,678 1,107 1,044

13,438 5,763 983

12,829 7,625 1,888

15,505 10,959 1,795

14,869 3,889 1,413

12,733 6,670 1,471

33 826 1,557

617 2,624 1,712

2,373 2,918 1,664

4,216 6,322 1,889

5,675 2,352 1,505

2,885 1,601

3,096 1,298

2,407 1,446

2,219 1,082

3,104 1,230

20,211 10,679 7,765 6,564 4,255 1,888 2,250 2,410 1,641 1,403 1,676 1,026

18,818 10,278 8,822 6,296 3,761 1,890 2,188 3,733 2,136 1,563 2,209 1,124

21,538 10,076 8,185 6,248 3,923 1,898 1,716 2,129 2,134 1,578 2,384 1,386

20,199 10,831 9,000 7,116 4,016 2,048 2,151 1,835 2,210 1,737 2,076 1,523

18,622 11,666 8,781 7,027 4,744 1,897 1,846 1,837 1,811 1,722 1,295 1,041

29,505 6,856 720 1,558 1,386 1,759 1,606

26,512 9,838 842 1,681 1,328 858 1,316

28,190 9,269 1,609 1,450 1,413 622 1,397

30,383 9,252 1,481 1,544 2,008 807 1,033

16,186 7,005 2,103 2,005 1,338 1,189 1,049

2,737 1,820

2,695 923

1,468 1,420

1,262 1,639

3,571 1,393

6,517

4,612

5,658

6,560

4,891

21,459

27,219

25,210

32,696

16,663

197,337

206,723

215,150

226,528

192,535

Americas 42,536 MiddleEast Africa 12,633 Asia-Paciﬁc 37,003

22%

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Europe 99,801

2014

399 4,969

Source: DESA/UNSD United Nations Comtrade Database.

World Prune Exporters 2014. Metric Tons

19%

2011

75% 1% 3%

21%

Americas 141,740 MiddleEast Africa 901 Asia-Paciﬁc 5,627 Europe 40,115

Statistical Review

Manufacturer of processing lines and equipment for:

Equipment for your products:

· · · · · · ·

· · · · · · · · · ·

Blanching, peeling Cutting (slices, slivers, cylinders) Dicing Milling Roasting & Drying Sorting Sizing and Sifting

Almonds Walnuts Pistachios Pine nuts Hazelnuts Cashew nuts Macadamias Apricot kernels Peanuts Sunﬂower seeds

Advanced Processing Solutions for NUTs KNOW-HOW. EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGY. A TEAM OF EXPERTS. www.incus.es · incus@incus.es · +34 965 107 729

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Industry News

THE FUTURE OF ALMOND FARMING

lmond Board of California has long been a research-based organization, funding production, environmental, almond quality and food safety, and nutrition research that has contributed to continuous improvements across the almond industry. In recent years, ABC has placed a greater emphasis on sustainability research and initiatives. ABC’s Board of Directors continues to support traditional research and sustainability initiatives, but is now placing greater emphasis on agricultural innovation that will lead the almond industry into the 22nd century. This year the Board established the Board of Directors’ task force, charged with overseeing the Accelerated Innovation Management program with the purpose of identifying sustainable and innovative almond-farming practices that will be required to meet the future needs of the consumer, the community and the planet.

THE FOUR NEW AIM INITIATIVES ARE: Water Management and Efficiency Focuses on accelerating the transition of growers up an irrigation improvement continuum with the adoption of more efficient irrigation and scheduling and management practices, resulting in the maximization of “crop per drop.” This initiative includes a range of activities from working with growers to fine-tune techniques to adopting more advanced water management technologies.

Sustainable Water Resources Explores how best to leverage a unique strength of the industry, its acreage, for increasing groundwater recharge in aquifers, which collectively are California’s largest water storage system. Water recharged through this program will benefit all Californians, not just growers. This initiative is bolstered by ABC’s partnership with Sustainable Conservation, research conducted by the University of California, Davis, and almond orchard mapping and spatial analysis conducted by Land IQ. A second part of this initiative will look for opportunities to recycle municipal waste water and other degraded water as a way of increasing overall water availability for farmers and all Californians.

Air Quality California’s Central Valley has some of the most exacting air quality standards in the world. In order to do our part to help meet these standards, the Board of Directors’ task force is delving into the various ways almond production impacts air quality as well as evaluating options to decrease emissions. From analyzing industry fossil fuel use to small- and large-particle pollutants, all components of almond farming that impact air quality are under scrutiny. This initiative will identify alternatives that will result in cleaner air for all those who live in California’s Central Valley: farmers, their families and surrounding communities.

22nd Century Agronomics

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Recognizes that we need to better understand and then adopt the technologies that will lead California Almond farming into the 22nd century. The ABC’s Board of Directors’ task force is open to considering all options as to what innovations and technical “leap frogs” will be needed to sustainably farm in the future. Each component of almond farming will be considered, from land preparation and varietal development to equipment and processing.

Industry News

NEW ADVERTISING LAUNCHES IN THE UK and it’s “Snacking Good”!

alifornia Almonds recently launched its “Snacking Good” ad campaign in the UK, releasing an entire lineup of new print, digital, and video advertising. To create the new campaign, Almond Board of California (ABC) worked with its long-standing advertising and strategy partner, Sterling-Rice Group –a Colorado-based company widely known for its ability to conduct in-depth research and translate consumer insights into transformative brand campaigns. California Almonds had been successfully advertising in the UK since January 2011, helping increase awareness and consumption of almonds as a snack year over year. Four years after launching the first ABC consumer ad campaign in Europe, it was time to refresh the creative and leverage more relevant and motivating messaging about almonds with the UK consumer base. After conducting extensive focus groups in the United Kingdom, the insights were clear: the UK consumer target audience loves snacking, but often feels guilty about it because they are constantly thinking about their weight and the calories they consume. Moreover, the UK consumer believes eating six almonds is the appropriate amount (versus an entire handful, or 28 grams). The new ad campaign is strategically designed to do three things: 1) address the serving size misconception; 2) make consumers

feel smart for snacking on a handful of almonds anywhere they go; and 3) show the target audience there is a guilt-free snack option to help keep their weight on track. Undoubtedly, the creative is witty, modern and straight to the point–which has been praised on Twitter and various sites, like Best Ads on TV, in the first few weeks after launch. The print and online ads showcase striking patterns with brightly colored, contemporary headlines that have been catching the attention of viewers everywhere. Similarly, the online video ads align with the strategy and tone by playing to the humor of being stuck in a situation and not being able to escape –but thank goodness for almonds! A perfect on-the-go snack that is “good for snacking anywhere”! With 160 calories, 15 essential nutrients and 0 grams of guilt in every handful, almonds are “snacking good” in more ways than one. To further engage consumers online and keep almonds top of mind in the UK, a series of short Snack Hack videos have been developed for interaction and social sharing. The 15-second videos include easy-to-follow instructions that use almonds in a multitude of ways to create new snacking options, like almond energy bars; almond snack mixes; and spiced, seasoned or candied almonds. Although almonds can be a naturally satisfying and simple snack, adding delicious flavors or indulgent ingredients to the mix demonstrates how

versatile they are and how easily they fit into our lives. For more almond snack hacks and to discover why California Almonds are Snacking Good, visit www.almonds.co.uk/consumers/ snacking/snacking-good. The full lineup of print, digital and video advertising is anticipated to generate nearly 1 billion impressions during the 2015/16 crop year, reaching 75% of the target audience 14 times. Almonds. Snacking Good.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Industry News

CALIFORNIA WALNUT INDUSTRY MARKETING SPAIN - KING OF HEARTS

TURKEY

Over the past decade the CWC has worked with leading Spanish chefs, Cardiologists and the Spanish Heart Foundation on the Menus with Heart Campaign, a cardiovascular health awareness campaign showing cardio-healthy menus featuring California walnuts.

he 11th edition enters a new era, King of Hearts, featuring celebrities Luján Argüelles (TV Presenter), Jorge Fernández (Basketball Player and former Mister Spain) and Elena Gadel (Singer). These artists showcase their chef skills through 15 delicious and simple home-cooked recipes featuring California walnuts. Featured recipes will include a starter, a fish course, a meat dish, dessert and a heart-healthy drink! The menus were unveiled through press events held this past fall.

Expanding the bakery and pastry applications for California walnuts is a primary objective for the CWC.

orking with the Istanbul Bakery and Chefs Association, bakery seminars were led by food pioneer Professor Hikmet Boyacioglu showcasing walnuts use in savory breads including traditional style Ekmek bread. Baklava, a traditional and popular desert in Turkey, will get a new twist as chefs from leading companies compete for the most creative California walnut baklava. A workshop and trade media event, in partnership with Catering Guide Magazine, were held last fall. The CWC has baklava recipes at your fingertips.

CHINESE NEW YEAR, NEW START The Chinese New Year remains a peak holiday for walnut consumption.

n December a new campaign kicked off with a Christmas lead-in to the New Year, highlighting walnut uses for Christmas dishes. In the second phase of the campaign, our iconic Wallie the walnut helps consumers tackle the “New Year, New Start” through a series of videos, recipes and workouts. An interactive wishing tree lets consumers send their best wishes to family and friends for the New Year’s holiday.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Industry News

MEDITERRASIAN COOKING HIGHLIGHTED IN JAPAN The CWC is partnering with the leading cooking school for the home cook, ABC Cooking Studio.

lasses will feature CWC developed recipes focused on MediterrAsian cuisine. Mediterranean and Asian diets share many traits including abundant amounts of plant foods including vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes and nuts, as well as deriving fat from plant and fish sources, among many others. Fusion recipes will highlight the best of both cuisines with dishes such as Salmon with Walnut Genovese Sauce, Seafood, Walnut & Chickpea Stew and Anchovy Walnut Potato Salad. Booklets containing the recipes, walnut health benefits and background on the MediterrAsian Diet were provided to students in 135 schools nationwide in February.

WALNUTS GET COOKING IN INDIA California walnuts versatility were featured on India’s leading cooking channel Food Food.

asterchef Sanjeev Kapoor and his fellow celebrity chefs featured walnut segments on healthy cooking including breakfast, cooking for kids, dessert, healthy snacks and more, over the last several months. Chefs also showcased their recipes through consumer events held in Delhi and Mumbai and in the recently launched Food Food magazine. Social media integration expanded content across channels including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and via food blogs.

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

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Industry News

AMERICAN PISTACHIOS AT KEY NUTRITION CONFERENCES American Pistachio Growers recently shared the health benefits of pistachios with influencers and researchers across the globe. SINU, the annual conference of the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, was held at the Palazzo Affari Florence Convention Centre, on December 2-4, 2015. APG met many health professionals and distributed samples, discussed the health benefits of pistachios and provided a toolkit to attendees to access educational materials for clients, customers, and patients on the health effects of pistachios. APG sponsored the National Congress for the Study of Obesity (SEEDO) November 25 – 27, 2015 in Malaga, Spain. APG hosted a booth in the Expo Hall where we shared health and nutrition information about pistachios with prominent researchers and health professionals in Spain. Dr. Monica Bulló, Rovira I Virgili University, presented research on the health benefits of pistachios and body weight control.

NEW 2015 AMERICAN DIETARY GUIDELINES CONFIRM NUTS ARE PART OF A HEALTHY DIET For the first time, the new 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasized healthy eating through overall diet patterns, rather than

focusing on individual nutrients. Three different patterns of eating are recommended by the 2015 Guidelines (the Healthy US-Style Eating Pattern, the Mediterranean Style Eating Pattern and the Healthy Vegetarian Eating Pattern), and nuts, including pistachios, fit within each as a way to eat a variety of protein foods. The Healthy Vegetarian Eating pattern, specifically, includes nuts as a key component of the eating plan. One serving of pistachios (49 nuts!) has 6 grams of plant-based protein for only 160 calories. Additionally, a serving of pistachios is also a good source of fiber, which the Dietary Guidelines has called out as a “nutrient of public health concern” because the general American population doesn’t get enough. Pistachios are delicious as a snack or incorporated into recipes as a healthy ingredient.

EMERGING RESEARCH SUGGESTS PISTACHIOS MAY HELP WITH WEIGHT MANAGEMENT No need to compromise taste, fun or health to reach your weight goals when you include pistachios as part of your daily calorie needs. A one-ounce serving of pistachios is 49 nuts— more nuts per serving than any other snack nut, and has only 160 calories! Recent studies suggest that individuals who regularly eat nuts may have higher quality diets. Additionally, including nuts as part of a calorie restricted diet may help keep dieters on

track and increase weight loss.1 Researchers found that the act of shelling pistachios slowed down consumption, resulting in fewer calories ingested.2 A separate study of pistachios in the shell discovered that when consumers had a visual cue of the amount eaten, they consumed less.3 For young and healthy adults research suggests short-term consumption of a pistachio nut snack can decrease body weight and adiposity compared to a refined carbohydrate snack.4

2016 U.S. CROP UPDATE At time of writing this article, pistachios orchards in the U.S. are still in their dormant season; bud break will not occur until the end of March. Chill accumulation hours this year are much better than they were last year. Low chill hours cause uneven bloom and pollination of trees, resulting in low yields. And, rain and snow in the mountains (where summer irrigation water is stored) has been above 100% of average totals in the past. These are all good signs for a much larger crop in 2016 than what was experienced in 2015. Last seasons’ crop of 275 million pounds (125.000 metric tonnes) was far below all expectations. While no formal prediction has been given, growers expect 2016’s crop could potentially reach near 600 million pounds, if not even higher. There are now nearly 250,000 acres (113.636 hectares) of pistachios that are now considered bearing, with a total 307,000 total acres (139.545 hectares) planted in the U.S.

References. 1. Bullo M et al. Nutrition Attributes and Health Effects of Pistachio Nuts. Br J Nutr. 2015 Apr;113 Suppl 2:S79-93. doi: 10.1017/S0007114514003250. 2. Honselman CS, Painter JE, Kennedy-Hagan KJ, Halvorson A, Rhodes K, Brooks TL, Skwir K. 2011. In-shell pistachio nuts reduce caloric intake compared to shelled nuts. Appetite. Oct;57(2):414-7. 3. Kennedy-Hagan K., Painter JE, Honselman C, Halvorson A, Rhodes K, Skwir K, 2011. The effect of pistachio shells as a visual cue in reducing caloric consumption. Appetite. Oct;57(2):418-20. 4. Hernandez LM et al. The effects of consuming a pistachio snack versus a refined carbohydrate snack on blood lipids, blood glucose, body weight, and body composition in young healthy adults. FASEB J. 2012;26:1b396.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Industry News

PISTACHIOS FIT INTO TODAY’S TOP HEALTH TRENDS Pistachio Health Institute (PHI) kept pistachios in the spotlight as a trendy healthy snack throughout 2015, a year that saw the pistachio named “Nut of the Year”1 and a top U.S. food trend. PHI continues to build on the positive momentum by sharing health tips and recipes through online-engagement and media-influencer relationships in 2016. A trend that’s here to stay: PHI’s work to ensure pistachios’ place in the hearts and minds of consumers as they choose healthy snacks. Pistachios are poised to keep taking full advantage of top nutrition trends.

“EYE GET IT” WITH PISTACHIO HEALTH INSTITUTE

According to Mintel, consumers have come to heavily rely on visual communications to influence buying behavior,2 and they expect this trend to continue. Today, many social media platforms are catering to that notion. PHI’s Facebook page is a prime example of being savvy to this trend by taking on the role of connecting with its audience through education and entertainment by utilizing eye-catching graphics. Over a three year span, PHI’s Facebook fan base grew 649 percent through high online engagement, and continues to generate awareness of pistachios in an exciting and fun fashion within the online community.

MINDFUL EATING According to a 2016 Forbes article, mindful eating is anticipated to become a top food trend.3 Many resorts, classes, and technological apps have emphasized that a healthy lifestyle is made through a conscientious mind and body. PHI has long recognized and understood the importance of mindful eating and partnered with influential bloggers and launched a campaign, “Fool Yourself Full,” to build on the mindful eating concept of the Pistachio Principle4 to create crave-worthy snacks that included in-shell pistachios. Bloggers kept empty pistachio shells to serve as a visual cue for portion monitoring to help cut calorie intake and “fool yourself full.” Thus, PHI’s efforts placed pistachios into the anticipated trending category of mindful eating to encourage people to eat slower and thoughtfully without restricting their diets.

PLANT-BASED PROTEINS The 2015 Dietary Guidelines suggests Americans should consume a variety of plant oils and plant protein foods. Consumers now, more than ever, appreciate and embrace the health benefits of plant-based fats. Nuts, such as pistachios, fit into the list of plant-powered protein snacks due to their six grams of protein per serving.6 The colors, crunch, nutrients, and nuttiness further make pistachios a versatile, complementary kitchen ingredient and PHI’s website and blog provide a wide variety of recipes and snack ideas for any occasion. 5

POPULAR DIETS Consumers may embrace trending diets in hopes of achieving weight management goals. Pistachios are an incredibly versatile food due to their better-foryou monounsaturated fats and nutrients that aid in feeling full. This snack nut fits into many of today’s popular diets such as the Paleo, Weight Watchers, Vegetarian, Flexitarian, MyPlate, and the Mediterranean diets. PHI’s asset library also contains hundreds of pistachio-pairing photos to share and offer a wide array of options to further show that a healthy diet is not at all difficult to achieve.

“I recommend pistachios all the time. In our fast-paced world, pistachios in the shell are the perfect way to slow down and eat more mindfully” Media RD, past-spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, writes for U.S. News & World Report and Huffington Post

“Pistachios are an ideal fit in today’s consumer nutrition trends as they’re a plant-based source of protein, which is the main direction protein intake is headed in America” Media RD, nutrition expert for TV & print, award-winning cookbook author, writes for Everyday with Rachel Ray and Livestrong, featured in The Washington Post, Yahoo! Health, and Dr. Oz Show

“I often work with women seeking weight management or simple tips to maintain a vegetarian diet. I recommend pistachios all the time” Media RD, past-spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, writes for U.S. News & World Report and Huffington Post

People are hungry for tips to eat better and live healthier, and PHI is an active part of the conversation to help more consumers recognize pistachios as a healthy and trendy snack References. 1. Baum+Whiteman International Food + Restaurant Consultants. 11 hottest food & beverage trends in restaurants and hotel dining for 2015 + 22 buzzwords: The Whiteman Report. Accessed online http://www.baumwhiteman.com/2015Trends.pdf. 2. “Mintel Identifies Four Key North American Consumer Trends for 2016.” Mintel. Accessed online http://www.mintel.com/press-centre/social-and-lifestyle/ mintel-identifies-four-key-north-america-consumer-trends-for-2016. 3. “Toast The New Year With 8 Food Trends.” Forbes. Accessed online http://www.forbes.com/sites/barbstuckey/2016/01/01/toast-the-newyear-with-8-food-trends-of-which-toast-is-not-one-2/3/. 4. K. Kennedy-Hagan, J.E. Painter, C. Honselman, A. Halvorson, K. Rhodes, K. Skwir. “The Effect of Pistachio Shells as a Visual Cue in Reducing Caloric Consumption.” Appetite. 2011, 57(2): 418-420. The Pistachio Principle: Pistachios may help slow down consumption and the empty shells offer a visual cue, potentially reducing calorie intake. 5. HHS and USDA Release New Dietary Guidelines. HHS.gov. Accessed online http://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2016/01/07/hhs-and-usda-release-new-dietary-guidelines-encourage-healthy-eating-patterns-prevent-chronic.html. 6. U.S. Department of Agriculture. National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 28.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Industry News

NEWS FROM THE

INC NUTRITION RESEARCH & EDUCATION FOUNDATION (INC NREF) In a new INC NREF-funded study published last November, people who consumed tree nuts had lower levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and its primary apolipoprotein, ApoB.

The paper was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and included 61 trials with a total of 2,582 people. While the length of the studies varied, the average was four weeks and the amount of nuts consumed was approximately two ounces per day. Interestingly, researchers found that there were stronger effects for tree nuts on ApoB seen in people with type-2 diabetes than among healthy populations. More research is warranted in this area especially since ApoB can provide even better information about risk of heart disease than LDL concentrations.

Tree Nuts and CVD Meta-analysis EFFECTS OF TREE NUTS ON BLOOD LIPIDS, LIPOPROTEINS AND BLOOD PRESSURE: A META-ANALYISIS OF 61 TRIALS New Findings on Tree Nuts and Cardiovascular Disease Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Davis, CA, November 11, 2015. In a study published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,1 researchers performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials to investigate the effects of tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts) on blood lipids, lipoproteins, blood pressure and inflammation in adults 18 years and older without prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD). Tree nut consumption was shown to lower total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and its primary apolipoprotein, ApoB. Of the 1,301 potentially eligible studies, 61 crossover and parallel trials met eligibility criteria with a total of 2,582 individuals. Interventions ranged from 3-26 weeks (median 4 weeks). Nuts were provided in all of the trials, rather than relying only on dietary advice. The amount of nuts varied from 5 to 100 grams per day (median 56 grams/day or approximately 2 ounces). Compared with the control groups, consumption of tree nuts (per serving/day) significantly lowered total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, ApoB and triglycerides. “Accumulating evidence suggests that nut intake lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease. Our findings, showing that nut intake lowers LDL cholesterol, ApoB and triglycerides in clinical trials, provide mechanistic evidence to support this relationship,” said lead author Liana Del Gobbo, PhD, currently a researcher in Cardiovascular Medicine at Stanford University. She conducted the study as a research fellow at the

Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts. Interestingly, stronger effects for ApoB were observed in populations with type-2 diabetes than among healthy populations. According to the senior author, Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, Dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, “ApoB can provide even better information about risk of heart disease than LDL concentrations. Our new findings suggest that eating nuts may be especially important for lowering cardiovascular risk in the setting of diabetes or insulin resistance.” Nuts contain important nutrients such as unsaturated fats, high quality protein, vitamins (i.e., vitamin E, folate and niacin), minerals (i.e., magnesium, calcium and potassium) and phytochemicals—all of which may offer cardioprotective properties, prompting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to announce a qualified health claim for nuts and heart disease in 2003. The claim states, “Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.” “This new analysis provides further support that nuts can and should be part of a heart-healthy diet,” states Maureen Ternus, M.S., R.D., Executive Director of the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation (INC NREF). “Just 1.5 ounces of nuts per day (about 1/3 cup) can provide many of the important vitamins, minerals and energy we need throughout the day.”

1. Del Gobbo LC, Falk MC, Feldman R, Lewis K, Mozaffarian D. Effects of tree nuts on blood lipids, apolipoproteins, and blood pressure: systematic review, meta-analysis, and dose-response of 61controlled intervention trials. Am J Clin Nutr 2015 Nov 11 [Epub ahead of print; DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.115.110965].

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Industry News

2015 U.S. DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. December 2015. Available at http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/

he U.S. Dietary Guidelines are updated every five years. This past January, the 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans were released and the recommended serving of nuts per week was increased from 4 ounces of nuts, seeds and soy per week to 5 ounces in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Style Eating Pattern for 2,000 calories (the amount that the food labels in the U.S. are based on). The amounts recommended in the vegetarian and Mediterranean eating patterns are 3.5 and 2.5 ounces of nuts, seeds and soy per week, respectively.

For more information on any INC NREF project please contact Maureen Ternus at

Maureen.ternus@nuthealth.org.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

While all of these pattern recommendations are well below the 10.5 ounces of nuts per week recommended in the FDA qualified health claim for nuts and heart disease, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s certainly a step in the right direction. Several more INC-NREF-funded studies are scheduled for publication in the next 12 to 18 months, including a study on tree nuts and prostate cancer and another that looks at the associations between long-term nut consumption and inflammatory biomarkers. Both studies were conducted by researchers at Harvard University.

Industry News

CALIFORNIA PRUNES EXPAND FURTHER INTO JAPANESE CUISINE Aiming to diversify the Japanese market, the California Prune Board launched efforts to promote California Prunes as a healthy lifestyle ingredient with many applications in the Japanese diet.

he multi-faceted campaign addressed trade professionals and consumers, and educated audiences on California prunes’ nutritional value and versatility. It highlighted the nutritional advantages of using prunes as a sweetener and prune puree as a fat substitute, and helped cultivate new opportunities in Japan’s bread and dessert sectors. The California Prune Board engaged chefs and confectioners through baking seminars, product development contests, one-on-one presentations, technical seminars, and tie-in sales promotions with home baking ingredient online shops. Bread makers, dessert artisans, and shop owners learned the health advantages of using prunes, and the most popular recipes featuring California prunes as a fat and sugar substitute were shared via social media. Consumer public relations focused primarily on young women and mothers making healthy lifestyle choices for their families. Consumers participated in recipe contests and tuned in to watch celebrity chefs create new dishes using California prunes. Star chef Yoroizuka’s Premium Prune Sweet Seminar at an ABC Cooking Studio reached thousands of consumers and attracted 40 bloggers, and year-round educational activities at ABC Cooking Studios introduced prune recipes to 280,000 students at 135 Ryusuke Oshima, a 28 year-old confectioner in Tohoku, earned the gold prize in a California Prune and Walnut Product Development Contest with his Dorayaki recipe (bean paste sandwiched between pancakes). Oshima used prune puree as a fat substitute to keep his pastry moist, and added puree and diced prunes to the mixture of cream and bean paste to craft his signature dish. Ryusuke Oshima features California prune puree as a fat substitute in his gold medal-winning “Dorayaki.” Educating cooking professionals and consumers has led to more applications for California prunes in Japanese cuisine and solidified the market.

studios nationwide. ABC Cooking Studio’s website featuring the winning “Prune Bread for Dinner” recipe generated more than 1.2 million online page views. Japanese consumers increasingly are choosing natural, healthy foods to support their active lives, and value California prunes as a source of iron and fiber. California prunes also are high in potassium, and promote heart health in addition to beautiful skin and good digestive health. Working with the Japan Osteoporosis Foundation also helped draw attention to the bone health benefits California prunes can provide. Increased awareness among food professionals and consumers that California prunes can be used as an effective fat substitute has raised demand for breads made with prune puree and introduced prunes to more aspects of Japanese cuisine. Since the introduction of prune puree to the Japanese bakery and confectionery sectors, California prunes have been baked into more than 30 breads and cakes launched by a dozen major companies encompassing wholesale bakeries, supermarkets, convenience stores and artisan shops. Kobeya Baking Company, one of the largest baking company in Japan, has been launching prune puree products nationwide three years in a row after having sold more than one million packs of a California Prune Baking Contest Grand Prize winning product.

Aino Haruna is a 32 year-old mother who runs a natural lifestyle classroom and blog for expectant and breast-feeding mothers. She advises readers to avoid sugar whenever they can to keep their babies and themselves healthy, and recommends using prunes instead of sugar as a natural sweetener. Haruna’s favorite seasoning is prune-miso, which she creates by mixing California prune puree with soybean paste and uses it in her rice balls or stir-fried vegetables and seaweed.

Chef Tsuyoshi Abe also uses prunes as a sweetener. “With prunes, I don’t need to use traditional Japanese sweet seasonings such as sweet sake or sugar,” Abe says. Abe’s Chikuzenni, served in his deli-turned wine bar Binot in Kamakura and featured in a magazine for food connoisseurs, is a traditional Japanese stew of root vegetables including taro, lotus root, and burdock. Abe says “prunes’ natural sweetness and richness match with delicate flavors of white root vegetables.” Blogger Aino Haruna recommends California prunes instead of sugar for breast-feeding mothers. California prune applications have grown beyond Japan’s dried fruit market and into its artisan bakery, traditional cuisine, and healthy bread markets.

Proven nutritional benefits, integrated public relations campaigns, and a demonstrated versatility have helped California prunes become accepted into more aspects of Japanese culture.

Could similar strategies create opportunities elsewhere?

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Industry News

151001_CRCK_B_PROD.pdf 1 10/2/2015 12:34:26 PM

Protect your brand. Protect your reputation. Protect him.

CMY

The next generation of chemical-free food safety is here.

rfbiocidics.com

we are all about sustainability

Packed by: The Rising Pili Nut Company of the Philippines

The Youth & Beauty Nut

just organic in-shell pili nuts

crack them and eat them

Food with Integrity 96

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

the way nature wanted it

highest content of Vitamin E of all nuts

www.thecrackingmonkey.com

Industry News

AUSTRALIAN MACADAMIAS TURN MILLIONS OF HEADS IN CHINA For the past five years, the Australian Macadamias brand has been infiltrating the minds and shopping baskets of millions of consumers throughout Asia, with over half the Australian crop now exported to the region.

n November 2015, our Asian presence took a significant leap forward with the launch of the first Australian Macadamias consumer promotional campaign in China. Designed to educate consumers and drive demand, the campaign is maximising visibility of our product, engaging consumers with the premium attributes of macadamias, generating positive word of mouth and supporting our trade partners. It’s a pivotal time for our product in China, with macadamias already enjoying a degree of popularity in this market. Kernel and in-shell imports into China from Australia have more than doubled since 2013, as have e-commerce sales, while the healthy snacking category has experienced double-digit growth. With the China - Australia Free Trade Agreement recently entering into force, our product is becoming more affordable for Chinese consumers, making our clean, green premium product more attractive than ever to this market. The consumer campaign is the culmination of two years of strategic planning, and it is paying off in pleasing form, with strong engagement and many performance indicators already exceeded.

Significant Chinese media coverage was generated by the event, including Shanghai Daily and other online media sites that attract over 2 billion daily page views.

Investment backed by knowledge With Australian Macadamias consumer campaigns already running in multiple markets globally and now reaching over 80 million consumers each year, we have considerable marketing knowledge to draw on, and an excellent understanding of what motivates our fans in each market. This experience was overlaid with in-depth market research and consumer profiling in China that isolated consumption occasions, possible positioning, price elasticity, seasonality, core target markets and media consumption. This information unearthed potent market opportunities and segments that our campaign is tapping into as we drive consumption frequency, new applications and increased awareness of our product and Australia as the source of the world’s best quality macadamias.

their other beauty practices freeing them to concentrate on their busy lifestyles. As a nut that offers tangible benefits related to healthy snacking, skin smoothness and firmness, and health benefits that can pass from mother to baby, macadamias are perfectly placed to own this market positioning. Chinese women are being inspired to incorporate macadamias into their day by our three opinion leaders. Businesswoman Ava, model Kiki and aspirational mother Sammy feature in compelling content that has been produced to show how they incorporate macadamias into their health and beauty routines, with this messaging already reaching millions of Chinese consumers via our social media and online TV campaigns. With a heavy schedule of content appearing on our channels on China’s most popular social media platforms WeChat and Weibo, as well as online TV channel Youku, we are engaging and informing consumers and driving traffic to the new Australian Macadamias Chinese website. Our opinion leaders have also featured our content on their own social media accounts, enabling us to leverage their sizeable audiences.

First stop: trade launch

Carefully crafted messaging, powerfully executed

Strong signs early

The foundation for the campaign’s success was laid with a launch event for trade and industry partners, held across two locations in Shanghai and Guangzhou. These events attracted an extraordinary turnout of over 230 guests including key players in the Chinese nut industry and media as well as Australian macadamia growers, marketers and government representatives. Official proceedings opened with a video message from the Australian Government Minister for Trade and Investment, demonstrating strong support for the campaign from the Australian federal government.

This cache of market intelligence shaped the development of our core message that Australian macadamias are “the beauty nut that’s also best for baby.” Brought to life via a series of tactical campaigns, this messaging is directed at our primary audience of busy, beauty-conscious professional Chinese women living in top-tier cities, demanding quality nutrition in the lead-up to pregnancy and throughout motherhood. We’re focused on making Australian macadamias the nut of choice for these women who are too busy to spend a lot of time on their beauty regime. Macadamias can supplement

The initial months of the campaign have delivered robust results. Our online TV campaign has generated more than 15 million impressions, achieving 117% of target while our Weibo and WeChat channels have attracted over 10,000 followers and reached almost a million consumers. Consumer engagement has been strong and positive, with feedback indicating that our messaging resonates strongly and that consumers are interested and entertained by our content. With such a promising start, strong results are expected to keep flowing as the campaign continues to unfold over the coming months.

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Industry News

NUTS FOR LIFE SOCIAL MEDIA PROJECT INC CO-FUNDING GRANT In June 2015 Nuts for Life was the fortunate recipient of a co-funding grant from the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council for a 12 month social media education project

uts for Life is a health education program funded by 32 members of the Australian Tree Nut industry and Horticulture Innovation Australia. Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) is a key tool to disseminate information about the health benefits of tree nuts. Australian farmers (growers) are considered one of the top 10 trusted professions in Australia based on a 2014 national survey by Readers Digest Australia. Yet few are using social media to share their experience of growing nuts and the health benefits of eating nuts. A Nuts for Life member survey in 2014 found many do not use social media due to a perceived lack of value, time and/or skill. Nuts for Life has its own Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest accounts and generates a lot of shareable material including infographics and images. It seemed a wasted opportunity not to engage growers and industry personnel to help share this nut health information. The purpose of the Nuts for Life Social Media Education Project is to increase the skills of Australian tree nut industry members, through workshops/webinars over a 12 month period, to set up and use social media to disseminate nut health key messages generated by Nuts for Life and the INC. To date - in October and November 2015 Nuts for Life ran five 90-minute education workshops in major capital cities and two live webinars which were recorded for later download. To encourage attendance Nuts for Life also ran the Advanced Nuts for Life Food Labeling workshop and a webinar on the same day as the social media events given changes to the Australian Food Standards Code nutrition and health claims standard came into effect in January 2016. Bite Communications, Nuts for Life’s public relations agency, develop the social media tool kit in the form of a booklet with key messages and infographics and also on USB. Andrea Brydges – Director, Bite Communications presented the social media program while Lisa Yates - Program Manager and Dietitian Nuts for Life, presented the food labeling program at these workshops and webinars. The webinar company informed us most people prefer to attend webinars on Tuesday and Wednesday commencing sometime between 10 and 11am. They also warned us that 50% of those who register for a free webinar were unlikely to attend on the day so participation rates were an important measure of success for us. During the live webinar questions were answered as they arose and the social media tool kit was showcased using a live digital publishing platform called Issuu https://issuu.com. Infographics are available from http://nutsforlife.com.au/media/nut-infographics

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

RESULTS Attendance rates There were 116 delegates for both topics and formats - 83 delegates for Social Media workshops and webinar and 33 delegates for Food Labelling events - with good participation rates at all events as seen in the table below. Well above the 50% participation rate as suggested by the webinar supplier. Registered Attended (%rate) Social media workshop Social media webinar Food labelling workshop Food labelling webinar

80 18 20 22

69 (86%) 14 (78%) 16 (80%) 17 (77%)

Evaluation surveys Evaluation surveys were given at the end of each workshop and exit surveys after the webinars concluded. Nuts for Life also surveyed any member who registered but didn’t attend as well as those that never registered to determine why. Overall the delegates rated the workshops and webinars highly 4 to five out of five and 100% would recommend the events to others. Those that registered but didn’t attend only did so because their work scheduled changed on the day. The recorded webinar was promoted to these members after the event.

Conversion to social media accounts Delegates that already had social media accounts became more active and shared more health posts after the program. Some of those that attended, but didn’t have social media accounts prior, did set up accounts after but not all. This was expected as one of the key messages of the social media workshop was to make sure you have a social media strategic plan in place before embarking to ensure social media helps achieves business goals. Incidentally just promoting the social media workshops to all Nuts for Life members saw an increase in health post sharing even by those organisations and companies that didn’t attend a workshop or webinar.

Webinar downloads The webinar recording is available to Nuts for Life members via the Nuts for Life website and to date there have been just over 40 downloads since December 2015.

Industry News

Social media activity and reach Following the social media workshops and webinar a search for content using the information provided in these training sessions was conducted. The project’s infographics and health information has been shared on social media by a range of different organizations. This has included 15 Nuts for Life members, either directly using content created by Nuts for Life, or using what they have learnt as inspiration for health based social media posts. These resources and infographics have been shared by some tree nut growers and associated organisations such as individual tree nut peak industry bodies.

Social media clips generated by webinar or workshop delegates and Nuts for Life:

Total number of clips: Facebook: Twitter: Instagram: Total Reach:

63 34 20 9 32,432

The reach for this number of clips seemed low so a review of the number of fans and followers of members’ social media channels found in most cases a low number of fans and followers. Moving forward members need advice on how to grow channels and hence reach and will be the topic of a second webinar in 2016.

Deliver more resource reminders via social media and email and to all Nuts for Life members. Provide advice on how to grow social media channels to improve reach. Provide the artwork for the social media tool kit and full infographics plus sectioned out visual content to the INC which can be modified to a local audience and shared internationally. Nuts for Life will also continue to use all generated content in own social media channels and encourage members to share content. Survey attendees to see who is using generated social media resources, downloaded and viewed the webinar recordings and developed their own social media strategy documents as discussed during the workshop/webinar.

Acknowledgements Nuts for Life is very grateful to the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council for their co-funding grant and to Horticulture Innovation Australia and the Australian Tree Nut Industry for co-funding the Program Manager’s role in this project. This has been a great example of international collaboration. Thanks also to Andrea Brydges and the Bite Communications team for delivering high quality presentations and resources.

G en t l e C l ea n Qu iet Rel ia b l e C o n v ey i ng

Recommendations and plans This social media project is the start of a social media educational process which Nuts for Life will continue in 2016. The evaluation of this pilot project has uncovered further needs of members to help them achieve their social media business objectives. Finding a location to suit the majority was difficult and may explain why attendance by growers was lower than expected. This will be rectified in 2016 by speaking at individual nut conferences. Offering other opportunities such as live webinars, recordings, manuals and infographics to those that could not attend due to poor timing, changes in schedule or location ensured they still have access to education. Webinar downloads will be monitored and the usage of social media resources via re-surveying attendees in 2016. Webinars are a good cost effective option given the interactive tools now available.

Plans for 2016: Present at individual nut conferences by a shorter key note presentation followers by a more in depth breakout session where possible – pecans and chestnut industries are already interested. Increase the length of the social media workshop from 90 mins to 2 hours to allow more time to share examples of content and provide more advice on paid advertising opportunities, useful tools for efficiency and creating shareable content.

Turnaround Unit

Horizontal Transfer Drive Unit

Gentle Handling – Less Product Loss - Less Scrap! Dust-Free Enclosed System • Conveys Materials on Multiple Planes Low Maintenance • Energy-efficient • Clean-in-Place Options Low Decibels – Quiet! • Minimal Footprint Starts & Stops Under Load

(641) 673-8451 www.cablevey.com Cablevey is a registered trademark of Intraco, Inc. 06/2015

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Industry News

@ Stadt Wolfsburg

NUCIS GERMANY BEGINS THE YEAR 2016 WITH TWO CONGRESSES PARTICIPATION

@ DGE

The German Nutrition Society was founded in 1953 and focuses on issues concerning nutrition and notes research needs. They put at people’s disposal findings and research conclusions through publications and educational events. Based on these findings, nutritional recommendations are made. One of these recommendations deals with including nuts in a Participating in Congresses has become a very important communication daily diet according to the “5 a day campaign”. tool for Nucis Germany. In these events, different target groups gather in Nutrition and health professionals are invited to participate in the same space to keep updated about the latest findings and research the Scientific Congress. Young researchers are proposed to submit their studies. They also draw attention to the health benefits of nuts. Among contributions through posters. Nucis’ participation concerns providing these target groups, there are nutrition experts, health professionals and information about those studies conducted on nuts and showing nuts young researchers. benefits on cardiovascular health, gut health and obesity prevention. These congresses result in a successful instrument for Nucis to Nucis Germany will be represented at the Scientific Congress by a team cultivate its professional image as a reliable source for generic information composed of a nutrition researcher and the staff from Nucis’ office. about nuts. In addition, they serve Nucis to learn what kind of information In April 2016, from 21 to 23, Nucis will participate in the Statewide and materials are more suitable for visitors and participants. Congress of the German Dietitian Association (Bundeskongress des VDD This year’s congresses participation start with the 53 edition of the e.V). It will be held in the city of Wolfsburg, Germany. VDD is the German Scientific Congress (Wissenschaftlicher Kongress) of the German Nutrition Association of Dietitians and it was founded in 1957. Since then, the Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung e.V. DGE) from 2 – 4 March VDD provides a broad service in education for dietitians. With more than 2016 in Fulda, Germany. 1,000 participants being expected, the Congress offers a promising opportunity to disseminate the health benefits of nuts. It is targeted to health professionals dealing with a wide range of nutritional questions. Telephone: 520-791-2852 Nucis’ participation will involve an www.greenvalleypecan.com informational booth where two experts sales@greenvalleypecan.com in nutrition and Nucis’ staff will share their knowledge and expertise with For more information on Green Valley Pecans please contact your representative: attendees. In addition, Nucis’ nutrition experts will answer questions regarding Keith Roberts Partnership CALDIC - Denmark A/S 44-1702-808211 (Keith Roberts) 45-44-53-56-53 (Main Telephone) nuts in nutritional therapies. krp@talktalkbusiness.net 44-7736-617317 (Anna Roberts) anna@krpnuts.co.uk Gemperli - Switzerland 41-44-368-2020 (Main Telephone) info@gemperli.com Jas Trading - The Netherlands 31-20-643-6412 (Main Telephone) info@jastrading.com Max Kiene - Germany 49-40-309-6550 (Main Telephone) u.matthies@maxkiene.de

b.hansen@caldic.dk Voice Vale - France, S.A.R.L. 33-1-4050-2480 (Main Telephone) philippe.truffier@voicevale-fr.com Tonto Corporation - Japan 81-3-4360-5336 (Main Telephone) kjtagawa@tantocp.com CALDIC - Sweden AB 46-40-698-11-00 (Main Telephone) info@caldic.se FoodSource, Inc. - Middle East 001-630-887-8599 (Main Telephone) sales@foodsource.us

@ Stadt Wolfsburg

100

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

Advertisers in this issue BELGIUM Tomra Sorting NV

CHINA Sino Jet International Ltd.

FRANCE Eurobroker S.A. Somercom

68 41

GERMANY Eurofins Analytik Gmbh Palm Nuts & More KG

89 37

ITALY Connect S.R.L. V. Besana S.P.A.

94 34

JAPAN Tanto Corporation

MOLDOVA Maestro Nut Ltd.

MOROCCO Santis S.A.R.L.

PHILIPPINES The Rising Pili Nuts of the Philippines

SPAIN Borges S.A.U. Borrell Crisol de Frutos Secos, SAT Frutos Secos Ramon Llop Incus Technology S.L. Joan Escoda S.A. Maseto S.L. Mediterranean Shipping Company Secoex

6 102 45 15 85 47 103 19 85

SWITZERLAND Swiss Gourmet AG

TURKEY Hazelnut Promotion Group Visys Makine

4 11

UK B端hler Group Ltd. Kenkko Corporation Ltd.

22 17

USA Cablevey Conveyors Campos Brothers Farms Chico Nut Company Crain Walnut Shelling, Inc. Fisher Nut Company Hughson Nut, Inc. Key Technology RF Biocidics Sacramento Packing Inc. Satake USA, Inc. Setton International Foods, Inc. The Green Valley Pecan Co. Young Pecan Company

102

March 2016 | NUTFRUIT

99 29 61 10 13 9 62 96 47 104 2 100/101 90