The Cracker magazine, November 2014

Cracker The

November 2014 Edition 63, No.3

The Official Voice of the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council Foundation for the World Nut and Dried Fruit Trade

ANTALYA TURKEY: INC CONGRESS 22-24 MAY, 2015

CHILE: SPECIAL REPORT ON NUTS AND DRIED FRUIT CA DROUGHT: THE MOST SEVERE SINCE 1895! www.nutfruit.org

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Cracker The

November 2014, Edition 63 INTERNATIONAL NUT AND DRIED FRUIT COUNCIL FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Giles Hacking - Chairman CG Hacking & Sons Limited, UK Pino Calcagni - Vice Chairman V. Besana S.P.A., Italy Mark Mariani - Vice Chairman Mariani Packing Company, USA Jordi Martí - Treasurer and General Secretary Borges S.A.U., Spain Thomas Apfel Max Kiene GmbH, Germany Asadollah Asgaroladi Hassas Export Co. Ltd., Iran Cheng Hung Kay CHK Trading Co. Ltd., 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 Maarten Leerdam Intersnack Group GmbH & Co. KG, Germany Jack Mariani Mariani Nut Company, USA Mark Magnesen Planters / Kraft Foods, 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 Berton Steir Paramount - Roll International Corp., USA Dick Walden The Green Valley Pecan Company, USA Michael Waring MWT Foods, Australia Cuneyd Zapsu Balsu A.S., Turkey Bian Zhen-hu/ Chen Ying China Chamber of Commerce, China EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Giles Hacking – Chairman Pino Calcagni - Vice Chairman Mark Mariani - Vice Chairman Jack Mariani Antonio Pont Berton Steir Michael Waring Cuneyd Zapsu Goretti Guasch - Executive Director SENATORS

Hubert Berrebi, France Helmut Dankert, Germany Raoul Gamon, France Chris Hacking, UK Walter F. Payne, USA Abbas Rafii, Luxembourg Don Soetaert, USA James Swink, USA Jack Taillie, Netherlands Frank Vaerewijck, Belgium Doug Youngdahl, USA THE CRACKER EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Giles Hacking – Chairman Susan Brauner – Editor Goretti Guasch – Executive Director Graphic Design by:

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The Official Voice of the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council Foundation for the World Nut and Dried Fruit Trade

FEATURED ARTICLES

INDEX

WORLD NEWS

16 INC Ambassadors

Healthy snacks growing faster than traditional snacks; Americans increasing desire to be healthier with the food they eat according to International 2014 Health Survey; Cocoa organization increases projections for cocoa supplies, prices moderate.

53 Statistical Outlook 85 Advertisers

19 ANTALYA TURKEY HOSTS CONGRESS INC XXXIV Congress opens on slopes of Taurus Mountains and the longest coastline in the country 22-24 May, 2015. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, the Rixos Sungate Hotel will host top executives of Coca Cola and Chobani LLC; high ranking Turkish politicians; and technical and site-seeing tours and more! Register now!

31 NEWS FROM INC SECRETARIAT 19 INC global exhibitors at SIAL Paris host first opening INC reception; register now for INC Pavilion at ANUGA 2015 in Cologne 10-14 October; cashew industry publishes technical kit.

38 CHILEAN NUTS AND DRIED FRUIT REPORT Nut production rises in Chile and ranks number one in the Southern Hemisphere and number 3 worldwide; the country leads in prune exports worldwide by exporting over 95 percent of the supply valued at $200 million.

40 ALLERGY BREAKTHROUGHS New study aims for quick suppression of food allergies; Skin exposure to peanuts may trigger allergic reaction in kids; new research with cashews and other nuts tries to remove severities.

44 CURRANTS RESEARCH Various compounds, antioxidants, lowered glycemic index discovered in currants, predominant in Greece, unleash myriad health benefits; good for diabetics/ metabolic syndrome.

46 CA DROUGHT A special report with scientific review examines effects of extreme drought continuing in CA, the severity of it compared to past droughts in CA and what causes the warm and dry conditions in the state. It is said to be the warmest on record since 1895!

53 WORLD STATISTICS Latest global statistics for nuts and dried fruit with updated production/market outlooks; Special report: Turkey: hazelnut productions, consumption, exports; almond, pine nuts, pistachio, walnut and dried fruit production.

PERMANENT SECRETARIAT OF INC

Goretti Guasch, Executive Director Carrer de la Fruita Seca 4, Polígon Tecnoparc, 43204 Reus, Spain Tel: +34 977 331 416 | Fax: +34 977 315 028 E-mail: inc@nutfruit.org | Web: www.nutfruit.org The Cracker is published three times a year by the International Tree Nut and Dried Fruit Council Foundation (Fundacio Privada International Tree Nut 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 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 Cracker.

November 2014 | The Cracker

CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTARY

GREETINGS FROM LONDON…..and PARIS! As we go to press on this latest edition of The Cracker, I have just returned from SIAL in Paris where the INC Pavilion was a great success and very well received by all members and coexhibitors (most of who have already renewed for the ANUGA Pavilion in 2015.) This is without a doubt, one of the most attended food shows in the world! While this is only the third year that INC has hosted its own pavilion, it has expanded from 11 to 19 co-exhibitors, all under the INC umbrella. Apart from the co-exhibitors, it was also a great pleasure to be able to offer meeting spaces to other INC members who visited the show and needed a quiet place to sit and meet with suppliers and customers. Another first for INC this year was the opportunity to host a member’s reception which was extremely well attended with over 100 guests. No wonder we managed to sign up another 16 new members during the course of the show!! After all, why wouldn’t you want to be part of this great success story? If you haven’t considered joining us in the INC Pavilion, please see reference to the ANUGA Pavilion 2015 in this issue. It goes without saying that INC is leading the global tree nut and dried fruit industries in nutritional research which serves us well as these studies get publicized to industry and consumers worldwide. Overall, nuts and dried fruits are higher than ever on the agenda of the global food industry, and the proven nutritional benefits of a diet supplemented by regular consumption of this food group go largely unchallenged. While we are on the subject of ‘Health’, the INC has published a new supplement entitled ‘HEALTH & NUTS’ which will be distributed together with a copy of the HARVARD HEALTH STUDY. This publication will be similar to last year’s PREDIMED supplement which was well publicized to major influencers in many INC member countries. Additionally, we will be organizing and sponsoring a symposium, ‘Nuts in Health & Disease’ under the umbrella of the World Congress of Public Health in Gran Canaria, on the 10th November. This symposium will gather together global expertise on nut consumption and some of the most pressing health issues like metabolic syndrome, cognitive function, diabetes and overall mortality. One of the four distinguished panellists will be Dr Joan Sabate who was awarded the 2013 INC Golden Nut Award for Excellence in Research at our Singapore Congress. Another exciting development for our industry is that the Global Cashew Council launched a ‘self-funded’ call for research projects, with a budget of €200,000. This ‘call for research’ will be coordinated by the INC World Forum whose evaluating committee will assess the research projects that ultimately get funded. To date, we have received 14 research projects from seven countries. This is an instrumental development which paves the way for other ‘nuts & fruits’ to initiate their respective research projects.

The Cracker | November 2014

I am also pleased to inform you that the INC has completely revamped its statistics database which will soon be available on our INC website. The new database, which was last updated in 2007, is designed to increase the user’s ability to create a complete range of charts, tables and graphics in a world-class format. Please visit nutfruit.org, and see for yourselves! I am also very excited to announce that registration for the 2015 INC Annual Congress is now open, and can be found on the INC website. You will also find further details in this edition of The Cracker. The congress will take place at the amazing RIXOS Sungate Resort in Antalya, Turkey, from the 22nd – 24th May 2015. The resort itself is in a spectacular location, bounded by the golden sandy beaches of the Mediterranean on one side, and the emerald green of the Toros Mountains on the other. Apart from a very comprehensive and entertaining social programme, we will also offer our traditionally extensive round table discussions and satellite meetings. We are very proud to announce that this year we will also have the honour of presentations from the CEO of Coca Cola International, Mr Muhtar Kent, and the CEO of Chobani Yoghurt, Mr Hamdi Ulukaya. The Rixos is a very family friendly resort, and as a special offer, all meals, snacks, drinks, and activities (outside of what your INC registration already includes) will all be included in your room rates. So please bring your families if you can. I will certainly be bringing all of mine! And, finally, as many of us approach the holiday season, it is my honor to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support of INC and to wish you and your families all the very best wishes for the holidays and the season ahead. This has been in many ways an outstanding year of accomplishments, so here’s to another memorable year in 2015 and beyond! Yours sincerely,

Giles Hacking INC Chairman

WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS KEEP UP WITH CURRENT EVENTS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL NUT & DRIED FRUIT INDUSTRY NUTS:

WHY THERE'S STILL GROWTH IN PROTEIN

Growing consumer interest in positive nutrition, demographic shifts, new eating patterns, recent scientific findings, and the recommendations from the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans all point to a bright future for protein-rich foods and beverages, according to the latest “Culinary Trend TrackingSeries” report from Packaged Facts titled “Proteins—Classics, Alternative and Exotic Sources”. Health professionals and nutritionists generally agree that the typical Western diet includes enough protein to ensure proper growth, immune, heart and respiratory function. The current upsurge of interest in protein thus goes beyond basic nutrition to its role in a better quality of life—from weight management and athletic recovery to maintaining strength and muscle tone for good health in later life. While protein can play a role in weight management (through satiety), many consumers are shaky in their understanding of the relationship between protein, calories, and weight gain. The International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC) Food & Health Survey for 2013 shows that only 30% of US adult consumers realize that, in terms of total or (especially) excess calorie intake, all sources of calories influence weight gain equally, leaving a notable chunk of the population believing that calories from sugars (21%),

The Cracker | November 2014

carbohydrates (19%), or fats (16%) are most likely to cause weight gain, compared with only 1% naming calories from protein as the likely culprit. Despite their confusion, consumers’ positive nutrition association with protein translates to increased momentum for packaged foods and beverages that cue “protein.” Indeed, Packaged Facts survey data show that 62% of US adults make a point of consuming plenty of protein, though 71% are unable to identify the recommended daily amount of protein, as the NPD Group found in April. Another promising growth area for protein-based packaged food and beverages include almonds and nut butters—which have gotten a boost from renewed attention on their health benefits (to compound their longstanding appeal as a protein-packed, healthful snack). The healthy positioning of almonds and the natural protein boost they give makes them an ideal source of protein for consumers. Nut butters, driven by convenience and portability, are ideal as more indulgent protein sources. The $3.9 bn nut and sweet spread category appears poised for growth, driven by innovative brand extensions ( Jif’s hazelnut spread and Whips creamy peanut butter spreads, and Skippy’s planned move into alternate butters).

WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

UAE CHOCOLATE MARKET EXCELS The United Arab Emirates chocolate market is one of the fastest growing chocolate markets across the globe as big players such as Mars and Nestlé up their investment and others eye entry, according to TechSci Research. The organization’s recently published report on the UAE chocolate sector said that the market was set for a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.09% from 2014 to 2019. The global chocolate market is expected to grow just 2.3% over the same period, according to a separate report by MarketsandMarkets. Big international players have already upped their investment in the market in recent years. In 2010, Mars opened a $40m factory in Dubai to complement its other site in the emirate built in 1998. The company also announced in 2012 that it would boost capacity in the Middle East with a Galaxy/Dove factory in Saudi Arabia for an initial $60m investment and an additional $150m over the next 10 years. Nestlé also opened a $136m manufacturing facility in UAE's largest city Dubai in 2010, which became its third largest Kit Kat plant worldwide. Euromonitor International said in its own UAE chocolate report that Mars and

Nestlé had heavily promoted their respective Snickers and Kit Kat brands in 2013 through TV ads and price promotions. Mondelz’s offices for Europe, Middle East and Africa are based in Dubai, but its nearest plants are in Bahrain and Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Ferrero and Lindt also have administrative offices in Dubai, but no manufacturing presence in the UAE. According to Euromonitor, Mars led the market in 2013 with a 35% share, followed by Ferrero (15%) and Nestlé (14%). TechSci Research said that private label penetration was high in the market, which was leading domestic companies to offer their products for private label at lower prices to stay competitive with the multinationals. TechSci Research added that chocolate was more readily available in the UAE after a rise in retail and distribution stores. It said busier lifestyles were leading to higher intakes of high-fat foods creating a demand for sugar-free chocolates and darker chocolate. Euromontior said that the growing base of 18-24 year olds would prove crucial to market growth. It said it expected a surge in limited edition products targeted at the age group as modern young adults demanded constant innovation.

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November 2014 | The Cracker

WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS feature story feature story

GERMAN COURT REJECTS 'NATURAL' SUIT AGAINST RITTER

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 its 14th year in the U.S. (www.worldsofflavor. Festival® is in its 14th 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 cuisines, food cultures and flavor professional forum on world cuisines, food cultures and flavor A German appeal court has ruled that Ritter Sport’s vanilla flavor in its whole hazelnut product is correctly labelled after trends. trends. Each year conference includesincludes more than chefs, Eachthis year this conference more70Warentest than 70 chefs, consumer group Stiftung challenged it. Stiftung Warentest had argued that Ritter misled consumers by culinaryculinary experts,experts, and other from allfrom overall theover world and andpresenters othercalling presenters the world its Whole Hazelnut (Voll-Nussand ) bar natural when it contained vanilla flavor piperonal. welcomes more than attendees including chefs, journalists welcomes more700 than 700 attendees including chefs, journalists group contended that piperonal – in this case supplied by Symrise – could only be obtained using and food restaurant and foodservice management and critics, food critics, restaurant and The foodservice management chemicals. the Higher Regional Court of Munich dismissed the case and upheld an earlier executives, corporate menu decision-makers and a wide executives, corporate menu decision-makers and However, arange wide range of suppliers, from leaders in agriculture and interim manufacturing to imposed of suppliers, from leaders in agriculture and injunction manufacturing to by a district court. government agenciesagencies and topand consumer brands. government top consumer brands. Ritter said in a release that it and Symrise had filed several patents on how piperonal could be obtained The CIA’s WorldsWorlds of Flavor ASIA® International naturally on International an industrial scale. Symrise also submitted an affidavit to the court from an expert that it The CIA’s of Flavor ASIA® Conference & Festival will bewill dedicated to theproved claimed vanilla flavor was naturally obtained. The present ruling gives Ritter interim relief Conference & Festival be dedicated tocuisines, thethecuisines, flavors flavors and food of Asia ofand their to inspire andcultures food cultures Asia andpotential to inspire claiming Ritter is misleading consumers. However, the chocolate company totheir stoppotential Stiftung Warentest chefs and consumers around around the world. program being chefs and consumers the The world. The program is cannot yetisclaim forbeing damages. designed to be the premier all-Asia professional culinary designed to be the premier all-Asia professional culinary Under EC Regulation No 1334/2008, manufacturers can only use the term natural to describe a flavor conference. Initial attendance is expected to be 800 to 800 1,000to 1,000 conference. Initial attendance is expected to be when theover flavoring components are of entirely natural origin. If a source is mentioned, at least 95 % of culinaryculinary and hospitality professionals drawn from and hospitality professionals drawnallfrom allAsia over Asia the flavoring should be obtained from the source referred to. and theand Pacific—including China, India, the Pacific—including China,Japan, India, Korea, Japan, Southeast Korea, Southeast Asia, and Australia—with a significant outreach to the United Asia, and Australia—with a significant outreach to the United States, Europe and Latin as well.asThis program is slatedis slated States, Europe andAmerica Latin America well. This program to kick to offkick in early off in2014. early 2014. WorldsWorlds of Healthy FlavorsFlavors and Worlds of Flavor, along with of Healthy and Worlds of Flavor, along with additional CIA leadership initiatives, are a part the strategic additional CIA leadership initiatives, are of a part of the strategic initiatives & industry leadership divisiondivision of the college headed headed initiatives & industry leadership of the college up by Greg president of the division. Mr. Drescher Peanut Hottie, a vice year-old peanut-flavored drink mixDrescher that has taken off in the U.K., is up byDrescher, Greg Drescher, vice president of thehot division. Mr. is responsible forWalmart theforcollege's thought leadership, launching in in the U.S. Tothought promote thestrategic launch, the new brand offered sample is responsible the college's leadership, strategic partnerships and industry conferences, and new media giveaways oninitiatives, Facebook last Sept 13, conferences, National Peanut Day.media Made from American-grown partnerships and initiatives, industry and new and peanuts, is the of theseofis programs and "think tank" andcreator isthe the beverage creator these programs andCIA other CIA by "think tank"in hot water. It contains no prepared likeother instant cocoa, stirring initiatives. Heorassumed his current title in title 2011 serving ascalories initiatives. He assumed his or current 2011 after100 serving as per serving. The original caffeine artificial additives colors, andinafter has under executive director of strategic initiatives for the CIA. Mr. Drescher executive director of strategic initiatives for the CIA. Mr. Drescher flavor and a new variety, peanut butter and chocolate, hit the shelves of nearly 2,500 Walmart joined the in CIA 1995,in and served nearly 10 years10asyears the first joined the 1995, and served nearly as the first stores inCIASeptember. directordirector of education for the for college's campuscampus in St. Helena, of education the college's in St. Helena, the U.K., the original flavor launched Sainsbury's last October and, thanks to strong sales, CA, In where oversaw the development of thein CIA at Greystone’s CA, he where he oversaw the development of the CIA at Greystone’s was picked up by Waitrose and Booths in February. Last programprogram of continuing education and advanced studies.studies.September, it also launched in Tesco, of continuing education and advanced at which point it will be in approximately 1,200 stores. In the U.S., the initial marketing plan All leadership initiatives led by the college,college, are supported by partnerships and sponsorships. Program sponsors have have leadership initiatives led CIA, by thea not-for-profit CIA,through a not-for-profit are supported by partnerships and sponsorships. Program sponsors willAll focus on building consumer awareness outreach to magazine editors, influential 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 bloggers and other media, combined with promotions and engagement activities on Facebook decision makers and opinion leaders. Parties interested in becoming program sponsors may contact Cathy Jörin, Director of Special Projects decision makers and opinion leaders. Parties interested in becoming program sponsors may contact Cathy Jörin, Director of Special Projects and Twitter. Work on expansion into European and other markets is also underway. and Planning, Strategic Initiatives, CIA, at CIA, cathyjorin1@aol.com or 707.537.7742. and Planning, Strategic Initiatives, at cathyjorin1@aol.com or 707.537.7742. For more about the CIAthe andCIA ourand new campus,campus, please please visit these www.ciachef.edu, www.ciachef.edu/ Forinformation more information about ourSingapore new Singapore visitwebsites: these websites: www.ciachef.edu, www.ciachef.edu/ singapore/index.html/ and www.ciaprochef.com. singapore/index.html/ and www.ciaprochef.com.

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The Cracker | November 2014

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WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

SNACK FOODS GROWING AT MEALTIME Better-for-you-snacks such as yogurt and fruit are incresingly being consumed during mealtimes Lines are blurring between meals and snacks as more consumers pack their plates with such items as yogurt and fruit, according to The NPD Group, a Chicagobased market research firm. Traditional snack foods consumed at main meals is expected to grow approximately 5% to 86.4 billion eating occasions in 2018. Betterfor-you snack foods such as nutrition bars and Greek yogurt are leading the growth of snacks consumed at mealtimes. Sweet and savory snack foods, including chips, pretzels and candy bars, are expected to be flat or decline in the next five years. The rise in solo dining may contribute to the increase in snack foods eaten at mealtime. NPD

found that more than half of eating occasions happen when consumers are alone, which may also be a factor in the long-term decline of side dishes. Driving growth in better-for-you snack foods between and at main meals are Generation X, ages 38-48, millennials, ages 24-37, and Generation Z, ages 0-23, who have positive attitudes about snacking, a desire to eat more healthfully and a need for convenience. Popular items also include granola bars and protein bars, nuts and seeds, trail mix, rice cakes and cottage cheese. Younger generations also favor fresh foods, including produce, meat, fish and poultry. Food marketers and retailers may benefit by positioning products as convenient while allowing consumers some involvement in the preparation. NPD predicts the trend will grow at breakfast time, particularly in items such as eggs and pancake batter.

November 2014 | The Cracker

WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

EUROPEAN COSUMER GROUP SAYS BETTER REGULATION SHOULDN'T BE 'ONE-SIDED REDUCTION' FOR BUSINESS The new European Commission’s ‘better regulation’ mission must keep consumer welfare in mind and not translate to a “one-sided reduction” for businesses, the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) has warned. Reacting to the official announcement of European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker’s new cabinet last September, BEUC director general Monique Goyens said that the focus on better regulation had been “explicit”.

does not equate to better law-making and should never be at the expense of consumers, the environment or workers.”

Goyens said it was “evident that laws need to be efficient”, but added: “Let’s be clear, a one-sided reduction of regulatory burdens on business

Juncker's selection must now be approved by the European Parliament, considered a formality

She said it was important that the commissioner became a kind of consumer “watchdog” within this “scattered structure”. She added that consumers could be drivers of growth “if they have trust in the market”. “In times of economic recovery, the very same who drive the market should be at the forefront of the new commission’s preoccupation.”

HERSHEY UNVEILS NEW CORPORATE LOGO BEFORE AND AFTER The Hershey Co. has taken the foil off a redesigned corporate logo that the candy giant says "underscores the company's evolution from a predominately U.S. chocolate maker to a global confection and snack company." The new logo still includes an image of a Hershey's Kiss, but the new mark shows the tiny candy in silhouette form, stripping off the shiny foil wrapper shown in the old logo. The new image also looks a bit less like the logo shown on a Hershey bar, making use of updated typography and removing the apostrophe 's,' going with "Hershey" rather than "Hershey's." In addition to the new logo, Hershey stated that it is "implementing a new, disciplined visual identity system that is inspired by the famous colors of its most iconic brands, including Hershey's, Reese's and Ice Breakers, to bring a more colorful and consistent look to all of the company's visual materials." "The new branding will impact all visual aspects of how The Hershey Company presents itself, from consumer communications to websites to the interior design of its office spaces and the look of its retail stores," the company said in a statement. "While rooted in a rich heritage, the new corporate brand reflects a modern, approachable look that reflects the company's openness and transparency as it has grown into a global company."

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

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The Cracker | November 2014

06/05/13 12:02

WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

U.S. CONSUMERS RELATE HEALTH TO FOOD During the past two years, more American consumers considered healthfulness when purchasing their foods and beverages. That’s just one of several new findings from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation “2014 Food and Health Survey.” American consumers’ perceptions and behaviors regarding the healthfulness of their diets and level of physical activity are among the survey’s most encouraging findings. Although taste and price consistently have been the top two factors that impact consumers’ food and beverage purchases (90 and 73% respectively), healthfulness in 2014 almost entirely closed the gap with price, rising from 61% of consumers in 2012 to 71% this year, a 10 percentage-point increase. Beneath the surface, certain subpopulations saw greater relative increases than others. Consumers aged 18-34, who cite healthfulness as a driver of food and beverage purchases, increased from 55% in 2013 to 66% in 2014, significantly narrowing the gap with other age groups. The nine-point increase among men from 56% last year to 65% this year was a significant gain, as was the increase among those who are not college graduates—67% of whom reported that their purchasing decisions were impacted by healthfulness, up from 61% in 2013. As in previous years, consumers report other areas where they are trying to improve the healthfulness of their diets. More than four out of five (83%) report they have tried to eat more fruits and vegetables, either within the past year or for more than a year. Some 79% say they have cut calories by drinking water or low- and no-calorie beverages, and 72% are eating more whole grains. In addition, four in five report that they are trying either to lose weight (54%) or maintain their weight (25%). Topping the list of what respondents believe to be the most effective weight management strategy is tracking and increasing the amount of time of physical activity at 27%; followed closely by eating smaller portions at 26%; and eating smaller and more frequent meals or snacks at 23%. Consumers also evaluated which sources they trusted most for information about nutrition, physical activity and weight loss. Health professionals were far and away the top choice (50, 53 and 59% respectively). Health-focused websites follow behind (15, 17 and 14%), and scientific journals (11, 11 and 9%). No other source rated in double digits. Social media, news media and TV personalities were in the low single-digits across all three information categories. When consumers rated their priorities in life, the importance of a healthful diet often ranked either the same as or more important than other major priorities. The percentage of consumers who said the following priorities were “about the same as” or “less important than” than a healthful diet: spending time with loved ones (48%), minimizing

The Cracker | November 2014

stress (58%), having a healthy financial situation (62%), getting enough exercise (67%), feeling fulfilled in their jobs (73%) and having an active social life (82%). The “2014 Food and Health Survey” attempted to gauge the level of emotions in conversations around food. Public dialogue reviews conducted by the IFIC Foundation (independent of the Food and Health Survey) suggest growing intensity, both online and in traditional media, in conversations about food and the food production system, particularly among those with negative perceptions. However, given that only 23% of respondents report having had an “emotional conversation” about food in the past six months, it could suggest that those who are dominating the discussions and perpetuating negativity about food are a distinct minority. Half of respondents (50%) report having conversations about food that are not emotional. Additional findings from the IFIC Foundation’s 2014 Food and Health Survey:

CONFIDENCE

FOOD

SAFETY:

Although a solid majority remain confident in the safety of the U.S. food supply, there nevertheless has been steady erosion since 2012. This year, 66% of consumers are at least somewhat confident in the food supply, while 30% are not too confident or not at all confident. In 2012, the former figure stood at 78%, while the latter stood at 18%, an overall negative swing of 24 points during three years. When it comes to information about food safety, food ingredients, and the way foods and beverages are farmed and produced, government agencies are consumers’ go-to source, chosen as most trusted by 39, 26 and 28%, respectively. Social media and TV personalities were considered the most-trusted resource for all three information categories by only 2% or fewer consumers. The news media rated 5, 3 and 12%, respectively.

PLANNING WHAT WE EAT: When it comes to what consumers use on a regular basis to help plan what they eat, shopping lists ranked the highest at 59%, followed by coupons (53%), in-store discounts (49%), recipes (45%) and meal plans (24%). CHECKING THE LABEL: Between 2013-2014, there were decreases—some of them substantial—in the categories of information consumers say they look for on the label of a food or beverage. “Expiration date” still leads the list at 66%, returning to traditional levels after a spike last year to 82%. The percentage of consumers who check the Nutrition Facts Panel was relatively unchanged this year at 65%, along with the ingredients list at 52% and calorie/nutrition information at 42%.

WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

Significant decreases in label-reading behavior were found with serving sizes and amount per container (44% in 2014 vs. 55% in 2013); brand name (35% in 2014 vs. 53% in 2013); cooking instructions (32% vs. 45%); and statements about nutrition benefits (30% vs. 43%).

foods with sugar as part of their total diet (54% in 2014 vs. 71% in 2013). Half of consumers (51%) report they are getting “pretty close to” or less than what they believe is the appropriate amount of sugars in their diets.

or food components targeted by consumers for reduced or increased consumption. The components and the number of respondents who are trying to get a certain amount or as much as possible of them are: fiber (53%), whole grains (53%), protein (50%), calcium (36%), omega-3 fats (21%), potassium (19%) and probiotics (18%).

an 8oz cup of home-brewed coffee has roughly the same amount of caffeine as an 8oz energy drink, only 18% correctly answered “true,” while 45% answered “false.”

CAFFEINE: Three out of five consumers (60%) agree at least CONSUMPTION OF NUTRIENTS AND FOOD somewhat that they know the amount of caffeine in the foods and COMPONENTS: The survey also identified those nutrients beverages they consume. On the other hand, when asked if they believe

In terms of those nutrients or components consumers are trying to limit or avoid entirely: sodium/salt (53%), sugars in general (50%), calories (48%), fats/oils (29%), caffeine (31%) and mono/ polyunsaturated fats (26%).

DINING OUT: About half of all consumers (51%) use nutrition information, such as calorie counts, when eating out at restaurants, while 23% have noticed such information but don’t pay attention to it. And, 26% haven’t noticed such information at all.

SUGARS IN THE DIET: While still a majority, significant declines were seen among respondents who believe moderate amounts of sugar can be part of an overall healthful diet (74% in 2014 vs. 84% in 2013), and those who believe people with diabetes can include some

SUSTAINABILITY: During the past year, 62% of respondents say they have given at least a little thought to the environmental sustainability of their foods and beverages, with 35% giving it no thought. That’s down slightly from both 2012 and 2013, when 66% gave sustainability at least a little thought and 30% gave it no thought. “NATURAL,” “ORGANIC” AND “LOCAL”: More than a third of consumers report regularly buying food that is labeled as “natural” (37%) or “local” (35%), with 32% who regularly buy products advertised as “organic.” The “2014 Food and Health Survey” was fielded by Greenwald & Associates of Washington, D.C., between March 26-April 7, 2014, and involved 1,005 Americans ages 18-80. Results were weighted to match the U.S. Census, based on age, education, gender, race/ethnicity and region, to be nationally reflective. November 2014 | The Cracker

WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

CHOCOLATIERS OFFERED "SOME RELIEF" AS ICCO EXTENDS COCOA SURPLUS The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has revised its estimate for the 2013/14 cocoa season and now expects a slightly larger supply surplus. Confectioners such as Nestlé and Mondelz recently complained that rising cocoa prices were denting performance of their chocolate businesses due to increased input costs, particularly for cocoa. The industry may be offered some relief as the ICCO now forecasts a 40,000 metric ton (MT) surplus for 2013/14. During the World Cocoa Conference in Amsterdam in June, the organization previously said it expected a 30,000 MT surplus. Earlier in the year, it had forecast a 75,000 MT deficit for the season. The mid-crop (April-September) was better than expected in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, which together account for around three quarters of global production. The average daily cocoa price in August was $3,270 per MT, 32% higherthan the same period last year, according to the ICCO. The ICCO expects a deficit slightly under 100,000 MT for the next crop year, 2014/15, as production struggles to keep up with rising demand for cocoa in emerging economies in Asia and Latin America. A 100,000 MT deficit is still expected in 2020. This is far lower than industry predictions of a 1m MT shortfall.

However, those projections assumed the supply situation would remain unchanged. The ICCO forecast that cocoa grindings for 2013/14 would be 67,000 MT higher than its previous estimate. The revision was due to higher than expected grindings at origin in Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia, and Nigeria and also increased cocoa processing in India.

ICCO COCOA FORECASTS FOR 2013/14: Cocoa production - 4.345m MT (+10 on last crop year and highest on record) Cocoa grindings - 4.262m MT (+3.7% on last crop year) Origin grindings – 1.9m MT (+6% on last crop year) Deficit/surplus – 40,000 MT The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West has affected people in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Guinea and Liberia. The countries, with the expection of Nigeria, account for a small proportion of global cocoa production. Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana have been unaffected and Côte d’Ivoire has even closed land borders to prevent spread of thedisease. People’s reluctance to record information in remote areas in West Africa could affect cocoa projections, but there was no reason to be alarmist.

GLOBAL FOOD PRICES HIT FOUR YEAR LOW The FAO Food Price Index continued a five month downward spiral in August, reaching its lowest point in four years. A 3.6% fall in the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) monthly food price index in the month of August means that the price for an average basket of global commodities is the cheapest it has been since September 2010.

Cereal prices fell by 1.5% overthe month of July, but are now 11.7% lower than last year, said the FAO – noting that another record year for wheat production have meant that prices for the staple grain continued to slide in

According to the new food price data, and with the exception of meat, prices for all major commodity groups fell‘markedly’ in August – leaving the overall index price at a four-year low of 196.6 points. The report noted that the impact of Russian sanctions on the import of food commodities in to the country at the start of August has already begun to create an abundance of foods – leading to a depression in prices.

“Similarly, near-ideal growing conditions in key producing areas, coupled with abundant stocks, have seen maize prices retreat to a 4-year low,” said the FAO. “However rice bucked the trend in grains, with its prices rising in August, reflecting increased import demand, lowerthan-expected releases from stockpiles by Thailand, and unfavorable weather affecting some crops in Asia.”

Dairy prices were hit the hardest in August, said the FAO, revealing an 11.2% drop in prices over the previous month – meaning that dairy prices are now 18.9% cheaper than they were at the same time last year. A surplus in supply coupled with reduced import demand – partly as a result of the Russian sanctions and also from a reduction in Chinese imports of whole milk powder – are the key drivers for market uncertainty and plummeting dairy prices, said the FAO.

Vegetable oils saw an 8% drop in prices during August, leaving prices at 166.6 points – the lowest level since November 2009. Meanwhile, sugar prices witnessed a 5.7% drop since July, but remained 1% higher than the same period last year – at 244.3 points. Meat prices, however, continued to rise, and are now 14% higher than August 2013.

The Cracker | November 2014

August, reaching their lowest value since July 2010.

WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

CONSUMERS WANT CLARITY IN FOOD LABELING Consumers demand simpler labels and fewer additives, according to a new survey commissioned by a British-owned clean label ingredient specialist Ulrick & Short. The survey comes in light of the Food Information to Consumers (FIC) rules, which companies are expected to respond to from December this year. Under the new rules labels would be required to include nutrition information on processed foods, origin labelling of unprocessed meat from pigs, sheep, goats and poultry; highlight allergens; have better legibility i.e. minimum size of text. Ulrick & Short asked 2000 consumers about their attitude towards labelling and food content and the results showed people feared the changes may lead to more complex labels. According to the survey, 75% of respondents stated they wanted simpler labeling, while around 45% avoided artificial additives such as E numbers in their shopping basket. Over 70% of survey respondents said that they are much more aware of their eating habits than they used to be, indicating that they are more likely to pay attention to what is in their food. FIC will actually add to the burden on food manufacturers, requiring them to include even more information on their packaging.

TOMRA SORTING FOOD'S WEST SACRAMENTO FACILITY OPENS TOMRA Sorting Food’s state-of-the-art new facility in West Sacramento, California, has opened after the business averaged US revenue increases of almost 40 per cent during recent years. Almost a third larger than its predecessor, the purpose-built site contains better facilities, including test and development areas. Customers can see TOMRA’s sorting, peeling and process analytics solutions demonstrated, including those for nuts and dried fruit such as its biometric signature identification technology – and trial their own applications. TOMRA encourages producers and processors to share their needs, so it can suggest customised solutions, directly meeting their requirements, from its large range of products and technology. For further information please contact Tim Curran on T: +44 (0)113 394 4680 M: +44 (0)7538 406480, E: tim.curran@brand8pr.com

November 2014 | The Cracker

WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

NO CHANGE TO ACRYLAMIDE/FURAN LEVELS The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) detects ‘no significant change or discernible trends’ across many food categories for process contaminants acrylamide and furan. The report looked at acrylamide and furan levels in 556 UK retail foodstuffs obtained over the period November 2011 – December 2013 from the ten food groups specified in the Commission Recommendation (EU) on the monitoring of acrylamide in food. Of the analysis conducted - 544 tests for acrylamide and 266 for furan – the authority concluded: “The levels of acrylamide and furan reported do not increase concern about the risk to human health and the agency has not changed its advice to consumers.” It said it would be forwarding the results to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for reference and in the case of furan a risk assessment. The report follows an EFSA opinion in July that acrylamide may increase consumers’ cancer risk . Acrylamide and furan are process contaminants – meaning they are not present in the raw materials but occur after chemical changes in processing. Acrylamide is formed when foods containing sugar and the amino acid asparagine are heated above 120°C. It is associated with cooking methods where food is ‘browned’ and therefore less likely to occur with boiling. Furan is formed during roasting, frying and canning as a result of the

thermal degradation of sugars, oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids or decomposition of ascorbic acid (vitamin C). The highest mean concentrations of acrylamide (500 micrograms per kilogram) were detected in popped crisps, vegetable crisps, potato crisps, baked potato and prefabricated snacks. Products with the lowest average amounts (less than 100 microgram per kilogram) included novelty gingerbread, pastry, tortilla/corn snacks, processed cereal baby food, dates/olives, soft bread and non- processed cereal baby food. Comparing the results of annual surveys conducted since 2007, the report said no significant trends had been found. However it noted “tentative trends” of an overall potential decrease in crisps, soft bread, biscuits and crackers with an overall potential increase in annual averages in infant cereals (excluding biscuits and rusks). It said “no significant change or discernible trends” had been detected for French fries sold ready to eat, potato products for home cooking, breakfast cereals, roast coffee or baby foods in jars and pouches. Industry body FoodDrinkEurope has made the reduction of acrylamide a priority over the last few years, introducing a ‘toolbox’to help its members reduce levels. FSA said the average amounts of furan were relatively low across all categories (less than 100 micrograms per kg), with the lowest amounts (less than 10 micrograms per kg) found in canned olives, cereal bars and granola, novelty gingerbread and jams and preserves

INC AMBASSADORS • Michael Waring - Chairman, Australia • Oscar E. Vergara, Argentina • Christopher Joyce, Australia • Frank Vaerewijck, Belgium • José Eduardo Camargo, Brazil • Francisco Assis, Brazil • Ranjeet Wallia, Canada • Siegfried Von Gehr, Chile • Chen Ying, China • Alexis Sumar, France • Richard Monnier, France • Thomas Apfel, Germany • Jan Vincent Rieckmann, Germany • Cheng Hung Kay, Hong Kong • Pratap Nair, India • Pankaj Sampat, India • Asadollah Asgaroladi, Iran

The Cracker | November 2014

• Vitali Levy, Israel • Alessandro Annibali, Italy • Kazuo Julian Tagawa, Japan • Mbugua Ngugi, Kenya • Rabih Beaini, Kuwait • Hani Akzam, Lebanon • Parissa Rafii, Luxembourg • Fiodor Slanina, Moldova • Khalid Bennani, Morocco • Kees Van De Sandt, Netherlands • Kees Blokland, Netherlands • Christopher Harlem, Norway • Oliver Sio, Philippines • Jorge Carqueja, Portugal • Kourosh Mojibian, Russia • Rustam Kushu, Russia • Amit Khirbat, Singapore

• Carl Henning, South Africa • Alex Whyte, South Africa • Miquel Borràs, Spain • Stefan Boden, Sweden • Varee Phonphaison, Thailand • Ahmed Boujbel, Tunisia • Muzaffer Taviloglu, Turkey • Hasan Sabir, Turkey • Jafar Moallem, UAE • Roby Danon, UK • Marc Rosenblatt, USA • Jeffrey Sanfilippo, USA • Stephen Sousa, USA • Jim Warner, USA • Dang Hoang Giang, Vietnam

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November 2014 | The Cracker

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ANTALYA WELCOMES THE INC

We look forward to seeing you in

ANTALYA

The INC World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress is the world’s greatest nut and dried fruit industry event.

• Update on Nutrition Research Studies on Health and Nuts & Dried Fruit

Over the course of three days, 22-24 May 2015, Rixos Sungate Antalya complex will host the 34th World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress.

• Update on industry statistics, crop forecasts, supply, consumption and market dynamics

• The world’s best venue for seeking industry opportunities, making deals and networking • A world-class thought-leadership Conference featuring visionary keynote speakers and panel discussions • A cutting-edge product and technology Exhibition featuring the latest trends and products

• Update on Scientific Food Safety and Regulations • And the INC Awards programme: Golden Nut Award, Award for Excellence in Research and the Award for Excellence in Gastronomy Network with top-level managers and decision makers of the industry, visit the exhibitors area, learn from keynote speakers and debate the latest hot topics affecting the industry.

Dear INC friends, A big hello from Turkey! Following the successful World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress in Melbourne 2014, we are now preparing for an exciting Congress in Antalya, Turkey, 22-24 May, 2015. Located at the slopes of the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is a peaceful city rich in scenic beauties and historical monuments. This blue city enchants its guests with its beautiful beaches and has the longest coastline in Turkey. Rixos Sungate Hotel will be the venue for the Congress sessions. Established on 250.000 sqm area in Beldibi, Antalya (Turkey), it embraces the deep blue of the Mediterranean and emerald green of the Taurus Mountains for an unprecedentedly comfortable stay. Attendees can full take advantage of the many different activities that will be taking place at the world’s greatest nut and dried fruit event. Top-level managers, decision makers and keynote speakers will lead sessions to debate the present and future of our industry in-depth through round tables, satellite meetings, seminars and product-focused meetings. Especially, the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Coca Cola International, Mr Muhtar Kent, as well as the Founder and CEO of Chobani LLC, (Yogurts), Mr Hamdi Ulukaya, who is “Entrepreneur of the year at the USA” and also “Entrepreneur of the World 2013” according to Ernst&Young, will join us for a special “Chat with CEO’s” session. The highest ranked Turkish politicans will also be with us during the congress days. In particular, the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Mevlüt Cavusoglu, will be joining us with his special address. Moreover, the event will feature an exhibition area with companies around the globe and will show an update on industry statistics, crop forecasts, supply, consumption and market dynamics.

The meeting point for the nut and dried fruit businesses to seek industry opportunities, make deals, learn and network.

In addition to technical sessions about the nuts & dried fruit industry, the INC Congress would not be complete without a program of social events. The Welcome Cocktail will be held on Friday at Alara Show Center, May 22nd; the Casual Dinner –where all attendees must wear white-- will take place on Saturday, May 23rd at the Baby Beach, and the traditional Gala Cocktail, Dinner and Ball will close the Congress on Sunday, May 24th at the green area of Rixos Sungate Hotel. There is a lot to see and do in the beautiful Antalya and Turkey, and you might be interested in extending your stay beyond the Congress dates. For this reason, we have launched a program of Congress tours to explore Turkey’s nut industry. Among others, these will comprise: technical tours to Trabzon, Gaziantep and Malatya; touristic Tours to Istanbul, Izmir and Gallipoli as well as Spouse Tours to Antalya Old City & The Archaeological Museum, and Olympos. The demand from our sponsors is extraordinary, since already 70% of sponsorships and booths are already given away. Save the dates for the world’s greatest nut and dried fruit mustattend event. If you are part of the industry, you don’t want to miss it. Yours sincerely, Organising Committee Cuneyd Zapsu, Congress Chairman Giles Hacking, INC Chairman Goretti Guasch, INC Executive Director

The Cracker | November 2014

INC ANTALYA CONGRESS / PRELIMINARY PROGRAM – MAY 2015 Friday 22

Saturday 23

Sunday 24 INC GENERAL ASSEMBLY

MACADAMIAS, PINE NUTS, BRAZILS Round Table

MORNING

CONGRESS OPENING DRIED FRUIT SEMINAR

HAZELNUTS Round Table

WALNUTS Round Table

A CHAT WITH CEO’S * Round Table

VIP Speaker

ALMONDS Round Table

EVENING

AFTERNOON

PEANUTS Round Table

2016 CONGRESS PRESENTATION PISTACHIOS Round Table CASHEWS Round Table KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Minister of Foreign Affairs PECANS Round Table

HAZELNUTS Satellite Parallel Meeting CASHEWS Satellite Parallel Meeting

Scientific Seminar Nutrition Research Update

ALMONDS Satellite Parallel Meeting

Private Business Meetings

MACADAMIAS Satellite Parallel Meeting GALA COCKTAIL WELCOME COCKTAIL Alara Show Center

CASUAL BUFFET DINNER Baby Beach - White Beach Party

GALA DINNER AND BALL at The Green Area

* Special addresses of Mr Muhtar Kent, CEO of Coca Cola International, and Mr Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani LLC, (Yogurts).

Bring your brand to the top. Take a sponsorship and ensure your brand is seen by all +1000 world-class industry leaders and professionals.

DRIED FRUI T

NU & TS

Maestro Nut

www.nutfruitcongress.org November 2014 | The Cracker

ANTALYA: A peaceful city with the longest coastline of Turkey Antalya, one of the leading tourism destinations of Turkey, with its ever growing potential and excellent nature invites XXXIV World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress attendees for an unforgettable stay. This quickly growing epi¬centre of both ancient history and thoroughly modern Turkish culture has become known as a gateway city for the country’s so-called ‘Turkish Riviera’. Located at the slopes of the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is a peaceful city rich in scenic beauties and historical monuments. This blue city enchants its guests with its beautiful beaches and has the longest coastline in Turkey. Antalya has some of Turkey’s finest restaurants, one of its most impressive archaeological museums, and some of its best-preserved Ottoman architecture.

ANTALYA IS THE PLACE TO BE • Situated on a cliff in the southern part of Anatolia peninsula, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. • Combines sun, deep blue sea and mountain covered with trees. • Hosts millions of guests in thousands of hotels. • Offers a variety of public transportation, such as public buses, taxi cabs, trams, mini-buses and dolmus. • Enjoys an authentic cuisine which is a wonderful blend of the Arabic and Mediterranean influences. • Its climate conditions have provided the region with a perfect flora. • Tourism, agriculture and industry are the economic mainstays of the region. It has become one of the few yacht manufacturing places in the world. • It has a very colorful night life. Especially, during the summer months the marina and its surrounding host a rich variety of discos, bars and pubs.

The Cracker | November 2014

Turkey Antalya

CONGRESS VENUE

Rixos Sungate Hotel Established on 250.000 sqm area in Beldibi, Antalya (Turkey), Rixos Sungate Hotel embraces the deep blue of the Mediterranean and emerald green of the Taurus Mountains for an unprecedentedly comfortable stay.

Location Rixos Sungate Hotel is a meeting point of historical, cultural and natural beauties. It is situated 25 km away from the city centre of Antalya, and only 50 km away from Antalya airport.

Accommodation The Hotel offers different kind of rooms, suites and villas overseeing the magnificent landscape of the Mediterranean and Taurus Mountains, all of them with superior comfort.

Gourmet Discover new culinary tastes from different world cuisines at Rixos Sungate: Turkish and Ottoman Cuisine, Italian Cuisine, Mexican Cuisine, Far East Cuisine, snacks, special cocktails and wines. Entertainment & Activities Enjoy your free time with the entertainment activities Rixos Sungate has prepared: theme-parties, karaoke, brilliant shows, morning activities, evening activities, cinema and bowling.

Rixy Club Children have declared their kingdom at Rixos Sungate: the so-called “Rixy Club” offers a world dedicated to children on 20.000 sqm area with a kids’ pool, special game rooms, mini and maxi playgrounds, a disco dedicated to kids, an aqua park, animation shows, a cinema, private lessons and courses.

www.nutfruitcongress.org November 2014 | The Cracker

PRE- AND POST-CONGRESS TOURS There is a lot to see in Antalya and Turkey. Extend your stay beyond the Congress dates and enjoy the tours organized for you. Among others, these are:

Pre / Post Tours • Technical Tours to Trabzon (Hazelnuts), Gaziantep (Pistachios) and Malatya (Apricots) • Touristic Tours to Istanbul, Izmir and Gallipoli

Istanbul Gallipoli

Izmir

Turkey

Trabzon Malatya

Gaziantep

Antalya Spouse Tours SATURDAY 23rd: Antalya Old City & The Archaeological Museum After giving you brief information about Antalya from the terrace over viewing the Old City, we will walk within its surrounding Byzantine city walls and through the historical monuments from different periods, wooden Ottoman Houses towards the Marina. We will have a small lecture about Antalya and the surroundings and visit the Antalya Archaeological Museum, where finds from nearby ancient cities and prehistoric caves are displayed, including an ethnographical section.

SUNDAY 24th: Olympos Olympos is fascinating, not just for its ruins that are fragmentary and widely scattered amidst the thick greenery of wild grapevines, wild figs and pines, but also for its archeological site just inland from a beautiful beach along the course of a stream which runs through a rocky gorge. We will have a tour at this ancient city covered with thick plants and bushes and understand the city’s history, which will make that each historical ruin you see and each step you take becomes more enjoyable and enlightening.

www.nutfruitcongress.org 24

The Cracker | November 2014

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oUr PeoPLe Scientific and Government affairS committee The INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee deals with issues regarding science and research on technical issues such as mycotoxins (aflatoxins), biological contamination (Salmonella) and pesticides; monitors technical issues related to governmental regulatory agencies, global quality standards, customs, duties, trade barriers, testing procedures, shipping and transportation; and monitors CODEX ALIMENTARIUS, WHO, UNECE, USDA, EU... and other government agencies.

GiUSePPe (Pino) caLcaGni CHAIRMAN

Active in the nut and dried fruit industry for about 50 years, Pino Calcagni took over the enterprise from the Besana brothers, founders of Besana Group, having led its strong expansion through many years. In fact, Besana is today a leader in Europe dealing in nuts, dried fruit, seeds and chocolate. Soon he took over important roles, first in national and quickly also in European and worldwide organizations. In 1982, he is among the passionate founders of the INC. Pino Calcagni was President during the early 90’s and he is today Vice Chairman. But his primary engagement is linked to his role as Chairman of the Scientific & Government Affairs Committee. For many years he has been active in making people aware of the importance of nuts and dried fruit as healthy foods, and always emphasizing the deep social and environmental aspect, as thousands and thousands of people worldwide live with and from these natural commodities. With zeal and devotion he carries on his personal commitment towards the sector and the consumer. All of that has allowed achieving significant international goals, for which he was honored with the Individual Golden Nut Award in 2010. Beyond the INC, Pino Calcagni is today member of the Boards of several private companies and international institutions.

JULie adamS

VICE CHAIRMAN

Julie Adams is vice chair of the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council’s (INC) Scientific Committee, and participates in several international bodies such as Codex Alimentarius. She has also chaired the Nut Processors Working Group of the European Snacks Association for a number of years. Julie is Vice President of Global Technical, Regulatory & Government Affairs for the Almond Board of California. Her responsibilities include monitoring and developing strategies to address international trade and technical issues such as food safety, market access, Codex standards, phytosanitary requirements, regulatory changes and other areas which impact on worldwide shipments of California almonds. She oversees the Almond Board’s industry services activities and environmental programs.

UyGUn akSoy Prof. · Uygun Aksoy is full professor at Ege University (Izmir, Turkey) since 1995 and lecturer of Masters Course on Mediterranean Organic Agriculture at CIHEAM Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari on Principles of Organic Agriculture. Her research focuses on figs and dried fruits, especially on quality and safety (methyl bromide alternatives, mycotoxins, additives, good agricultural practices and organic farming system) working closely with stakeholders including ministerial offices as well as farmers. Board member of the International Society for Horticultural Science (1998-2006); founder of ISHS Working Group on Figs, Convener of the 1st Symposium on Figs; one of the founders and chairpersons of the Turkish Society for Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, and member of the Advisory Scientific Committee of CIHEAM (2000-2004).

Güner arkUn Member of the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee since 2003, Prof. Dr. Güner Arkun (Turkey) has been providing scientific information on dried fruits and tree nuts in order to achieve the aims of the INC for more than 10 years. She has carried out various INC and international research projects on dried fruits and nuts aimed at improving quality and safety. Using her scientific background, she continuously contributes to INC on sciencebased decisions, regulations, safety and quality with the main objective of strengthening the dried fruit and nut sector and increasing the consumption for a healthy nutrition.

marceL BrUGGeman Marcel Bruggeman is member of the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee of the INC since 2008 and of the Netherlands Dried Fruit Trade Association (NZV) since 2007. He started his Scientific Chemical Career by Unilever Research in the early 90’s and became Deputy Director of NofaLab Laboratories in 2007. “The best part about being a member of the Scientific Committee of INC is that I get to see the wide range of interest in our field. From Mycotocins to RASFF notifications, as specialized laboratory we develop analytical methods and consult the international nuts and dried fruit business across a wide array of fascinating topics.” Bruggeman switches his position at the INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee with Nico Janssen, Manager at Chemical Laboratories Dr. A. Verwey BV, every two years.

November 2014 | The Cracker

oUr PeoPLe Scientific and Government affairS committee chenG hUnG kay Cheng Hung Kay is member of the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee of the INC since 2012. He is elected as the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce of the Import & Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce & Animal By-Products, Tree Nuts Sub-Chamber (China Tree Nuts Association) since 2001. He has been working with the Chinese cashew industry to establish the national standard of cashew kernels and CNSL since 1973, then on going to Chinese pine nut kernels, Chinese pumpkin seed kernels, Chinese macadamia kernels, Chinese walnut meats and Chinese pitted dates in the 1970’s. He works with INC in world pine nut kernels and walnut in shell specifications at UNECE since 2011. He was awarded the prestigious Golden Nut Award in 2010.

cameon ivarSSon Dr. Cameon Ivarsson joined the Scientific Committee of the INC in 2005. In addition to contributing to the scientific committee’s ongoing activity and meetings she has been directly involved in the Green Corridor project in Iran, the SafeNut project in Brazil, and the Nuts and Seed Consortium in the UK. As the Scientific director of Napasol AG in Switzerland she is involved in the risk assessment and mitigation of the microbiological risks in nuts and dry fruit and runs the validation program of their pasteurization installations. Her timely contributions keep the committee apprised of scientific and regulatory trends in food safety issues.

Sam keiPer President and CEO of DFA of California, Sam Keiper has served in various leadership capacities in California Agribusiness for the past 30 years. Over his 24 year career at Diamond Foods, Keiper’s responsibilities ranged from corporate governance and strategic planning to grower relations, processing, and corporate affairs. He has served on numerous boards, commissions, and committees, including: Chair of the California Walnut Commission, Director of the Ag Council of California, and the California Walnut Board. He has been a member of the INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, the Grocers Manufacturing Association Federal Affairs Committee and the National Council of Farmers Cooperatives. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural economics and science from U.C Davis.

The Cracker | November 2014

Barry krieBeL INC member since 2004, Barry F. Kriebel has been a leader in the dried fruit industry for nearly 30 years. He serves as President of SunMaid Growers of California, the world’s largest processor and marketer of raisins and other dried fruits. As a member of the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, Barry has focused his attention on increasing the awareness of the health benefits of raisins and the equivalency of dried fruit to fresh fruit.

John o’neiLL With nearly 30 years’ experience in the ambient commodity sector, and processing and packing experience of dried fruit and nuts throughout most of the world, John was invited to join the INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee in 2012, giving his first congress presentation in Melbourne. Having a wide range of industry and auditing experience, as laboratory analyst, Quality and Technical Managers, through to the last few years working as a Technical Manager for the Tesco retail group. John’s qualifications include BRC third Party, ISO Lead Auditor and a BPCA (British Pest Control Association) Diploma.

antonio Pont Jr President and CEO of Crisol de Frutos Secos, the biggest Spanish nut grower organization dedicated to almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios and carobs. Organic almond specialists with Spanish origin. Antonio has been committed to the dried fruit industry for over 25 years and focused on the promotion of the healthy benefits of tree nuts. He has served on numerous boards, commissions, and committees, including: Barcelona INC Congress Chairman, INC Directors Observer Board member, INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee member.

michaeL WarinG Michael is Managing Director of MWT Foods, Australia and MWT Agri Services. Chairman of MWT Foods USA LLC, and Laurel Nut Company USA (Hazelnut Processor). CEO of Waring Group, comprising above businesses and other investments, including nut processing operations in Vietnam. Michael is a Member of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee of the INC. He serves in the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, and is Chief of INC Ambassadors Group and is an Ambassador to Australia. He is a founding Management Committee member of Nuts for Life Australia, Director of Australian Macadamia Society, member of the Australian Macadamia Industry Advisory Committee and Chairman of the Marketing subcommittee.

NEWS FROM THE INC SECRETARIAT

GREAT SUCCESS OF NUTS & DRIED FRUIT AT SIAL

Thousands of professionals from the food industry, including producers, buyers, distributors and retailers, visited the business reference point for nuts and dried fruit with a total of 19 co-exhibitors at SIAL Paris, from 19th to 23rd October 2014. The SIAL 2014 nuts and dried fruit pavilion featured co-exhibitors from China, Tunisia, South Africa, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Romania, Turkey, Japan, Australia and the United States, who gave a totally positive response to the experience. The INC Pavilion offered a full-service package designed to maximize the effectiveness of the coexhibitors participation at the tradeshow, based on a turnkey service and comfortable facilities, including private meeting rooms, a Common Area where co-exhibitors and clients could enjoy coffee, tea, refreshments and snacks, a Hospitality Lounge as well as facilities for business meeting. This edition of the INC Nuts and Dried Fruit Pavilion has reinforced its consolidation as the largest and only space exclusively dedicated to the nut and dried fruit industry.

DRIE D FRUI T

NU & TS

Also, for the first time, all the INC members and friends who attended SIAL came to a welcome cocktail on Monday 20TH October from 4 pm to 6 pm where they all enjoyed champagne, canapĂŠs and assorted Nuts & Dried Fruits in a relaxing business atmosphere. The Pavilion included a specific area dedicated to facilitate the connection between exhibitors and visitors in order to promote networking and business relationships. The hospitality area also offered a business friendly atmosphere for face-to-face meetings reaching the major players and decision-makers in the nuts and dried fruits business from all over the world.

Thank you for choosing the INC Pavilion at SIAL!

NEWS FROM THE INC SECRETARIAT

The Cracker | November 2014

NEWS FROM THE INC SECRETARIAT

November 2014 | The Cracker

NEWS FROM THE INC SECRETARIAT

The Cracker | November 2014

NEWS FROM THE INC SECRETARIAT

INC EXECUTIvE COMMITTEE MEETING The INC Executive Committee met in New York on October 24th to review the year’s financial, ongoing and future projects within the INC Strategic Plan of Actions and Budget. The members of the Executive Committee discussed the different reports and activities developed within the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee with regards to Food Safety, Quality Standards and participation in the United Nations meetings, Codex Alimentarius and industry meetings; the World Forum for Nutrition Research and Dissemination to review the development of the call for research and the new call for dissemination projects; and the two ad-hoc working groups: the Global Cashew Council and the Macadamias Committee.

The Committee also reviewed current and new projects for 2015 regarding: new statistics software and database; the Annual Communication Plan; the next issue of the Nuts & Health magazine focused on Harvard Studies; the Nuts in Health and Disease Symposium to be held under the umbrella of the International Congress on Public Health in Palma de Gran Canarias; the INC Pavilion in Sial and next year edition in Anuga. The meeting concluded with the report of the Antalya Congress and the review of candidatures to host the INC Congress in 2017.

NUTS AT THE WORLD CONGRESS OF PUbLIC HEALTH NUTRITION

nut Consumption and Metabolic Syndrome. Prof. Jordi Salas-Salvadó, InC World Forum for nutrition research and Dissemination

the Potential role of nuts in Cognitive Functions. Dr. Joan Sabaté, loma linda University, CA, USA.

In the framework of the 3rd World Congress of Public Health Nutrition, the INC is sponsoring the symposium “Nuts in Health and Disease” on November 10th, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, where four international leading researchers will share the latest findings in the field of nuts and health. The session will bring together global expertise and insight on nuts consumption in relation to metabolic syndrome, cognitive function, diabetes and overall mortality. International speakers include esteemed clinical researcher Prof. SalasSalvadó, Professor and Director of the Human Nutrition Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Rovira i Virgili University, Spain; Dr. Joan Sabaté, Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Loma Linda University, Center for Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyles and Disease Prevention, Loma Linda, CA USA; Dr. Cyril Kendall, Research Associate in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, and the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center, St. Michael’s Hospital, Canada; and Dr. Ying Bao, Associate Epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Instructor in Harvard Medical School, USA. Prof. Salas-Salvadó will review the scientific evidence relating nut consumption and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components. An emphasis will be done relating the effect of a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts or

nuts and Diabetes Control. Dr. Cyril Kendall, University of toronto, Canada.

nuts and Mortality. Dr. Ying bao, brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, USA.

virgin olive oil on diabetes incidence, and the effects of these interventions on the metabolic syndrome and its components in the context of the PREDIMED study. Guest speaker Dr. Joan Sabaté will explore the potential role of nuts in cognitive function. Evidence for the potential role of nuts in the prevention of cognitive degeneration will be reviewed. The nutritional factors related to cognition will be discussed, and a currently conducted large, dual-center, clinical trial on walnuts and cognition will be presented. Dr. Cyril Kendall will point out how nuts may exert a protective effect on insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, including the largest study to date on nuts and diabetes (Jenkins, D.J.A., et al. Nuts as a replacement for carbohydrates in the diabetic diet. Diabetes Care, 2011) and according to which two ounces (57 g) of nuts a day can improve glycemic control and blood lipids in those with type 2 diabetes. Dr. Ying Bao will provide insight into the study “Association of nut consumption with total and cause-specific mortality”, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. “We observed significant inverse associations of nut consumption with total mortality and most major causes of death in two large, independent U.S. cohort studies.” The results were similar for peanuts and tree nuts, and the inverse association persisted across all subgroup analyses. November 2014 | The Cracker

NEWS FROM THE INC SECRETARIAT

NEWS FROM THE INC HOME THE INC ARbORETUM bEARS FRUITS After almost two years of its construction, the 2500 square meters space for the Arboretum has been bearing fruits.

almonds, apricots, dates, figs, grapes, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, plums and walnuts.

This garden, located around the world headquarters of the nut and dried fruit industry in Reus (Spain), is currently the living collection of a large variety of worldwide nut and dried fruit trees. Among them, the Arboretum includes:

The INC conceived its world headquarters site as a rich environment of both architecture and nature, designed to inspire cooperation, commitment, innovation and sustainability.

A COMMEMORATIvE PLAqUE IN HONOR OF THE INC FOUNDERS To commemorate the signature of the constitution of the International Nut & Dried Fruit Council in Paris on 24th January 1983 in the celebration of the 30th Anniversary, the INC placed a commemorative plaque in honor of all the INC founders: Antonio Pont, Chris Hacking, Hans Ramseier, Hubert Berrebi, Paul Graf, Pino Calcagni and Simon Khayat. The plaque, made of bronze, has been located at the main entrance of the INC Home. The commemorative plaque was created in recognition of their leadership over the past 30 years and it means a way of saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;thank youâ&#x20AC;? to all INC founders for all their generous support throughout the years.

The Cracker | November 2014

NEWS FROM THE INC SECRETARIAT

GLObAL CASHEW COUNCIL CALL FOR RESEARCH PROjECTS We are pleased to announce that INC received 14 projects from 7 countries in response to the Global Cashew Council’s Call for Research Projects, with deadline October 5, 2014. INC received applications from Australia, Côte d’Ivoire, Germany, Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States. This is far more than expected, but it is the quality of the applicants what we embraced the most. The Evaluating Committee is now carrying out a peer review; the final decision by the Steering Committee of the Global Cashew Council can be expected on March 2015. The Global Cashew Council launched this call on July 10th to promote research on the effect of cashew nut consumption on lipid profile and other classic or

emergent cardiovascular risk factors. The call was publicized in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and the Asia Pacific Journal of Nutrition -two of the most prestigious journals in the field of nutrition- sparking a lot of interest in the sientific community. This was a call for applications from researchers from public and private institutions, as well as not-for-profit organizations, and accepted both single and multi-institutional, collaborative projects. This research grant is aligned to support the strategic plan of the Global Cashew Council (GCC), the objectives of which are to promote usage and consumption of cashews, to promote nutritional and health studies, to promote food safety, to develop quality standards and to increase awareness of the health and nutritional benefits of cashews.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION KIT The Global Cashew Council is publishing a Technical Information Kit about cashews, the purpose of which is to provide a basic understanding of using cashews: characteristics, applications, food safety and quality standards. The brochure targets buyers, importers, processors, manufacturers and the food service industry, and it will be presented in a folder with six sheets: 1.

generAl InForMAtIon (IntroDUCtIon, MAIn ProDUCIng CoUntrIeS AnD SeASonS);

tree ProDUCtS AnD USeS;

ForMS (SPeCIFICAtIonS AnD APPlICAtIonS);

HAnDlIng tIPS (reCoMMenDAtIonS For ProCeSSIng, PACKAgIng AnD StorAge);

QUAlItY reQUIreMentS (FooD SAFetY PArAMeterS)

StAnDArDS AnD grADeS.

The kit will be distributed to +1000 top managers in the nuts and dried fruit industry, public institutions and official authorities in agriculture, economy and trade in both producing and consuming countries.

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SPECIAL REPORT

CHILEAN NUTS AND DEHYDRATED FRUIT:

ATTRIBUTES THAT ARE CONQUERING THE WORLD

Chile is a country known for its copper, wine, fruit, seafood, landscapes and poets, not to mention its political stability and economic openness, thanks to its 22 current free trade agreements with around 60 other nations that represent 90% of the world’s GDP. This dynamic scenario is now being joined by a new stakeholder that has already broken into the food exporters’ elite: nuts and dehydrated fruit. The Chilean nut industry is mainly made up of walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts. Dehydrated fruit includes prunes and raisins, among others. In the case of walnuts, they have doubled in value over the past 5 years (a 192% increase), outlining clear and ambitious goals for the industry: to strongly grow their presence in Asia and strengthen their successful stake in Europe and the Middle East. Chile has been increasing production at a rate of 15% a year and therefore it is critical to develop markets that can keep up with this growth.

CHILEAN WALNUTS: TOP-NOTCH QUALITY Thanks to its excellent weather and soil conditions, Chile is home to one of the world’s most sought-after walnuts. They have a clearer tone, better taste, excellent size, greater shelf-life and maintain their crunchy freshness thanks to the fact that the southern hemisphere’s production is in season when the main markets are out of season. These traits go hand in hand with high quality standards, starting from the nuts in their natural state all the way through to processing, ensuring that the product is well positioned in the most demanding international markets. The increase in the world’s consumption has been accompanied by a substantial increase of Chile’s production. “There are 84 thousand acres of walnuts planted across the country and estimates are saying that our current production of 45,000 tons should double in five years. This means that in walnut exports alone, we should be reaching sums in excess of 500 million dollars”, explains Andrés Rodríguez, Chairman of the Chilean Walnut Commission. The world supply of walnuts is growing at a rate of almost 5% a year, with China and the United States as the two main producers. While the former consumes 100% of its production in addition to exporting some 150 thousand tons a year, the latter consumes 50% of their production. “Chile is currently ranked sixth in terms of production volume with 45,000 tons, but we’ve gained ground as exporters. We are now number one in the southern hemisphere and number three worldwide”, says Rodríguez. The success of the Chilean walnut and its penetration into Asian markets has not merely been a matter of will on the part of producers and exporters. In the markets where it has earned a presence, the Chilean walnut quickly acquires a reputation for its fantastic quality, clear color, better taste, greater shelf-life and excellent size. All of this makes it a Premium Product. “This is why our major challenge is to break into high consumption markets along with a campaign to spread the word of the aforementioned traits in order to sustain our competitiveness in the long run” states the Chilean executive. The joint effort made by the Chilean public and private sectors has been fundamental on this path towards opening new markets for Chile’s nuts and dehydrated fruit industry.

MORE NUTS ON THE RISE IN CHILE In addition to walnuts, it is important to note that there are also other nuts that have experienced significant growth, such as hazelnuts. Today, there are 34,590 acres planted with hazels, a number that grows year after year. This nut is mainly used in the chocolate industry and we hope that in the near future, Chile can become a relevant stakeholder in the global market.

The Cracker | November 2014

SPECIAL REPORT

CHILEAN PRUNES: WORLDWIDE EXPORT LEADERS Chile is the world’s number one prune exporter, shipping 75 thousand tons in a normal year. These numbers report around 200 million US dollars, exporting over 95% of the country’s production. The Chilean prune market has seen strong development over the past 20 years. “Our country went from being in 40 markets to more than 75. A few noteworthy markets are Mexico and Europe, among others, in addition to China as of the past 4 years”, says Rodríguez, who is also Vice Chairman of Chile Prunes. There are several traits that help this Chilean fruit stand out across the world. The industry is highly technologically innovative, both on the production side and the processing side (tenderizing and pitting), allowing Chile to offer a highly diversified supply and reach top tier export volumes worldwide. The sweetest fruit can be found in Chile thanks to the country’s excellent natural conditions for planting European plum trees, exporting everything from pitted prunes to the most sophisticated retail packs found in the Asian and European markets. Along these same lines, the quality and size of the fruit itself are excellent, making for an agro-industrial product with promising packaging advances, ready to reach the tables of consumers all over the world. As a way to get together and debate the challenges the industry is facing, on November 19th, Chile will host the 4th Congreso Expo Ciruelas Secas (Dried Prunes Congress and Trade Show), entitled “Looking Towards the Future”, where prune producers and exporters will gather to analyze national and international current events of the industry’s markets and enjoy interesting lectures from noted speakers from the agro industry. For more information on Chile’s walnut industry, please log on to www. chileanwalnut.com. For further information on prunes, please visit www.chileprunes.cl.

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Ask for VICAM AflaTest by name whether you test on-site or use a trusted analytical labaoratory. Contact us today to learn more, call 417.725.6588, visit us at www.vicam.com or email vicam@vicam.com for your local VICAM distributor. Follow us on Twitter: @vicamwaters and try our mycotoxin regulations app: www.commodityregs.com ©2014 Waters Corporation. Waters, UPLC, VICAM and AflaTest are registered trademarks of Waters Corporation.

November 2014 | The Cracker

GLOBAL FOOD ALLERGY NEWS

FOOD ALLERGY SURVEY SHOWS INCONSISTENCIES IN TREATMENT OF LIFE-THREATENING ALLERGIC REACTIONS Treatment of allergic reactions in the emergency setting can be inconsistent and unpredictable, according to the results of a new Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) patient survey about experiences with emergency department (ED) and emergency medical services (EMS) for serious allergic reactions. These findings reinforce the need for improved education about anaphylaxis among both patients and emergency medical staff. FARE is welcoming members of the emergency medicine community for the Emergency Management of Anaphylaxis Summit in Chicago, where attendees will discuss how to improve the process of treating anaphylaxis on the continuum of emergency care. More than 2,800 individuals – parents/caregivers of children with food allergies or individuals with food allergies – in 45 states completed FARE’s online survey. The survey included questions about response times, discharge procedures and the usage of epinephrine, the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that can occur suddenly and is potentially life-threatening. Most reactions described in the responses occurred in the last five years. “While we were encouraged to see favorable trends in the treatment of serious allergic reactions by ED and EMS staff, it is also clear that there is more work to be done to help ensure that anaphylaxis is properly evaluated and treated in the emergency setting,” said James R. Baker Jr., M.D., interim CEO of FARE. “Our survey also showed that discharge instructions regarding follow-up and epinephrine refills were inconsistent, which could have an impact on effective ongoing management of food allergies.” Highlights of the survey findings include:

TREATMENT OF ALLERGIC EMERGENCIES IS INCONSISTENT Survey results showed that patient experiences varied greatly in both EMS and ED settings. Answers throughout the survey showed patients experienced a wide variety of diagnostic and treatment approaches in response to anaphylactic reactions. Comments about EMS experiences varied widely, from complimentary (“supportive,”

The Cracker | November 2014

“fantastic”) to negative (“EMT told me next time to just Epi her myself and transport to ER myself, that it would be quicker and free them for ‘other emergencies.’”). Epinephrine is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis, but at the ED, steroids were the most common medication given (69 percent), followed by antihistamines (66 percent), epinephrine (42 percent) and Albuterol (28 percent).

DISCHARGE PROTOCOLS ARE IN NEED OF IMPROVEMENT ED intake procedures for allergic emergencies show quick processing, with the majority of patients (69 percent) seen immediately or within five minutes of arriving at the ED; however, discharge procedures demonstrate that the majority of patients are not receiving critical information needed for effective ongoing management of severe allergies. While 64 percent of respondents received advice to continue steroids/ antihistamines upon discharge from the ED, only 36 percent were given a prescription for epinephrine, and less than a quarter of respondents (24 percent and 18 percent, respectively), were given information about food allergies or a referral to an allergist. When looking at only those patients who experienced first-time reactions, the numbers improved, but only slightly: 41 percent were given a prescription for epinephrine, 31 percent were given information about food allergies and 32 percent were given a referral to an allergist. Twenty-one percent of the broader group did not receive any of this information upon discharge.

GLOBAL FOOD ALLERGY NEWS

EMERGENCY STAFF/PATIENTS COULD BENEFIT FROM INCREASED EDUCATION

• Epinephrine is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis. If an individual is experiencing anaphylaxis, or anaphylaxis is suspected, an epinephrine auto-injector (if available) should be administered immediately and before any other medications.

Due to the swift and serious nature of anaphylaxis, which can become life-threatening within minutes, both patients and emergency personnel need a strong understanding of how to recognize symptoms and appropriately treat anaphylaxis. Of the survey respondents who called 911, less than half had already administered epinephrine before making the call. In addition, despite prevailing medical guidance that individuals who have had an allergic reaction should be observed for at least 4 hours in case symptoms reoccur (a biphasic reaction), in about one-third of the cases, patients were kept in the ED for observation less than two hours. Many comments provided to FARE within the survey about the ED experience reiterate the need for further education. One respondent wrote, “ER doctor was unaware that symptoms could return after the injection we gave at home,” while another described her son being given Albuterol as a first-line treatment for a near-fatal second reaction in the ED.

• After the epinephrine is administered, 911 should be called and told that epinephrine has been given for a suspected anaphylactic reaction. The patient should be transported to the hospital via an ambulance in case additional treatment is required en route. • Individuals who have experienced an anaphylactic reaction should be observed in the ED at least four hours in case of a biphasic reaction, in which symptoms return after initially subsiding post-treatment.

Both patients and emergency medicine providers should be aware of the following recommendations when managing an allergic emergency:

RESEARCH WORKS TO MAKE CASHEWS, OTHER NUTS SAFE FOR ALLERGIES Millions of adults and children in the US have nut allergies that can range from mild hives to fatal anaphylaxis. A new study led by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals that there might be answers other than strictly avoiding nuts. The findings of this study, presented this week at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, describe a new method that is being developed to process cashews, and possibly other nuts, to make them safer for people who are allergic. “The only widely accepted practice for preventing an allergic reaction to nuts is strict avoidance — stay away from the food,” USDA Agricultural Research Service researcher Chris Mattison, Ph.D. noted. “Clinical trials to test immunotherapy are underway, but we’re approaching it from an agricultural perspective rather than medical. Can we change the food, instead of treating the person, so we can eliminate or reduce severe reactions?” Food allergies are a rising problem, with nearly 200,000 visits per year to the ER for food allergies in the United States. Mattison and his colleagues want to reduce those numbers by modifying the proteins that cause immune responses in people who are allergic to tree nuts and peanuts (which are legumes). Antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE) launch the immune response. IgEs recognize and attach themselves to the proteins. Changing the shape of the protein makes it harder for this attachment to happen. In the past, however, research into changing the shape of the proteins has involved harsh chemicals. Mattison and his team wanted to find a way to change the shape of the protein with compounds “generally regarded as safe” (GRAS), which are Food and Drug Administration approved for use in food and pharmaceuticals. “We found that the GRAS compound sodium sulfite can effectively disrupt the structure of a couple of the cashew allergens,” Mattison says. “And we’ve done a couple of different tests to show we reduced IgE binding to the proteins when they’ve been treated with sodium sulfite.” The researchers plan to continue by experimenting on whole nuts and testing the modified proteins on cells in a laboratory setting to see how they respond. They also plan to examine enzymes as candidates to disrupt the allergens because they are known to cut up proteins. Mattison says that their results could have broader implications than just cashew allergens because the GRAS compound and enzymes affect the allergenic proteins of more than one kind of nut. November 2014 | The Cracker

GLOBAL FOOD ALLERGY NEWS

NEW STUDY AIMS FOR QUICK SUPPRESSION OF FOOD ALLERGIES Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) announced that it has awarded a research grant totaling $734,986 to a leading immunologist at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine/Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center who is developing an innovative therapeutic approach that would rapidly and safely suppress food allergies. If successful, this treatment could be applied to all food allergies, from the “top eight” (peanut, tree nuts, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, wheat and soy) to less common food allergies. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a division of the National Institutes of Health, is providing an additional grant of $1.3 million for a complementary study of this promising treatment. Immunologist and grant recipient Fred Finkelman, M.D., has developed a therapy that could be especially beneficial to individuals with difficult-to-treat multiple food allergies, since it would allow physicians to desensitize these patients to all of their allergens at the same time. Of the 5.9 million U.S. children with food allergies, more than 30 percent are allergic to more than one food. These patients are more likely to experience anaphylaxis – a severe, potentially fatal reaction – than people with a single food allergy. Finkelman and his team have developed a unique monoclonal antibody – an antibody grown in the laboratory – that targets and deactivates mast cells, which play a key role in allergic reactions. Special receptors on the surface of mast cells allow them to bind to IgE, the “bad” antibody responsible for food allergy. When a person with food allergy eats the wrong food, the IgE-primed mast cells attack the allergen, releasing chemicals that cause the symptoms

of an allergic reaction. The monoclonal antibody removes both the IgE and IgE receptors on mast cells, making them harmless. In a previous study, Finkelman’s team injected mice with this monoclonal antibody and showed that the treatment prevented anaphylaxis. Now, the researchers will continue their work in mouse models, with the goal of adapting this approach to humans over the next several years. They aim to develop a safe therapy that would rapidly desensitize patients to food allergens – possibly within 24 hours. The treatment would be administered by injection. To add an extra layer of safety, the researchers are refining a mixture of medications that would be combined with this therapy to help protect against severe reactions during the desensitization process. “As the world’s largest private source of funding for food allergy research, FARE is committed to supporting the development of safe, effective treatments that will protect all individuals with food allergies from life-threatening reactions,” said James R. Baker, Jr., MD, Interim CEO of FARE. “FARE’s strategic plan for research calls for us to develop a robust pipeline of potential therapies, and Dr. Finkelman’s study pursues a new approach that, if successful, could transform the lives of millions of individuals living with food allergies.” FARE funds basic and clinical studies conducted by researchers at every stage of their career, from promising young investigators to distinguished scientists such as Dr. Finkelman. Over the past 20 years, Finkelman has been one of the most-cited researchers in the field of immunology. If his FARE-funded study is successful, the next step will be testing in a primate model, which could lead to a Phase 1 clinical trial in humans.

SKIN EXPOSURE TO PEANUTS MAY TRIGGER ALLERGIC REACTION IN KIDS DID YOU KNOW? Did you know allergy to peanuts can be caused without eating them? According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation,children may develop an allergic reaction with skin exposure to peanuts. The study suggests that skin exposure to food allergens may contribute to early sensitisation. In simple words, your skin becomes reactive to antigens resulting in antibody production to the allergens. By repeated exposure, the antibodies trigger allergic reaction. This helps us understand better why peanuts, out of the many foods in our diet, is such a common cause of food allergy. The reason being, skin exposure to peanut allergens early in life contributes to sensitization. A few studies in the past have indicated that children may first become allergic to peanuts after exposure through breast milk or house dust. According to Cecilia Berin, associate professor of pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, peanut protein is recognised as foreign by the immune system. And, it was found that blocking those immune pathways activated in the skin prevented the development of peanut allergy in the mice. The next step would be to confirm this in humans, he explained.

The Cracker | November 2014

November 2014 | The Cracker

SPECIAL REPORT

HIGH NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF CURRANTS REVEALED IN RESEARCH By Vaios T. Karathanos, Ph.D., Professor of School of Nutrition & Dietetics, Harokopion University of Athens*

Currants (black Corinthian raisins) have been a unique dried vine product that is produced mainly in southern Greece and in smaller quantities in California, South Africa and Australia. Especially in the region around the town of Aeghion is produced the world-known Vostizza currants, a PDO product (Product of Designated Origin). The cultivation of currants in the Greek South is referred in Homer’s Odyssey almost three thousand years ago and by philosopher Aristotle. The currants are produced mostly in high-altitude, mountainous area and are sundried without addition of any additive, such as accelerating drying agent or infused sugars. The product, which is fully traceable to the farmer, is then washed by potable water and cleaned in modern food factories. The area of Aeghion has made in recent years several new developments in agriculture, such as the first implication of certified organic agriculture in Greece more than three decades ago. Also the main Agricultural Cooperative of the area has assisted researchers from Greek and several European Universities to participate in collaborative research projects, such as the food quality and safety and nutritional value of the product. Recent research performed at universities has resulted in establishing the high nutritional value of currants: • The currant is an excellent source of antioxidants and polyphenol compounds (flavonoids, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, procyanidins, resveratrol) and it has a very high antioxidant content1. The currants have some advantages over several other fruits because they are coming from black/deep blue grapes, which are considered as better phenolic source than white grape in antioxidants and anthocyanins. The drying of currants under low relative humidity and in moderate temperatures allows the preservation of antioxidants and vitamins of grapes when they are turned to currants. • A basic advantage of currants (and several other fruits, such as raisins) is that they are consumed along with their skin. Their skin, being deep blue/black, is full of antioxidants. Also due to their small size, currants have a very high specific surface area (area of skin/mass of product), therefore a higher concentration of antioxidants but also dietetic fiber than several other fruits. The contained fiber of currants is very high (about 7%). Fiber acts as a substrate of useful bacteria in the colon, thus they give to the currants (and other similar fruits) prebiotic properties. Thus they assist the good health of gastrointestinal system and prevent the cholesterol biosynthesis. • Currants are excellent source of minerals, such as zinc, magnesium, iron and especially potassium. The latter is very

The Cracker | November 2014

important in several functions in mammals but especially in the sodium/potassium equilibrium in body and depression of high blood pressure. The potassium content of currants is 0.8% per weight on the average. • Clinical studies, which took place in humans under the guidance of the Department of Nutrition of Harokopion University and the Athens Medical School, showed that there is bioavailablity of the currants’ antioxidants in blood after intervention and a high antioxidant activity. • The glycaemic index (GI) of currants is moderate in healthy humans while in people suffering from diabetes the effect of currant sugars is also moderate and much better than other even less sweet fruits, which make currants as suitable for consumption by several categories of humans when they are consumed in moderation, even by those suffering from metabolic diseases . The sweetness of currants is due to their high content (35% by weight) in the very sweet sugar fructose which, however, has a low GI (19) in comparison to glucose (100). Therefore currants are very sweet and contribute to the satiety. • Human volunteers who consumed currants daily found that there is no weight increase but rather some decrease. This was attributed to the sweetness of the product, the satiety that resulted in, and the high fiber content of the product.

SPECIAL REPORT • In published research in vitro it was found that currant juice resulted in the significant apoptosis of gastric cancer cells and colon while more research is underway for the effect of cancer on other cancer cells.

Disease or effects on healthy humans. The studies are performed within a project of the Agricultural Cooperatives’ Union of Aeghion, Harokopion University, Academy of Athens and Athens Medical School, as well as in collaboration with other European Research Institutes.

• Currants were provided, under continuous medical guidance to people with Diabetes Mellitus II. It was shown that moderate daily consumption of currants (two tablespoons per day, 36 g) did not result in any glucose elevation in the blood. The antioxidant activity of blood was increased significantly and the blood pressure was decreased significantly. Thus currants may be a constituent of our diet that may lead to a healthier diet style that may protect from cardiovascular diseases.

The research which is underway but especially the already published research, may help to uncover the high nutritional value of this sweet dried fruit. A fruit that comes from the old times, related to the homemade tradition of old Europe but still remained as an important constituent of the Mediterranean Diet.

• In a clinical study in healthy humans that due to their life-style or environmental reasons are subjected to strong oxidative stress, the consumption of a normal daily dose of two tablespoons resulted in the reverse of oxidative stress phenomenon and a better health. Oxidative stress has been accused of causing diseases such as cardiovascular or cancer. • The strong antioxidant content of currants remains constant during the grapes’ drying but also during the further processing of product, i.e. during baking, production of biscuits, etc. The nutritional research for the health benefits of currants is continued for other metabolic diseases, such as the Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver

*Editor’s note: Dr. Vaios T. Karathanos holds a Chemical Engineering diploma from National Technical University of Athens (1984) and M.Sc. and Ph.D. (1990) degrees from the Department of Food Science of Rutgers University (New Jersey). Dr. Karathanos worked for over 20 years with the Agricultural Cooperatives Union of Aeghion in Quality Assurance and R&D on currants. He also spent time at various research Institutions and universities. Recently he was elected as full Professor of Food Engineering and Physical Chemistry at the Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, Harokopion University of Athens. His research interests include antioxidants of fruits, clinical studies on the effect of foods on certain diseases, food rheology, mass transfer in food systems, extrusion cooking, food dehydration by air and freeze drying, encapsulation of bioactive compounds, and nutritional evaluation. He is author of 70 peer reviewed publications with more than 2500 citations, co-author of one book and author of several book chapters. For a complete list of resources for this paper please contact INC headquarters at INC@nutfruit.org.

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November 2014 | The Cracker

FEATURE STORY

CALIFORNIA DROUGHT This special update is from Daniel Swain’s California Weather Blog on 29 September, 2014 that results from context for a study that he recently published in a special issue of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (Swain et al. 2014) along with his co-authors. This report has undergone scientific peer review—an important distinction to make in the science blogosphere—and claims made on the basis of peer-reviewed findings are marked with an asterisk (*) throughout this post.

THE REALLY SHORT VERSION In 2013 and 2014, a vast region of persistently high atmospheric pressure over the northeastern Pacific Ocean–known as the “Ridiculously Resilient Ridge”–prevented typical winter storms from reaching California, bringing record-low precipitation and record-high temperatures. These extremely dry and warm conditions have culminated in California’s worst drought in living memory, and likely the worst in over 100 years. Human-caused climate change has increased the likelihood of extremely high atmospheric pressure over the North Pacific Ocean, which suggests an increased risk of atmospheric patterns conducive to drought in California. In the 12-month Modified Palmer Drought Severity Index for California, the current value is the lowest in more than 100 years, and is part of a century-long downward trend. (NOAA/NCDC)

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF THE ONGOING EXTREME DROUGHT IN CALIFORNIA? The impacts of the drought are wide-ranging, and continue to intensify with each passing month. Curtailment of state and federal water project deliveries for agricultural irrigation have already resulted in multi-billion dollar losses as thousands of acres of farmland are fallowed. Small communities in some regions have started to run out of water entirely and increasingly stringent urban conservation measures have been enacted over the summer as reservoir storage drops to critically low levels. Thousands of new water wells have been constructed on an emergency basis over the past year, and skyrocketing rates of groundwater pumping have led to rapid land subsidence in the San Joaquin Valley. Not to be outdone, snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains was almost nonexistant for much of 2013-2014, and at least one of California’s major rivers is no longer reaching the Pacific Ocean. The severity of California’s drought is so great that it is starting to change the physical geography of the state. The Sierra Nevada’s mountain peaks have risen measurably since 2012 as the Earth’s crust rebounds from the net loss of 63 trillion gallons of water—an amount equivalent to the entire annual ice melt of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

The Cracker | November 2014

Intense, destructive wildfires are burning throughout the state, and while September and October are the peak of the typical fire season in California, the number of fires exhibiting extreme behavior and “dangerous” rates of spread has been far higher than usual due to the ubiquity of tinder-dry, drought-cured brush and trees. Conditions have been so warm and dry that at least one glacial outburst flood has occurred on the slopes of Mt. Shasta as winter ice accumulation decreases and summer melt accelerates. The overall visibility and severity of these impacts have brought the drought to the forefront of California politics: landmark legislation regarding the regulation of groundwater recently was recently passed by the state legislature and has now been signed by the governor, and a “water bond” will feature prominently as Proposition 1 on the California ballot this November.

JUST HOW SEVERE IS THE CURRENT DROUGHT RELATIVE TO OTHERS IN CALIFORNIA’S PAST? A smooth 12-month average of California precipitation shows that the current drought encompasses the driest year on record in California. (Swain et al. 2014) California is currently experiencing its third consecutive year of unusually dry conditions, but the intensity of California’s long-term drought has increased dramatically over the past 18 months. 2013 was the driest calendar year in at least 119 years of record keeping— but even more impressively, the current drought now encompasses the driest consecutive 12-month period since at least 1895.* This means that the maximum 12-month magnitude of the precipitation deficits in California during the current drought have exceeded those during all previous droughts in living memory—including both the 1976-1977 and 1987-1992 events.* As of September 2014, 3-year precipitation deficits now exceed average annual precipitation across most of California, and most these anomalies stem from the exceptional dryness during 2013 and early 2014. For many practical purposes, 2013 was a “year without rain” in California—an extraordinary occurrence in a region with a traditionally very well defined winter rainy season.

FEATURE STORY In addition to extremely low precipitation, California has also been experiencing exceptional warmth over much of the past year. 2014 is currently California’s record warmest year to date by a wide margin— meaning that it has been warmer during the current drought than during any previous drought since at least the 1800s. Warm temperatures increase the rate of evaporation from parched soils and critically dry rivers, lakes, and streams—exacerbating the impacts of existing precipitation deficits. In fact, primary metrics of overall drought severity—including the widelyused Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI)—have now reached their lowest levels since at least the 1800s. All of this evidence points consistently toward an increasingly inescapable reality: that the 2013-2014 drought in California is the worst in living memory, and likely in well over a century.

WHAT’S CAUSING THESE INCREDIBLY WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS IN CALIFORNIA? The atmospheric pattern over much of North America has been exhibiting a remarkable degree of persistence over the past 12-18 months. This very unusual atmospheric configuration—in which the large-scale atmospheric wave pattern appears to be largely “stuck” in place—has been characterized by a seemingly ever-present West Coast ridge and a similarly stubborn trough over central and eastern United States (commonly referred to in media coverage as the “Polar Vortex,” though this terminology is problematic.). This so-called “North American dipole”) has resulted in persistent warm/dry anomalies along the West Coast and persistent cool/wet anomalies over the Midwest and Eastern Seaboard. Because of the extraordinary persistence and strength of the western half of this wave pattern and its conspicuous impacts in California, I started referring to this anomaly as the “Ridiculously Resilient Ridge” (or “Triple R”) in December 2013. Since that time, the Triple R has waxed and waned—and for a brief period during February and March 2014, faded away almost entirely. But the anomalous Ridge returned during the spring months, and has continued to be a notable feature of the large-scale pattern through summer 2014. It’s important to note that the Triple R is not a feature that has necessarily been present every single day for the entire duration of the California drought. The “resilience” of the Triple R is key to its significance: despite occasional, transient disruptions of the persistent high pressure on daily to weekly timescales, the much-maligned Triple R has been in place more often than not since early January 2013. Averaged over multiple months (and now up to a year or more), the Ridge pops out as a strikingly prominent feature in map plots of the large-scale atmosphere.* In fact, the region of historically unprecedented (since at least 1948) annual-

scale geo-potential height anomalies associated with the Triple R extend over a truly vast geographic region—from central California westward across the entire North Pacific to the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East.* Extremely high geo-potential heights (a vertically aggregated measure of atmospheric temperature) over the northeastern Pacific Ocean are historically linked to very low precipitation in California.* This is consistent with previous work by other researchers, and highlights the fact that such extreme values are usually linked to a northward shift in the storm track, which directs storms away from California. Over these many months—and especially during the second half of the 2012-2013 rainy season during January 2013-May 2013 and the first half of the 2013-2014 rainy season during October 2013-January 2014—the Triple R induced persistent shifts in the large-scale wind patterns near and west of California.* During California’s rainy season, which typically runs from late October through early May, winter storms approach California from the west and northwest, bringing Pacific moisture to the region in the form of periodic rainfall and mountain snowfall. The latitude of the “storm track” along the West Coast—largely defined by the position of the jet stream—varies from day-to-day, month-to-month, and even year-to-year. During the 2013-2014 California drought, however, the Triple R pushed the jet stream well to the north of California (and, for much of that period, even north of Oregon and Washington).* This northward deflection of the storm track prevented precipitation-bearing low pressure systems from reaching California for large portions of two consecutive rainy seasons, ultimately resulting in the lowest 12-month precipitation on record in California.* In addition to causing extremely low precipitation in California, the Triple R is also largely responsible for California’s record warmth over the past 9 months. During the cool season, the Ridge brought long stretches of cloudless days, which caused daytime temperatures during winter to be well above average (and, at the same time, the position of the ridge also prevented major cold air outbreaks from occurring after December 2013). During the warm season, the Ridge has helped to shut down the typical northwesterly prevailing winds along the coast (and thus the upwelling) that are responsible for northern and central California’s cold ocean surface temperatures. This combination of endless clear skies and far warmer than usual near-shore ocean temperatures have allowed California’s air temperatures thus far in 2014 to be the warmest on record since at least 1895–and by a considerable margin.

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 November 2014 | The Cracker

DID YOU KNOW

NUTRITION MAY BE BEHIND WHY SOME CULTURES SOAK NUTS According to INC-NREF Director, Maureen Ternus, the one question asked several times at a recent wellness meeting was about soaking the nuts “in order to release enzyme inhibitors.” “We’ve received this question a number of times over the years but this was the most at one meeting,” said Maureen, who did a quick search on the web and below is one of the examples of this practice.

In addition, we asked INC member, Muffadal Yusuf based in Mumbai who represents Tajir Private Limited, about this tradition. In response he said, “The tradition behind soaking almonds overnight, as with some other foods (black currants - only a certain variety from Afghanistan in water, dried figs in milk, etc), is that it changes the efficacy of the product, and allows for better absorption of its nutrients by the stomach. In this part of the world, its based tremendously on tradition.”

process the body does. Enzyme inhibitors will clog, warp or denature an active site of an enzyme. They may also bind to the enzyme, which will prevent the intended molecule from binding. “Once again, the habits of traditional peoples should serve as a guide. They understood instinctively that nuts are best soaked or partially sprouted before eaten. This is because nuts contain numerous enzyme inhibitors that can put a real strain on the digestive mechanism if consumed in excess.”

SOAKING NUTS, GRAINS, SEEDS, AND LEGUMES

WHAT ARE PHYTATES?

Nature has set it up so that the nut, grain and seed may survive until proper growing conditions are present. Nature’s defense mechanism includes nutritional inhibitors and toxic substances that can be removed naturally when there is enough precipitation to sustain a new plant after the nut, grain or seed germinates. When it rains the nut, grain or seed gets wet and can then germinate to produce a plant. So we are mimicking nature when we soak our nuts, grains and seeds.

“All grains contain phytic acid in the outer layer or bran. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in unfermented whole grains may lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. The modern misguided practice of consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon transit time at first but may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and, in the long term, many other adverse effects.”

Nutritional inhibitors and toxic substances found in nuts grains and seed can be minimized or eliminated by soaking. These inhibitors and toxic substances are enzyme inhibitors, phytates (phytic acid), polyphenols (tannins), and goitrogens.

WHY SOAK NUTS, GRAINS AND SEEDS?

WHAT ARE ENZYME INHIBITORS?

3. To neutralize the enzyme inhibitors.

There are digestive enzymes and metabolic enzymes. Digestive enzymes help break down food. Metabolic enzymes help every biological

5. To increase the amounts of vitamins, especially B vitamins.

The Cracker | November 2014

1. To remove or reduce phytic acid. 2. To remove or reduce tannins. 4. To encourage the production of beneficial enzymes.

DID YOU KNOW 6. To break down gluten and make digestion easier. 7. To make the proteins more readily available for absorption. 8. To prevent mineral deficiencies and bone loss. 9. To help neutralize toxins in the colon and keep the colon clean. 10. To prevent many health diseases and conditions. “Soaking allows enzymes, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize a large portion of phytic acid in grains. Soaking in warm water also neutralizes enzyme inhibitors, present in all seeds, and encourages the production of numerous beneficial enzymes. The action of these enzymes also increases the amount of many vitamins, especially B vitamins. During the process of soaking and fermenting, gluten and other difficult-to-digest proteins are partially broken down into simpler components that are more readily available for absorption.”

WHAT CAN BE USED TO SOAK NUTS, GRAINS AND SEEDS? I have found many references to soaking nuts, grains, and seeds in water, salt water, or a warm water mixture with something acidic like yogurt, whey or lemon juice. It seems within 7 to 24 hours the enzyme inhibitors are neutralized and the anti-nutrients are broken down regardless of the method you choose. There is evidence that the process works when you see sprouting begin.

HOW LONG DOES THE SOAKING PROCESS TAKE? “As little as seven hours of soaking in warm acidulated water will neutralize a large portion of phytic acid in grains. The simple practice of soaking cracked or rolled cereal grains overnight will vastly improve their nutritional benefits.” “Flour products should be soaked at room temperature for at least twelve hours but better results may be obtained with a twenty-four hour soaking.”

ARE THE NUTS, GRAINS AND SEEDS USED WET? I have enjoyed almonds wet. If you choose to try consuming anything in the soaked state, make little batches and store them in the refrigerator. Usually everything that is soaked is dried in a dehydrator or oven on the lowest possible setting for 24 – 48 hours to remove all moisture.

Wheat berries can be soaked whole for 8 to 22 hours, then drained and rinsed. Some recipes use the whole berries while they are wet, such as cracker dough ground right in the food processor. You can also dry sprouted wheat berries in a low-temperature oven or dehydrator, and then grind them in your grain mill and use the flour in a variety of recipes. Nuts, grains, seeds and legumes can be ground up to use as flour in many recipes after they have been dried.

ANY ADVICE ON WHAT TO DO WITH LEGUMES? Maureen Diaz recommends soaking any beans or legumes in water and vinegar for at least twelve hours before cooking. Soaked and dried beans may be ground up and used as flour for thickening and baking. This is helpful for those on a gluten free diet. One recommendation includes placing soaked kombu or kelp seaweed in the bottom of the pot when soaking legumes. Add one part seaweed to six or more parts legumes. This is for improved flavor and digestion, more nutrients, and faster cooking. “Soak legumes for twelve hours or overnight in four parts water to one part legume. For best results, change the water once or twice. Lentils and whole dried peas require shorter soaking, while soybeans and garbanzos need to soak longer. Soaking softens skins and begins the sprouting process, which eliminates phytic acid, thereby making more minerals available. Soaking also promotes faster cooking and improved digestibility, because the gas-causing enzymes and trisaccharides in legumes are released into the soak water. Be sure to discard the soak water. After bringing legumes to a boil, scoop off and discard foam. Continue to boil for twenty minutes without lid at beginning of cooking to let steam rise (breaks up and disperses indigestible enzymes).” Source (pdf): wss.nourishingconnections.org; The Benefits of Soaking Nuts and Seeds, 13 October, 2009, By: Delicia Beaty and Sharon Foutch

November 2014 | The Cracker

DID YOU KNOW

CEREALS BEGIN TO LOSE CONSUMER INTEREST Cereal, that bedrock of the American breakfast, has lost some of its appeal. For the last decade, the cereal business has been declining, as consumers reach for granola bars, yogurt and drive-through fare in the morning. And the drop-off has accelerated lately, especially among those finicky millennials who tend to graze on healthy options — even if Cheerios and some other brands come in whole-grain varieties fortified with protein now. Cereal companies have tried to play on that nostalgia, with commercials featuring generations Cheerio consumers or couples fighting over the marshmallows in Lucky Charms. Cereal consumption peaked in the mid-1990s, according to the NPD Group, a consumer research firm. Still, some 90 percent of American households report buying ready-to-eat cereal, which remains the largest category of breakfast food with some $10 billion in sales last year, according to Euromonitor, down from $13.9 billion in 2000. And the consumer research firm estimates sales will fall further this year to $9.7 billion. Cereal sales have long been subject to dips brought on by food fads like the Atkins diet or bagel mania. And many cereals are neither glutenfree nor protein-rich, so they fail to resonate with the growing number of consumers who are gluten-intolerant or adherents of the so-called paleo diet. But investment analysts say the current slump is a result of more pernicious trends. For instance, the birthrate is declining — and children traditionally have been the largest consumers of cereal. Other demographic factors are at play as well: Many surveys have shown that Latinos and Asians prefer other breakfast foods. Sales of cold beakfast cereals have fallen over the last decade, particularly for brands marketed to children.

BREAKFAST CEREAL SALES Change in consumption 2003-2013

FAMILY CEREALS -5.5% Flaked Cereals

Including corn flakes, Raisin Bran, etc.

+1.8%

-3.4%

Rolled-oat and granolatype cereals.

Including puffed wheat, Cheerios, Life cereal, etc.

Muesli

Other

CHILDREN'S CEREALS -10.7%

All Types

Including Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs, etc.

Source: Euromonitor And, there are the millennials, those consumers between the ages of 14 and 32 who are proving to be a headache for food companies. They’re much more likely to be snacking rather than eating three meals a day, and therefore may not have a traditional breakfast at all. Additionally, there’s a

The Cracker | November 2014

small but very active and influential group of millennials who are focused on health and don’t like processed food. As if those challenges were not enough, new kitchen gadgets make whipping up a smoothie or a custom blend of juices easy to do at home. Plus, a number of new fast-food breakfast options have put dents in cereal sales. At General Mills, the company’s yogurt brands have eaten away at sales of its cereals, which include Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Cheerios. The company has made tweaks in advertising and ingredients to address changing consumer preferences. For instance, it continues to reduce sugar in its cereals, and it pulled Nature Valley cereals out of mothballs and added protein to them in 2013. It also found a way to capitalize on Chex, which had produced consistent sales but little growth since General Mills acquired it in the 1990s. It eventually marketed it as gluten-free, and sales rose. General Mills also is marketing its iconic cereals as family brands in an appeal to nostalgia: Adults account for almost half of the consumption of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, for instance. Such changes have kept the company’s sales of cereals stable at a time when its competitors are struggling. This month, Post Holdings reported that sales of its cereals, which include Alpha-Bits and Grape-Nuts, were down 3.4 percent in the fiscal third quarter compared to the same period last year, while sales of morning foods at the Kellogg Company, which includes Pop-Tarts, breakfast bars and beverages in addition to its cereal brands, slid 4.9 percent in the second quarter. Kellogg’s has added protein to Kashi GoLean and Special K, a move that is working well, and it has begun packaging its staple cereals for children, like Froot Loops, Apple Jacks and Corn Pops, in pouches to make them more convenient for mothers to use as snacks. MOM Brands, formerly Malt-OMeal, has so far been immune to the trends buffeting the rest of the industry; two years ago, it surpassed Post to become the third-largest cereal maker, largely with simple innovations.

WORLD INDUSTRY NEWS

FOSETYL-AL, PHOSPHONIC ACID, TREE NUTS AND TRADE… by Thomas M. Jones

Producing agricultural commodities for consumers around the world has many challenges, and compliance with pesticide regulations is one of them. An example of this challenge occurred last November in Europe. Testing by official and private laboratories indicated the presence of fosetyl-Al residues on tree nuts in excess of the EU Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) of 2 mg/kg. The California nut industry was puzzled by these findings; no state or federal residue tolerance (MRL) exists for fosetyl-Al in almonds, walnuts or pistachios. The use of this pesticide on nutbearing trees is not permitted and could not account for the laboratory findings in Europe. Why were these residues being detected? An examination of the European MRL itself provided a partial answer to this question: the EU had defined the MRL to be the sum of fosetyl, phosphorous acid and their salts, expressed as fosetyl. Phosphorus acid is also known as phosphonic acid (its’ salts are called phosphonates). Because phosphonates are metabolites of fosetyl-Al, their presence in food commodities is used as an indicator of fosetyl usage. A review of the European and California test results showed that phosphonates were detected, not fosetyl. Could there be other sources of phosphonates besides the breakdown of this pesticide? The answer to this question is yes. A number of fertilizer products contain phosphonic acid or phosphonate salts as an active ingredient. These products are applied to the soil or as foliar sprays on a number of crops, including California tree nuts. It is likely that these applications were the source of the residues detected. This information was provided to the European Commission for their consideration. California producers were not alone on this issue: tree nuts and other commodities from multiple supplier nations had also tested high for phosphonates. Because of the low risk to consumers from these residues and the potential for trade disruptions due to MRL violations, the European Commission approved temporary MRLs (t MRLs) of 75 mg/kg for tree nuts, blueberries, figs, pomegranates and other commodites. Published as Commission Regulation (EU) No 991/2014, the tMRLs are only in effect through December 31st, 2015 and are scheduled to expire on New Years’ Day, 2016. This action by the European Commission provides immediate relief from MRL violations, but a long-term solution will involve international cooperation. Governments around the world may view the same agricultural chemicals differently, with the controls on fertilizers (usage, monitoring) typically less restrictive than those for pesticides. Phosphorous acid and its ammonium, potassium and sodium salts are typically classified as fertilizers in the US and are exempt from US EPA tolerance (65 FR 59346, October 5, 2000). In contrast, the European Union classifies phosphonates as pesticides. Given these differences, how will this issue be resolved? The tree nut industry has begun a collaboration to seek a permanent solution. The US almond, pistachio and walnut industries have partnered with DFA of California, USDA and others to conduct research into the residues and origins of phosphonates in tree nuts. INC and European laboratories are part of this collaboration. These studies will include the proper residue trials needed to establish permanent, science-based MRLs: the original 2 mg/kg level is a default limit and not based on specific commodity data. This same approach was successfully applied in radishes to derive a fosetyl-Al MRL, replacing the existing default value Telephone: 520-791-2852 (EFSA Journal 2009; 7(9):1313). www.greenvalleypecan.com As we enter the fall of 2014, there sales@greenvalleypecan.com is reason for optimism on the issue of fosetyl-Al, phosphonates and For more information on Green Valley Pecans please contact your representative: tree nuts. The establishment of the temporary MRLs provides the Keith Roberts Partnership CALDIC - Denmark A/S opportunity to collect the necessary 45-44-53-56-53 (Main Telephone) 44-1702-808211 (Keith Roberts) scientific data to determine a b.hansen@caldic.dk krp@talktalkbusiness.net reasonable limit for these residues, 44-7736-617317 (Anna Roberts) Voice Vale - France, S.A.R.L. anna@krpnuts.co.uk 33-1-4050-2480 (Main Telephone) while ensuring a steady supply Gemperli - Switzerland philippe.truffier@voicevale-fr.com of healthy foods to European Tonto Corporation - Japan 41-44-368-2020 (Main Telephone) consumers. While it is certain more info@gemperli.com 81-3-4360-5336 (Main Telephone) time will be needed to finalize Jas Trading - The Netherlands kjtagawa@tantocp.com 31-20-643-6412 (Main Telephone) CALDIC - Sweden AB the data needed to establish an info@jastrading.com 46-40-698-11-00 (Main Telephone) appropriate permanent MRL for info@caldic.se Max Kiene - Germany tree nuts, the cooperation between 49-40-309-6550 (Main Telephone) FoodSource, Inc. - Middle East regulators, scientists and industry u.matthies@maxkiene.de 001-630-887-8599 (Main Telephone) sales@foodsource.us across the globe may yet prevail over the challenges posed by MRL issues! November 2014 | The Cracker

WORLD CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION TRENDS N OV E M B E R 2 0 1 4 | G L O BA L S TAT I S T I C A L R E V I E W

«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

BRAZIL NUTS

CASHEWS

HAZELNUTS

MACADAMIAS

PECANS

PINE NUTS

PISTACHIOS

USA Australia Spain Iran Turkey Tunisia Greece Chile Morocco Italy Syria

Bolivia Peru Brazil

India Cote d’Ivoire Vietnam Guinea-Bissau Brazil Tanzania Benin Nigeria Indonesia Cambodia

Turkey Italy USA Georgia Azerbaijan Spain France China Iran Chile

South Africa Australia Kenya USA Guatemala Malawi Brazil China Colombia New Zealand Swaziland

USA Mexico South Africa Australia

China DPR Korea Pakistan Afghanistan Mongolia Russia Spain Turkey Portugal Italy

USA Iran Turkey Syria Afghanistan China Greece Italy Australia

WALNUTS

PEANUTS

DATES

DRIED APRICOTS

DRIED CRANBERRIES

DRIED FIGS

PRUNES

China USA Iran Turkey Ukraine Chile France Moldova India Romania Hungary Italy Georgia Australia

China India USA Nigeria Indonesia Argentina Senegal Vietnam Ghana Brazil Nicaragua

Saudi Arabia Egypt Iran UAE Pakistan Algeria Iraq Sudan Oman Tunisia Morocco Libya Israel USA

Turkey Iran China USA South Africa Australia

USA Canada Chile

Turkey Egypt Iran USA Greece Spain Italy

USA Chile France Argentina Serbia Australia Italy South Africa

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

RAISINS SULTANAS CURRANTS USA Turkey Iran China India Chile Uzbekistan Greece Australia Argentina South Africa

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Almonds · Almendra · Amande · Mandorle · Mandel · Badem

USA The Almond Board of California’s 2014/15 August Position Report was published September 11th. Almond receipts were predictably ahead of last year due to the early start of the harvest. Some counties in the state started harvesting a good three weeks ahead of last year. August shipments were down 4.2% compared with last year. Domestic shipments were up slightly while export shipments were off almost 7%. This was to be expected as buyers were waiting cautiously to see how the harvest progressed while sellers were waiting cautiously to see how the harvest progressed. Overall shipments were up 1.7%, at 879,000 MT (1,938 billion pounds). For the fifth consecutive year, the domestic market set record shipments -up 7% over the prior year, at 291,200 MT (642 million pounds). For the fourth year, California shipped over 1 billion pounds to export destinations, being FY 13/14 the second largest export year. The U.S. accounted for 33% share of total shipments, 67% was destined for more than 90 countries around the world. Shipments by product type show continued demand for higher value manufactured product (e.g. sliced, chopped, etc.). Exports of these forms remained steady at 65,300 MT (144 million pounds). Exports of

shelled almonds were down 11% to 379,200 MT (836 million pounds) but inshell shipments increased 6% compared with last year. Overall, inshell shipments have more than doubled in the past five years driven largely from the significant increases in demand from India and China. Beginning October, the market was quiet and bids slightly lower (at around $4.00/lb level). At the time of writing this report, weather forecast had no days of rain in it. AUSTRALIA The pollination period for the 2015 crop progressed well with a good coincidence of bloom on Nonpareil and the pollinator varieties, according to the Almond Board of Australia. There is potential for a record Australian crop of between 75,000 to 80,000 MT should the remainder of the growing season proceed well. There is significant new acreage scheduled for planting. SPAIN Beginning October, harvesting was progressing well, in spite of some areas affected by the drought, the average size was quite acceptable. The market is taking advantage of the prices in the International market and giving liquidity to the European market.

Estimated World Almonds Production. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons 2013 /2014

COUNTRY

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

317 143.893 1.000 2.000 0 0 1.600 0 500 500 1.000 0 150.493

1.971 893.914 73.800 32.000 15.000 15.000 13.000 10.000 6.000 5.000 5.000 30.000 1.098.714

2.288 1.037.807 74.800 34.000 15.000 15.000 14.600 10.000 6.500 5.500 6.000 30.000 1.249.207

351 159.015 1.000 1.200 0 0 500 0 0 0 0 0 161.715

2.058 933.503 65.000 48.000 35.000 16.000 14.000 12.000 9.000 9.000 5.000 30.000 1.176.503

2.409 1.092.518 66.000 49.200 35.000 16.000 14.500 12.000 9.000 9.000 5.000 30.000 1.338.218

309 139.964 1.000 2.000 0 0 500 0 0 0 0 0 143.464

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

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

1.087.492

1.194.754

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

California Almond Shipments. 1000 MT Domestic

Top Destinations. 1000 MT

Export

613

291

588

580

534 464

204

222

2009/10

2010/11 2

248

011/12

267

291

2012/13

2013/14

Source: Almond Board of California

The Cracker | November 2014

Source: Almond Board of California

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Brazil Nuts · Coquito de Brazil · Noix de Vresil · Noce del Brasile · Paranuss · Brezilya Fingigi

The crop estimates for 2014/15 remain unchanged, at a world total of 25,000 metric tons (kernel basis). As previously reported, floods between March and April and damaged roads drop the crop forecast down 7% compared with last year. Production reports from the factories and shipment figures since January are confirming the initial forecasts.

Estimated World Amazonia (Brazil) Nuts Production. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons . Conversion rate 1:3. COUNTRY

2013/2014

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

2.620

19.500

22.120

2.550

18.500

21.050

1.500

BOLIVIA PERU

400

3.850

4.250

150

3.500

3.650

150

BRAZIL

200

3.500

3.700

100

3.000

3.100

3.220

26.850

30.070

2.800

25.000

27.800

WORLD TOTAL

WORLD CONSUMPTION (SUPPLY - ENDING STOCK)

27.270

1.650 26.150

Estimated World Amazonia (Brazil) Nuts Production. In Shell Basis. Metric Tons COUNTRY

2013/2014

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BOLIVIA

7.860

58.500

66.360

7.650

55.500

63.150

4.500

PERU

1.200

11.550

12.750

450

10.500

10.950

450

600

10.500

11.100

300

9.000

9.300

9.660

80.550

90.210

8.400

75.000

83.400

4.950

BRAZIL WORLD TOTAL

WORLD CONSUMPTION (SUPPLY - ENDING STOCK)

81.810

78.450

Source: INC

Top Importers. Amazonia (Brazil) Nuts. Shelled. Metric Tons COUNTRY

2012

2013

Var (%)

2014 Jan-Aug

USA

6.725

8.115

21%

n/a

UK*

4.766

5.444

14%

2.481

Germany

3.632

5.911

63%

n/a

Netherlands*

2.002

1.965

-2%

1.183

Australia

1.442

1.671

16%

781

Colombia

743

731

-2%

n/a

Italy

603

666

10%

280

Russia

908

835

-8%

199

Spain

646

435

-33%

n/a

Canada

975

981

418

Others

4.534

4.922

6.506

Total

26.976

31.676

17%

11.848

Top Importers

USA, 8.115, 26% UK*, 5.444, 17% Germany, 5.911, 19% Netherlands*, 1.965, 6% Australia, 1.671, 5% Colombia, 731, 2% Italy, 666, 2% Others, 7.173, 23%

*Transit country. Source: UN COMTRADE.

November 2014 | The Cracker

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Cashews · Anacardo · Noix de Cajou · Anacardio · Cashewkerne · Cashew Cevizi

The cashew market was more or less steady over the last weeks; however, trade volumes were generally low. The crop was less than normal in India and most of the origins due to the weather conditions. The shortage is expected to continue for the next months until the new crop in the northern hemisphere becomes available (March 2015). Kernel prices improved marginally after August 2014, as the sector witnessed the shortage of high-quality rawnuts. The market for brokens was firm in India prior to the festival season in October, when demand peaks.

In Brazil, it is too early to gauge the 2014/2015 crop. The 2014 rainy season (January - May) was the third in a row with annual rains below 700 mm, and the northeast of the country suffered a severe drought. This would leave one to believe that the next crop will not be a good one again, but the cashew is a resilient tree, and it should not return to the 65,000-70,000 metric tons (kernel basis) crops of the last decade, but a crop of 40,000-45,000 MT. Local consumption has increased considerably, for both snack and confectionery usage, and this has also affected the main exporting factories.

Estimated World Cashews Production. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons COUNTRY

2013/2014

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

nil 31.250 nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil 31.250

172.143 104.167 91.429 47.619 25.000 27.143 25.000 20.833 14.978 16.709 13.030 8.333 7.143 6.667 2.619 2.083 8.263 593.159

172.143 135.417 91.429 47.619 25.000 27.143 25.000 20.833 14.978 16.709 13.030 8.333 7.143 6.667 2.619 2.083 8.263 624.409

nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil

164.286 109.583 101.200 52.381 42.000 28.571 28.125 22.917 19.048 16.667 13.542 10.417 8.333 7.292 2.619 1.300 8.333 636.614

nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil

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

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

624.409

636.614

Source: Global Cashew Council and INC.

India. Cashew Data Exports (kernels) Quantity (MT) Value (US $ in Millions)

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013 Jan-Dec

2014 Jan-Jun

115.265 547

110.949 667

107.949 593

95.583 589

111.093 725

89.582 654

121.872 865

54.252 382

570.518 369

655.459 643

662.093 538

564.785 574

798.281 1.143

685.950 753

914.552 881

378.227 438

Imports (rawnuts) Quantity (MT) Value (US $ in Millions)

Major Destinations Kernel Exports (% USA UAE Netherlands Japan UK Source: CEPCI and UN Comtrade.

The Cracker | November 2014

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013 Jan-Dec

2014 Jan-Jun

36,7 10,9 12,0 4,6 3,5

37,5 9,3 13,0 4,8 3,5

32 12,5 10,0 5,0 4,8

31,0 13,5 10,0 5,4 2,4

32,0 8,9 8,9 6,2 3,2

33,0 12,4 8,3 6,6 2,6

32,3 12,8 8,2 6,8 2,5

24,6 17,9 7,3 6,7 1,9

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Hazelnuts · Avellana · Noisette · Nocciola · Haselnuss · Findik

TURKEY After March 30th frost damage, especially in higher than 300 m altitude in Ordu, Giresun and Trabzon region, the prices immediately reacted from 5,80-6,15 USD/kg levels to 10,25-10,50 USD/kg band and touched even just below 10 USD/kg levels before the season. However, reluctant behavior of the growers and amid short covering efforts pushed the prices by the end of September (first month of the season) to 14 USD/kg levels. Although Turkish Lira’s recent depreciation against US dollars of around 6% in the last two months, Turkish Lira based prices have increased more than 45%. Turkey had witnessed such severe frost seasons with weak crops in 1993, 2004 and 2011. In those years, there were good car-

ryover volumes that helped the industry to close the gap of the crop. However, rising global consumption of hazelnuts and a mediocre 2013 crop have not provided enough carry over to satisfy the demand of 2014 crop year. It seems that the appetite of growers to release the goods to the market will shape the pricing behavior of the hazelnuts this year. ITALY In Italy, the crop is expected significantly lower than previously forecasted, from 100,000 to 80,000 MT. The reason is that many hazelnuts flooded away by heavy rains, almost daily, during the first three weeks of September.

Estimated World Hazelnuts Production. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons COUNTRY

2013/2014

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

25.000

335.000

360.000

32.500

240.000

272.500

10.000

ITALY

5.640

47.000

52.640

2.350

37.600

39.950

4.700

USA

400

16.080

16.480

1.880

14.520

16.400

400

GEORGIA

1.200

16.000

17.200

800

14.000

14.800

200

AZERBAIJAN

1.720

15.050

16.770

1.290

10.750

12.040

215

500

9.000

9.500

500

9.750

10.250

500

11.250

34.460

449.380

483.840

39.320

337.870

377.190

TURKEY

SPAIN OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

444.520

16.015 361.175

Estimated World Hazelnuts Production. In Shell Basis. Metric Tons COUNTRY

2013/2014

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

TURKEY

50.000

670.000

720.000

65.000

480.000

545.000

20.000

ITALY

12.000

100.000

112.000

5.000

80.000

85.000

5.000

USA

1.000

40.200

41.200

4.700

36.300

41.000

1.000

GEORGIA

3.000

40.000

43.000

2.000

35.000

37.000

500

AZERBAIJAN

4.000

35.000

39.000

3.000

25.000

28.000

500

SPAIN

1.000

18.000

19.000

1.000

19.500

20.500

1.000

OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

25.000

71.000

928.200

999.200

80.700

700.800

781.500

28.000

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

918.500

753.500

OTHERS: China, Chile, France, Greece, Iran, Australia and South Africa. Source: INC.

November 2014 | The Cracker

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Macadamias · Macadamia · Macadamianuss · Makedemia · Cevizi

SOUTH AFRICA

AUSTRALIA

South Africa’s estimated crop for 2014 is 43,000 metric tons of nut-inshell (1.5% kernel moisture). The growth in demand for in-shell macadamia nuts in China will result in at least 45% of the 2014 South African crop being sold into that market. Demand for kernel in the USA and Europe remains strong. With new plantings taking place, South African production is expected to reach 60,000 MT of NIS by 2019.

In September, the Australian Macadamia Society (AMS) announced a crop forecast for the 2014 season of 41,000 MT in-shell. Favorable conditions throughout the growing season and during harvest, combined with improved yields on-farm, resulted in an increase in the forecast from 40,000 to 41,000 MT at 10% moisture. AMS estimates a slight increase in nut in-shell shipments to China, up from 10,000 to 11,000 MT. This is a significant increase from the estimated 5,000 MT in 2013. Consequently, the available kernel is expected to remain around 8,650 MT in 2014.

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

2013/2014

BEGINNING STOCK 173 987 0 0 63 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.223

CROP 10.187 10.500 4.700 3.719 1.394 1.460 1.200 1.152 250 150 7 1.000 35.719

TOTAL SUPPLY 10.360 11.487 4.700 3.719 1.457 1.460 1.200 1.152 250 150 7 1.000 36.942

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

2014/2015

ENDING STOCK 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50

BEGINNING STOCK 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50

CROP 12.040 11.500 5.208 3.600 1.987 1.684 1.540 1.250 250 150 7 1.000 40.216

TOTAL SUPPLY 12.090 11.500 5.208 3.600 1.987 1.684 1.540 1.250 250 150 7 1.000 40.266

36.892

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 40.266

Estimated World Macadamias Production. In Shell Basis. Metric Tons COUNTRY SOUTH AFRICA AUSTRALIA KENYA USA MALAWI GUATEMALA CHINA BRAZIL COLOMBIA NEW ZEALAND SWAZILAND OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

2013/2014

BEGINNING STOCK 618 0 0 0 206 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 824

CROP 39.785 35.200 29.400 18.597 5.674 7.800 5.000 4.800 1.000 600 29 4.000 151.885

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

TOTAL SUPPLY 40.403 35.200 29.400 18.597 5.880 7.800 5.000 4.800 1.000 600 29 4.000 152.709

2014/2015

ENDING STOCK 178 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 178 152.531

BEGINNING STOCK 178 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 178

CROP 43.000 41.000 23.436 18.900 7.271 8.675 5.000 5.540 1.000 600 110 4.000 158.532

TOTAL SUPPLY 43.178 41.000 23.436 18.900 7.271 8.675 5.000 5.540 1.000 600 110 4.000 158.710

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 158.710

South Africa: NIS at 1.5% kernel moisture. Australia: NIS is at 10% moisture. Kenya: NIS at 20% moisture content. Malawi: NIS is based on a cracking moisture of between 1.3% and 2.1%. Brazil: NIS at 10% moisture. Source: South Africa Subtropical Growers Association, Australian Macadamia Society, Hawaii Macadamia Nut Association, Tree Nut Growers Association of Malawi and other INC sources.

The Cracker | November 2014

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Pecans · Pacana · Noix de Pecan · Noce Pecan · Pecanuss · Pekan Cevizi

The world supply of pecans is expected to grow from 304,900 metric tons to 322,700 (in-shell basis), up 6% from 2013. Global consumption is projected to increase by 10%, from 228,100 to 251,600 MT. Prices have increased 10-15% over the course of 2014, driven mostly by increasing prices for pieces, thus closing the record price gap between halves and pieces.

In South Africa, early projections of 14,000 MT, nut in shell, were not achieved this season. The 2014 harvest is estimated at 10,600 MT nut in shell. This may exclude some small volume from farmer’s which does not reach the formal market. Nut In shell purchases from China were the key driver, and demand was strong at prices which surpassed the 2013 season level, by at least a $. High prices and strong demand continue to drive the planting of new orchards.

Consumption has increased each of the past three years as the overall price for pecans came down from record high pricing in 2011-12. Pecan prices are also relatively less expensive compared to the other major tree nut groups.

Estimated World Pecans Production. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons COUNTRY

2013/2014

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

39.688

60.403

100.091

36.288

65.772

102.060

34.020

1.350

45.360

46.710

2.000

50.000

52.000

1.500

SOUTH AFRICA

3.134

3.188

5.670

5.683

AUSTRALIA

1.147

1.169

1.080

1.170

n/a

626

n/a

644

n/a

41.114

110.670

151.784

38.391

123.166

161.557

USA MEXICO

OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

113.393

35.587 125.970

Estimated World Pecans Production. In Shell Basis. Metric Tons COUNTRY USA MEXICO SOUTH AFRICA AUSTRALIA OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

2013/2014

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

79.375

120.806

200.181

72.576

131.543

204.119

68.040

3.000

90.719

93.719

4.000

100.000

104.000

3.000

120

6.965

7.085

10.600

10.630

2.550

2.600

200

2.400

2.600

100

n/a

1.361

n/a

1.400

n/a

82.545

222.401

304.946

76.806

245.943

322.749

71.190

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

228.140

251.559

Source: INC.

November 2014 | The Cracker

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Pine Nuts · Piñón · Pignon · Pinoli · Pinienkerne · Çam Fistigi

Estimated World Pine Nuts Production. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons COUNTRY

2013/2014

BEGINNING STOCK

2014/2015

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

FAR EAST (Pinus Chinensis): CHINA

9.000

2.500

11.500

500

25.000

25.500

5.000

DPR KOREA

1.000

2.000

3.000

100

5.000

5.100

200

PAKISTAN

100

2.000

2.100

100

3.000

3.100

100

AFGHANISTAN

100

2.000

2.100

100

3.000

3.100

100

2.000

2.050

100

2.500

2.600

10.250

10.500

20.750

900

38.500

39.400

5.450

RUSSIA SUBTOTAL MEDITERRANEAN (Pinus Pinea): SPAIN

375

450

TURKEY

125

400

100

292

342

380

ITALY

175

350

150

OTHERS

997

1.047

1.620

290

10.300

11.497

21.797

900

40.120

41.020

PORTUGAL

SUBTOTAL WORLD TOTAL

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

20.897

Source: China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Exports of Foodstuffs (CCCFNA), Aegean Exporters’ Association and other INC sources.

CHINA This is a harvest year for the Chinese pine nut industry and according to the China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Exports of Foodstuffs (CCCFNA) the Chinese pine nut is qualified to export globally in terms of quality or quantity. In recent years, since the development of the domestic economy, there is an ever-increasing demand for pine nuts and roasted pine nuts. Domestic consumption even takes up more than half of the total output. Some enterprises are expected to increase their storage or to be reluctant to sell. In total, the amount of exportable pine nuts is expected to be similar to last year and the price is predicted steady.

The Cracker | November 2014

5.740 35.280

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Pistachios · Pistacho · Pistache · Pistacchio · Pistazie · Antep Fistigi

IRAN In Iran, the carry-out has been reduced from 10,000 MT previously announced to barely 1,000 MT. The crop estimate remains the same, at 250,000 MT. USA As California progresses through the pistachio harvest, the impact of the drought and poor bloom are becoming visible. As a result, the 2014/2015 crop estimate has been revised down based on this new information, from 249,000 to 204,500 metric tons. The demand for pistachios continues to be strong from all regions of the world.

Estimated World Pistachios Production. In Shell Basis. Metric Tons 2013/2014

COUNTRY

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

IRAN

5.000

160.000

165.000

USA

52.068

215.455

267.523

TURKEY

80.000

50.000

130.000

SYRIA

1.000

15.000

AFGHANISTAN

GREECE

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

1.000

250.000

251.000

40.000

34.344

204.545

238.889

23.760

20.000

120.000

140.000

40.000

16.000

20.000

16.500

10.000

2.000

5.000

CHINA

4.000

4.200

ITALY

3.000

2.500

AUSTRALIA TOTAL

1.650

1.150

138.068

467.605

605.673

55.344

617.395

672.739

103.760

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

550.329

568.979

Source: INC.

Top Destinations. 1000 MT

U.S. Exports. Pistachios In Shell Top Destinations

2012

2013

Var (%)

China/Hong Kong

52.637

50.027

-5%

Belgium

10.768

10.820

China

13.302

9.762

-27%

5.563

8.976

61%

Netherlands

10.496

7.335

-30%

Luxembourg

3.700

6.176

67%

Russian Federation

2.116

3.638

72%

Spain

2.741

3.424

25%

Israel

2.182

2.845

30%

Others

26.442

25.455

-4%

Total

129.947

128.457

-1%

Germany

Source: UN Comtrade

Source: UN Comtrade.

November 2014 | The Cracker

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Walnuts · Nuez · Noix · Noce · Walnuss · Ceviz CHINA The Chinese industry is very optimistic with the current walnut crop and some handlers even feel there might be a historic record with 20-30% above last year’s 460,000 metric tons due to ideal weather. The objective forecast has been announced at about 550,000 MT, well above the average. Such guesstimate is based on information collected during a Walnut meeting held in Beijing and the main producing areas, namely Yunnan, Xinjiang, Shanxi, Shanxi, Gansu and Hebei, which account for nearly 80% of total production. Even though, the technical orchard survey remains difficult in this vast and dispersed origin. At the time of writing this report, the harvest had been underway with positive receipts in most walnut origins. The local market seemed a bit quiet as compared to the previous seasons, especially during the holiday.

from 2013 production of 449,046 MT. At the time of writing this report, the final inventory was pending; however, carryout was estimated at 39,797 MT, for a total supply of 534,172 MT. Weather during the growing season was mild with excellent quality being found in the survey sample. Average nuts sets were up 11% from 2013 with inshell percent sound kernels reaching 98.7% statewide. Bearing acreage has continued to rise, reaching 290,000 acres, up 3.5% from 280,000 acres in 2013 with average trees per acre rising to 71.6. Export demand continues to drive consumption with 62% of 2013 shipments bound for international markets. China remains the largest export market followed by Germany, Japan, Korea and Turkey. The U.S. market remains the industry’s largest, accounting for 37% of shipments. Global demand for California walnuts remains strong due to solid marketing programs, handler efforts and growing consumer awareness of walnuts health and versatility attributes.

USA The USDA NASS California Field Office released the 2014 Objective Measurement for walnuts, estimating a crop of 494,415 MT, up 10%

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

2013/2014

BEGINNING STOCK 10.000 17.962 0 0 250 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28.212

CROP 184.000 197.585 44.000 29.520 26.500 23.000 18.600 15.505 12.500 10.000 6.000 5.481 3.000 2.676 578.367

TOTAL SUPPLY 194.000 215.547 44.000 29.520 26.750 23.000 18.600 15.505 12.500 10.000 6.000 5.481 3.000 2.676 606.579

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

2014/2015

ENDING STOCK 4.000 17.493 0 0 250 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21.743

BEGINNING STOCK 4.000 17.493 0 0 250 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21.743

CROP 220.000 217.543 39.600 30.000 27.500 27.500 16.720 15.505 14.000 10.800 6.400 6.000 3.500 3.419 638.487

TOTAL SUPPLY 224.000 235.036 39.600 30.000 27.750 27.500 16.720 15.505 14.000 10.800 6.400 6.000 3.500 3.419 660.230

584.836

ENDING STOCK 8.000 29.797 0 0 250 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 38.047 622.182

Estimated World Walnuts Production. In Shell Basis. Metric Tons COUNTRY CHINA USA IRAN TURKEY CHILE UKRAINE FRANCE INDIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA HUNGARY ITALY GEORGIA AUSTRALIA TOTAL

2013/2014

BEGINNING STOCK 25.000 40.823 0 4.000 500 0 1.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 71.323

CROP 460.000 449.056 100.000 72.000 53.000 55.000 42.000 35.000 32.000 25.000 15.000 13.500 8.000 6.225 1.365.781

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

TOTAL SUPPLY 485.000 489.879 100.000 76.000 53.500 55.000 43.000 35.000 32.000 25.000 15.000 13.500 8.000 6.225 1.437.104

2014/2015

ENDING STOCK 10.000 39.757 0 4.000 500 0 1.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 55.257

BEGINNING STOCK 10.000 39.757 0 4.000 500 0 1.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 55.257

CROP 550.000 494.415 90.000 75.000 55.000 71.000 38.000 35.000 38.000 27.000 16.000 14.000 9.500 7.950 1.520.865

TOTAL SUPPLY 560.000 534.172 90.000 79.000 55.500 71.000 39.000 35.000 38.000 27.000 16.000 14.000 9.500 7.950 1.576.122

1.381.847

Source: China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Exports of Foodstuffs (CCCFNA), California Walnut Board and Commission, ChileNut and other INC sources. In the southern hemisphere, walnuts are harvested from March thru April.

The Cracker | November 2014

ENDING STOCK 20.000 67.721 0 4.000 500 0 1.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 93.221 1.482.901

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Peanuts · Cacahuete · Cacahuète · Arachide · Erdnuss · Yer Fistigi

CHINA Peanut acreage in China has been reduced as a result of the drop in procurement prices in the last two years and because the economic benefit from planting peanut is lower than planting corn and sweet potato. Moreover, since June, there were floods in the south of China, while drought in the north, which is unfavorable for the planting of

peanut. The next half of the year brought certain relief to the drought although the condition was still serious in some major producing areas like Liaoning, Henan and Jilin province. The China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Exports of Foodstuffs (CCCFNA) is estimating a crop of 13 million metric tons, down 24% from 2013. Such reduction and a strong domestic demand are predicted to have an impact on exports.

Estimated World Peanuts Production. In Shell Basis. 1000 Metric Tons 2013/2014

COUNTRY

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

CHINA

n/a

17.000

500

13.000

13.500

300

INDIA

5.650

5.670

141

4.961

5.102

n/a

3.000

n/a

3.000

n/a

NIGERIA USA

1.257

1.893

3.150

843

2.253

3.096

840

INDONESIA

1.160

1.198

1.150

1.190

ARGENTINA

431

411

1.050

1.461

511

1.082

1.593

SENEGAL

1.000

1.009

1.000

1.009

VIETNAM

550

616

550

629

GHANA

n/a

440

n/a

460

BRAZIL

364

386

250

276

NICARAGUA

150

152

n/a

135

SOUTH AFRICA

100

108

120

134

12 31

MEXICO

115

138

115

142

COTE D'IVOIRE

n/a

OTHERS

292

7.586

7.878

256

7.500

7.756

352

2.148

40.148

42.296

2.446

35.671

38.117

WORLD TOTAL

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

2.130

39.850

35.987

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

US Peanut Supply and Disappearance. 1000 Metric Tons SUPPLY

YEAR BEGIN. AUG. 1

BEGINNING STOCKS 455 1.257 843

2012/12 (*) 2013/14 (**) 2014/15 (**)

Production

DISAPPEARANCE

PRODUCTION

IMPORTS

TOTAL

3.068 1.893 2.253

54 40 29

3.577 3.190 3.125

DOMESTIC FOOD 1.240 1.309 1.333

CRUSH 298 301 273

SEED & RESIDUAL 240 241 226

EXPORTS

TOTAL

542 497 454

2.320 2.348 2.286

ENDING STOCKS 1.257 843 840

Total Supply 3.577

2.582

2.848 2.388

1.571

1.666

2006/07

2007/08

2.673

2.341 1.675 2008/09

2009/10

2.715 1.886

2010/11

2.463

3.068

3.125 2.253

1.893

1.660 2011/12

3.190

2012/13(*)

2013/14 (**)

2014/15 (**)

(*) Estimated. (**) Forecast. Last update: September 24, 2014. Source: USDA.

November 2014 | The Cracker

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Dates · Dátil · Datte · Dattero · Dattel · Hurma World production of dates in 2014 is expected higher than in 2013. This increase is due in part to improved weather conditions in many producing countries during the different stages of date maturity. The increase is also the result of the progressive entry into production of young palm trees planted in recent years, and this

is especially significant in some countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Algeria and Tunisia. In terms of export, two varieties differ from the rest: Medjool and Deglet Noor. Both represent about 30% in quantity of world exports and 75% in value.

Estimated World Table Dates Production. Metric Tons COUNTRY SAUDI ARABIA EGYPT UAE IRAN PAKISTAN ALGERIA IRAQ SUDAN OMAN TUNISIA MOROCCO LIBYA ISRAEL USA OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

2013/2014

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

100.000 140.000 50.000 85.000 8.000 12.000 15.000 20.000 80.000 50.000 4.000 6.000 200 800 25.000

1.250.000 1.190.000 820.000 1.110.000 760.000 680.000 530.000 380.000 265.000 145.000 130.000 65.000 21.000 18.000 175.000

1.350.000 1.330.000 870.000 1.195.000 768.000 692.000 545.000 400.000 345.000 195.000 134.000 71.000 21.200 18.800 200.000

115.000 80.000 50.000 85.000 7.000 12.000 10.000 25.000 10.000 2.000 5.000 3.000 200 3.000 25.000

1.280.000 1.150.000 920.000 900.000 760.000 720.000 530.000 370.000 270.000 200.000 145.000 50.000 22.000 19.000 180.000

1.395.000 1.230.000 970.000 985.000 767.000 732.000 540.000 395.000 280.000 202.000 150.000 53.000 22.200 22.000 205.000

125.000 70.000 60.000 0 9.000 18.000 20.000 25.000 5.000 5.000 3.000 2.000 200 2.000 30.000

596.000

7.539.000

8.135.000

432.200

7.516.000

7.948.200

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

7.702.800

374.200 7.574.000

Source: INC. OTHERS: Mauritania, Yemen, Bahrain, Tchad, Jordan, Mexico, Namibia.

Dried Apricots · Orejón · Abricot Sec · Albicocca Secca · Getrocknete Aprikose · Kuru Kayisi Turkey’s production of dried apricots in 2014/15 season is estimated at 8.210 MT, down 93% from the previous season. Local frost in 3031 March 2014 harshly damaged the crop in terms of quantity. The carry-over for 2014/15 season is estimated at around 55,000 MT, re-

sulting in a total supply forecast of 63,210 MT. Beginning October, Turkish whole type dried apricots exports of 2014 crop had reached 10,687 MT (including whole, diced and industrial apricots) down 58% from the previous season.

Estimated World Dried Apricots Production. Metric Tons COUNTRY IRAN TURKEY

2013/2014

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

n/a

22.400

1.000

20.000

21.000

ENDING STOCK 0

30.000

110.345

140.345

55.000

8.210

63.210

CHINA

n/a

5.700

6.000

USA

n/a

1.600

2.000

SOUTH AFRICA

n/a

1.500

2.000

AUSTRALIA

n/a

600

0 0

OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

n/a

28.800

30.000

170.945

200.945

56.000

68.810

124.810

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

2014/2015

The Cracker | November 2014

144.945

0 124.810

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW 小红莓 · Arándano Mirtillo Rosso · Keçiyemisi The Sweetened Dried Cranberry (SDC’s) inventory is in balance, with some Packers off the market until new crop is harvested (October - November). The market price of SDC’s rose by 20%

Dried Cranberries

from July to September. It is important to understand when the oversupply of Cranberries is reported, it is in the Concentrate form for juices, which has no relationship to the supply of SDC’s.

Estimated World Sweetened Dried Cranberries Production. Metric Tons COUNTRY USA CANADA CHILE TOTAL

2013/2014

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

10.000 1.000 500

112.000 18.500 7.500

122.000 19.500 8.000

17.000 3.000 250

100.000 20.000 8.000

117.000 23.000 8.250

10.000 2.000 0

11.500

138.000

149.500

20.250

128.000

148.250

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

129.250

12.000 136.250

Source: INC.

Dried Figs

· Higo Seco · Figue Sec · Fico Secco Getrocknete Feige · Kuru Incir

Turkey’s production of dried figs in 2014/15 season is estimated at 69,731 MT. As of October 8, 2014, whole types dried figs exports of 2013 crop reached 76,745 MT (including whole, diced,

industrial figs and fig paste), up 4% from the same period of previous season. The first shipment date for the 2014/15 Turkish dried fig crop was October 15, 2014.

Estimated World Dried Figs Production. Metric Tons COUNTRY

2013/2014

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

66.000

69.731

1.000

IRAN

4.500

22.600

27.100

n/a

21.000

2.000

USA

n/a

10.000

n/a

10.000

GREECE

n/a

7.600

n/a

8.000

TURKEY

SPAIN

n/a

5.800

n/a

6.000

ITALY

n/a

3.800

n/a

4.000

OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

n/a

2.000

n/a

5.000

500

4.500

117.800

122.300

123.731

3.500

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

122.300

120.231

Source: Aegean Exporters’ Association and other INC sources.

· Ciruela Seca · Pruneau · Prugna Secca Backpflaume · Kuru Erik · Pruna Seca In the United States, the official California state estimate for the 2014 crop was 86,182 metric tons (95,000 US short tons), up 10%

Prunes

from 2013 production of 78,000 MT. As of August 30th, the carry-in inventory for the 2013 crop was 31,356 MT (34,564 US tons).

Estimated World Prunes Production. Metric Tons COUNTRY USA CHILE FRANCE ARGENTINA SERBIA AUSTRALIA ITALY SOUTH AFRICA TOTAL

2013/2014

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

54.749 2.774 20.000 4.000 0 500 200 0

78.000 70.000 34.000 8.000 3.500 2.200 1.417 860

132.749 72.774 54.000 12.000 3.500 2.700 1.617 860

31.356 2.000 10.000 0 3.500 250 200 0

86.182 70.000 35.000 30.000 3.500 2.500 2.000 900

117.538 72.000 45.000 30.000 7.000 2.750 2.200 900

25.000 2.000 10.000 0 3.500 250 200 0

82.223

197.977

280.200

47.306

230.082

277.388

40.950

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

232.894

236.438

Source: USDA, International Prune Association and other INC sources.

November 2014 | The Cracker

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Raisins, Sultanas & Currants · Uva Pasa · Raisin Sec · Uvetta · Rosine · Kuzu Üzüm World raisin, sultana and currant production for 2014/15 is forecast at 1.3 million metric tons, up 8% from the previous year mostly hanks to increases in Turkey, China and Argentina. In Turkey, the 2014/15 production forecast has been revised slightly upward, from 320,000 MT to 328,167 MT; the carryout is estimated at 18,000 MT, resulting in a total supply of 346,167 MT.

U.S. production is forecast to drop 12 percent to 294,500 MT. Beginning stocks are estimated at 127,500 MT, for a total supply of 422,000 MT. Exports in MY 2014/15 are projected to drop by 18%, from 159,387 MT in 2013/14 to 130,000 MT, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

Estimated World Raisins, Sultanas & Currants Production. Metric Tons COUNTRY

2013/2014

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

20.179 122.500 0 20.000 0 2.000 1.500 0 0 0 3.450 1.000 170.629

242.635 334.000 165.000 135.000 125.000 58.000 45.000 15.000 25.000 21.000 17.000 43.000 1.225.635

262.814 456.500 165.000 155.000 125.000 60.000 46.500 15.000 25.000 21.000 20.450 44.000 1.396.264

18.000 127.500 10.000 8.000 0 0 7.000 0 0 0 1.600 1.000 173.100

328.167 294.500 160.000 160.000 110.000 70.000 50.000 33.000 28.000 25.000 18.000 50.000 1.326.667

346.167 422.000 170.000 168.000 110.000 70.000 57.000 33.000 28.000 25.000 19.600 51.000 1.499.767

40.000 120.000 10.000 10.000 0 1.000 6.000 1.000 0 0 2.000 1.000 191.000

TURKEY USA IRAN CHINA INDIA CHILE SOUTH AFRICA ARGENTINA UZBEKISTAN GREECE AUSTRALIA OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

1.223.164

1.308.767

Source: International Seedless Dried Grape Producing Countries Conference, Aegean Exporters’ Association, Dried Fruits Australia and other INC sources.

U.S. Natural Seedless. Top 20 Shipment Destinations for Crop Year 2013-2014. Packed Tons YTD Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Destination

YTD Tonnage 8/1/13-7/31/14

Previous YTD Tonnage 8/1/12-7/31/13

Percent Gain/Loss

United States United Kingdom Japan Germany Canada China* Sweden Australia Netherlands South Korea Malaysia Taiwan Mexico Denmark Norway Philippines New Zealand Singapore Hong Kong Thailand Others Total

191.998 22.925 22.009 16.223 10.811 9.544 6.466 5.875 5.764 5.415 4.370 4.403 3.923 3.785 3.124 2.643 1.961 1.889 1.694 1.543 19.201 345.566

175.204 11.999 19.450 11.099 9.213 9.006 6.532 3.199 3.337 4.551 3.557 4.476 3.131 2.928 3.146 2.380 1.753 1.562 1.600 2.024 13.086 293.233

10% 91% 13% 46% 17% 6% -1% 84% 73% 19% 23% -2% 25% 29% -1% 11% 12% 21% 6% -24% 47% 18%

*Historically a large volume of China exports are transhipped directly to Japan. Source: Raisin Administrative Committee.

The Cracker | November 2014

U.S. Exports. Natural Seedles. Packed Tons 8/1/2013-7/31/2014

Europe, 65.533, 43% Japan, 22.009, 14% China and Hong Kong, 11.238, 7% Canada, 10.811, 7% Latin America, 8.209, 5% Australia,5.875, 4% South Korea, 5.415, 4% Others, 24.477, 16%

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Special Report: Turkey Source: World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress and other INC sources.

Hazelnuts Turkish Hazelnut Planted Areas and Production Planted Area (Ha)

Production, Inshell (MT)

800.000 600.000 400.000

19 6 19 4 65 19 6 19 6 6 19 7 6 19 8 69 19 7 19 0 7 19 1 7 19 2 73 19 7 19 4 7 19 5 7 19 6 77 19 7 19 8 7 19 9 8 19 0 81 19 8 19 2 8 19 3 8 19 4 8 19 5 8 19 6 8 19 7 8 19 8 8 19 9 9 19 0 9 19 1 9 19 2 9 19 3 9 19 4 9 19 5 9 19 6 9 19 7 9 19 8 9 20 9 0 20 0 0 20 1 0 20 2 03 20 0 20 4 0 20 5 0 20 6 07 20 0 20 8 0 20 9 1 20 0 1 20 1 1 20 2 1 20 3 14

200.000

Turkish Hazelnuts: 2022/23 Target Production, Inshell (MT)

Exports, Kernels (MT)

1.000.000

Domestic Consumption, Kernels (MT)

1.000.000

900.000 825.000

800.000

707.000 630.000

630.000

620.000 550.000

600.000

670.000

550.000 480.000

480.000 400.000

400.000 255.843

239.366

248.664

244.628

218.714

281.330

301.193 229.628

350.000 266.000

223.363

194.594

45.000

42.500

37.500

42.500

45.000

40.000

47.500

42.500

50.000

45.000

60.000

55.000

75.000

2002/03

2003/04

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

2007/08

2008/09

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2022/23

207.287

200.000

Exports to China, Kernels (MT) 1.853

2.000

1.798 1.548

1.600 11 29 1.129

1.200 800

723

751

3 793

2005/06

2006/07

871 8

937

149% increase in 10 years

481 48 81 400

2003/04

2004/05

2007/08

2008/09

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

World Hazelnut Consumption, Kernels (MT) 500.000

472.000 447.112

450.000

411.600

409.344 380.625

400.000 352.800

355.892

2004/05

2005/06

336.502

350.000 300.000

422.670

290.500

2003/04

2006/07

2007/08

2008/09

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

November 2014 | The Cracker

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Special Report: Turkey Source: World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress and other INC sources.

Other Tree Nuts and Dried Fruit Almond Production, Kernel Basis (MT) 20.000 16.000 12.000

14.000 12.000 10.000

16.000

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

13.750 9.500

9.500

2007/08

2008/09

15.000

16.000

8.000 4.000 2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

2009/10

2013/14

Est. 2014/15

Pine Nut Production, Kernel Basis (MT) 1.600

1.400

1.300

1.500

1.110

1.200

1.000 700

800

700

650 400

350

400

125

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

2007/08

2008/09

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

Est. 2014/15

Pistachios Production, In Shell Basis (MT) 160.000 112.000

120.000 80.000 40.000

53.100 20.000 2004/05

2005/06

47.300 20.000

25.000

2006/07

2007/08

2008/09

57.600

50.000

40.000

2009/10

120.000

112.000

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

Est. 2014/15

Walnut Production, Kernel Basis (MT) 35.000

30.260

30.000

28.800

30.000

25.000

28.380

25.000

26.000

24.800

2007/08

2008/09

2009/10

28.085

28.700

29.520

30.000

20.000 15.000 10.000 5.000

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

Est. 2014/15

Dried Fruit Production (MT) Sultana Raisins

Dried Figs

Dried Apricots

500.000 400.000 300.000

176.718 80.500 55.631

139.000 56.327

120.000

90.000 60.393

98.000

200.000 100.000

280.000

250.000

274.000

240.000

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

2007/08

The Cracker | November 2014

42.500

43.500

100.000 50.000

95.000

136.917

58.662

55.500

310.000

274.000

248.547

268.949

2008/09

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

61.500

110.345

8.210 69.731

66.000 310.000

2012/13

242.635

2013/14

328.167

Est. 2014/15

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WORLD INDUSTRY NEWS

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 17TH WORLD CONGRESS OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY The 17th World Congress of Food Science and Technology, the bi-annual event by the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST), was held August 17-21, 2014 in Montreal, Canada. The International Council of Nuts and Fruits (INC) has organized two tree nut symposia at the last two congresses. The IUFoST Congress attracts more than 1,500 global food scientists and technologists. IUFoST is the global scientific organization for food science and technology, supporting programs and projects to increase the safety and security of the world’s food supply. IUFoST is a not-for-profit country member organization, with each country represented by its national food science organization, and in total represents over 300,000 food scientists and technologists from more than 75 countries. IUFoST organizes world food congresses, among many other activities, to stimulate the ongoing exchange of knowledge in those scientific disciplines and technologies relating to the expansion, improvement, distribution and conservation of the world's food supply. The IUFoST vision is to strengthen global food science and technology for humanity. The IUFoST Mission is to promote international co-

operation and information exchange, to provide education and training to food scientists and technologists around the world and to promote professionalism and profession organization among food scientists and technologists. The Congress programs and sessions were organized along the congress theme “RESEARCH THAT RESONATES.” Many concurrent sessions focused on issues and new developments in the areas of food safety, food sustainability, food and health, food nanotechnology, food chemistry, food processing, consumer behavior, convergent innovation, food bioactives, and innovation through collaboration Some of the precongress meetings and workshop topics included the Global Food Safety Partnership, Aflatoxin Management, Education/Distance Education, Future Earth, and Obesity Forum. The following are a few highlights of this Congress.

CALIFORNIA ALMONDS PRESENCE AT THE WORLD CONGRESS After winning the Global Food Industry Award at the 15th World Congress and co-organizing two tree nut focused symposia with INC at the last two congresses, the Almond Board of California (ABC) expanded its collaboration at the 17th World Congress. ABC became an IUFoST corporate member a year ago to support global education and food safety initiatives.

PRE-CONGRESS AFLATOXIN WORKSHOP SPONSORED BY ABC: The purpose of this IUFoST Almond shelf life study UGA research team members: Ron Pegg, Daniel Parrish and Bill Kerr, pictured with ABC staff Guangwei Huang in front of the poster.

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workshop was to inform food scientists interested in food security about the latest developments in aflatoxin prevention and reduction and to discuss implementing the latest technologies. IUFoST is a partner in the

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Global Food Safety Partnership, which is facilitated by the World Bank. Following the success of the first one-day pre-congress workshop on mycotoxin management held in Brazil in 2012, IUFoST organised a oneday pre-congress workshop in Montreal to focus on aflatoxin prevention and reduction. Ms. Julie Adams, Vice President, Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs at ABC, spoke to the attendees and shared California Almond industry expertise and experience in controlling and mitigating aflatoxin, particularly related to the effectiveness of sorting. The workshop clearly presented information on hotspots in Africa, rapid analytical methods, and mitigating technologies such as aflasafeTM (a mold bio-control technique) and sorting. In her presentation, Ms. Adams addressed 1) Aflatoxin surveillance continues to impact trade—advances in analytical methodologies, particularly in developed countries, increase rejection rates of commodities such as nuts; 2) Despite improved production practices, the heterogeneity of aflatoxin contamination contributes to the risk exposure experienced by producers; 3) The key issues of concern for nut origin suppliers and how to address aflatoxin risk factors to facilitate participation in the global trade for nuts; and 4) The implications of international standards that focus on B1 rather than total aflatoxin, emerging technology (bio-competitive strain), and the future development of global aflatoxin levels.

ABC FUNDED RESEARCH FINDINGS ON SHELF LIFE PRESENTED: Ensuring the quality and

safety of California Almonds through science, research, leadership, and industry wide education is the mission for the ABC almond quality and food safety committee. ABC funded a parallel shelf-life study in China and USA focusing on different almond products and packaging applicable to different markets. A poster highlighting up-to-date findings by the University of Georgia (UGA) researchers was presented: “Shelf-life of raw Nonpareil almonds: Interaction of chemical and textural markers as a tool for assessing consumer rejection” (by D. Parrish, A. Cheely, W. Kerr, R. Swanson and R. Pegg). The findings up to 14 months are reported in the poster. In most cases, samples in boxes failed before those in polyethylene bags. Consumer panelists rejected the samples when instrumental texture analyses indicated a loss of characteristic firmness/crispness before the trigger point for peroxide value (PV) was reached. A combination of PVs and textural measurements is therefore more appropriate than PVs alone in determining when to test for raw almond acceptability. The project is still ongoing.

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KEYNOTE SPEECH BY IUFOST DISTINGUISHED LECTURER The keynote speech at the opening of the 17th World Congress was delivered by IUFoST Distinguished Lecturer Dr. Brian Keating, Deputy Director of CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, who spoke on “Food Science and Food Security: Exploring the Common Ground.” Dr. Keating emphasized that the revolution ahead for the global food and agricultural system is as challenging as faced in the 20th century. Looking back, a relatively simple “Green Revolution,” as remarkable as that was, was enough to save billions from hunger. Looking forward, we will need more of a “Rainbow Revolution” – no single-solution pathway will be sufficient. Efforts to reduce demand, increase production, and sustain the foundations of productivity will be critical. Agricultural science and food science will need to forge new partnerships to achieve these goals and to transform food security to nutritional security.

INDUSTRY LEADERS SUMMIT An Industry Leaders Summit at the Congress brought together representatives from Coca-Cola, Nestle and others to talk about issues facing the food industry, what the future holds, and how to resolve these challenges through innovation. Nancy Quan, Global Reach and Development Officer, The Coca-Cola Company, explained how the company views innovation. At Coca-Cola innovation is divided into three categories: physical innovation, emotional engagement (where the innovation connects the company with consumers), and social innovation (giving back to the community and to the world as a whole). Philip Donne, the former president of Campbell Company of Canada, stressed the importance of understanding the millennials (those born between1980–2000), a group that will far exceed the baby boomers in number. He described the millennials as non-conformists and team players, 90% of whom “sleep” with their phones. To reach out to the younger generation, one has to use new ways of research and involve them in problems that need to be solved. Johannes Baensch, Global Head of Research and Development, Nestlé, began his presentation by talking about Nestlé’s ambition to be world leader in nutrition, health and wellness, and then explained the history of Nestlé leading up to the stated ambition. The final speaker, Jeffrey Turner, President & CEO, Defyrus Inc., moved the focus from foods to proteins. He described his passion for proteins and their immense versatility, stating that “For every problem, there is a protein with an answer.”

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ALMOND BOARD PARTICIPATES IN CEREAL CHEMISTS INTERNATIONAL (AACCI) ANNUAL MEETING For the second year, the Almond Board of California (ABC) participated in the annual AACCI conference in Providence, Rhode Island, in October. AACCI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the knowledge and understanding of cereal grain science through research leadership, education, superior technical service and advocacy. The annual meeting is the cereal grain science community’s premier event which attracts over 1,000 attendees worldwide. Attendees view the exhibition as a valuable opportunity to learn about products and services that will help them in their research and product development efforts. ABC shared new collateral on consumers’ ideal bar preferences during the conference, as well as the almond almanac, snacking collateral and almond technical kit. ABC also shared both sweet and savory almond cereal and snack-inspired samples to show attendees the versatility of almonds. Samples included the California Almond Raspberry Chocolate Clusters with dried raspberries drizzled with dark chocolate, and the California Almond Savory Spiced Fig Bar with oats and peppers. These samples provided inspiration for attendees and showcased the versatility of California Almonds. Aside from the many scientific sessions during AACCI, which included symposiums on protein-starch interactions and the importance in endproduct quality, and protein needs worldwide, particularly in cereal and legume products, many attendees also made a point to visit the exhibition hall where over 100 exhibitors shared information about products, machinery, flavors and ingredients. Many of these attendees are food scientists and product developers, and while visiting ABC’s booth, asked technical questions about using almonds. Together with the help of Guangwei Huang, Associate Director, Food Research and Technology, and other ABC team members, ABC was able to help educate many AACCI attendees about different almond forms and the variety of uses associated with each form. In addition to the exhibition hall, ABC sponsored a Supplier Innovation Session by Dr. Julie Jones, Professor Emerita of Nutrition, St. Catherine University. The purpose of the Supplier Innovation Session is to educate

AACCI attendees about new research and information they can use to support their product development needs. Dr. Jones provided the audience with practical solutions for common development challenges in cereal and bar formulation; specifically focusing on almonds in the diet. Additionally, she cited research results showing that 55% of consumers regularly choose cereals containing nuts as their cereal of choice. The study, which also surveyed consumers on their “ideal bar” ingredients, found almonds were the top ingredient at 27%, with granola at 26%, peanut butter at 25% and coconut at 13%. Where almonds continue to be a popular ingredient to both cereals and bars, newer bar ingredient trends include yogurt/Greek yogurt, meat protein, ancient or unusual grains and seeds and vegetables.* Dr. Jones concluded her presentation sharing that breakfast and snacks contribute nutrients and energy to the diet and have many health benefits. Also, making the right ingredient choices can increase diet quality and weight control, with cereal, nut and fruit combinations helping with diet quality and weight management. Throughout its existence, AACCI has been dedicated to cereal research, health and nutrition, ingredients and innovations and support of its members and exhibitors. Moving forward, AACCI is starting to set the stage for the next 100 years of cereal science – to include product innovation, worldwide food security, food safety, crop quality, ancient grains, health and nutrition, biotechnology and its impact, regulations, new analytical techniques and more. The Almond Board of California will continue its support of AACCI and will join the group in Minneapolis in 2015 for the next annual meeting and 100th anniversary celebration. *Sterling-Rice Group. US Bars Exploratory Study. September 2014

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CHEERS TO APG AND ANHEUSER-BUSCH BREWING COMPANY There is nothing better than sipping on a cold glass of Michelob ULTRA beer while snacking on flavorful American pistachios. APG has joined forces with Anheuser-Busch with a promotion that makes it easier for pistachio lovers to enjoy their beer and eat pistachios too. In 2015, through this national promotion, pistachio lovers can save money on the purchase of American Pistachio Growers member brand pistachios and Michelob ULTRA American-style, low-carbohydrate light lager. This pairing provides the perfect snack for those shoppers seeking a smart snack option and reinforces pistachios and ULTRA as both healthy choices. The value offers will encourage them to stock up and save. There’s a growing movement in America toward healthy eating and living. Both American pistachios and Michelob ULTRA light lager support this effort. Pistachios contain a host of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that bodies need to stay healthy and fit. Michelob ULTRA is an American-style, low carbohydrate light lager with fewer calories. Both foods are appreciated by adult fitness enthusiasts as well as adult consumers living an active lifestyle.

#PEDALFORPISTACHIOS In celebration of the Tour de France and the sport of cycling, for ten days in July, APG held a contest inviting cyclists to share their favorite photos of themselves with their bikes for a chance to win pistachios plus a gift card to their local Specialized Bike retailer. In order to participate, cyclists were asked to tag their photos with the hashtag #PedalforPistachios on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. The more photos they tagged, the more chances they had to win. By posting their favorite photos, they also earned the opportunity to vote on other posted photos.

La Pedro Delgado, Seqovia, Spain, August 16, 2014

The top daily post received a one-pound bag of pistachios, and the top fi ve overall posts received a gift certificate to their local Specialized Bicycle retailer. In all, there were eleven daily prize winners and five grand prize winners. APG’s #Pedalfor Pistachios promotion was supported with social media posts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as paid media campaigns on Facebook and Twitter.

PISTACHIOS’ POWER FOR POST-EXERCISE APG e-blasted over 30,000 registered dietitians, sport nutritionists and nutritionists with post-

exercise and everyday snacking tips for fitness enthusiasts and athletes. APG joined forces with ambassadors Nigel Mitchell, BSc, MSc, RD, dietitian for pro cyclist Mark Cavendish and Becci Twombley, RD, CSSD, director of sports nutrition, University of Southern California, with an infographic that breaks down the nutritional benefits of pistachios for athletes and exercisers. Becci Twombley shared her nutrition tips for athletes as well as how to power plan for power-snacking on rest days and what post-workout snacks to enjoy. Nigel Mitchell offered up a power-packed Pistachio Rice Cake recipe that combines pistachios with a carbohydrate to help replenish glycogen stores.

PISTACHIO RICE CAKES La Miguel Indurain, Spain, June

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Click here to view and download the recipe (Link - http://americanpistachios.org/pistachio-rice-cakes)

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Carrera Norte vs Sur, Madrid, Spain, June 15, 2014

CROP UPDATE The 2014 pistachio crop was originally anticipated to be an “on-year” crop, with record production. There was an initial expectation of exceeding the 2012 production record of 555 million pounds. However, two situations, lack of winter chilling hours that pistachios require for proper springtime bloom and pollination and lack of water to properly irrigate the trees that cut production expectation rather quickly. This years’ pistachio crop is now expected to reach somewhere between 218.818 – 225.000 metric tons (480—495 million pounds). This is somewhat similar to the 2013 crop size of 475 million pounds. At the time of writing this article the crop harvest is wrapping up for the 2014 crop. The industry will not know until sometime probably in November regarding the total crop size for 2014. Harvest reports have been generally positive regarding crop quality. The crop has been relatively clean, and insect damage is in check despite early concerns about the possibility of potential damage that could occur later in the season. The 2014 crop, like most other California crops, was about 10 days earlier than normal, with harvest starting August 18, about 10 days earlier than normal, and harvest ending generally around October 15. There are now over 291,000 pistachio acres planted in the state of California, which represents 99% of the total U.S. production. Of the total acres in California, over 215,000

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acres are now considered bearing (six years or older), indicating that 26% of the acres are “nonbearing.” The majority of these new acres will come into production in the next 4 to 8 years. The pistachio industry is still on target to reach one billion pounds (454.545 metric tons) of production somewhere by 2020

SHIPMENTS Domestic and Export Shipments for the U.S. pistachio industry crop year (September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014) has shown a four percent decrease over previous year shipments (mostly due to the smaller crop production in 2013 and 2014). Shipments recorded by the Administrative Committee for Pistachios (ACP) indicate a total of 435,845,176 million pounds (198.111 metric tons) shipped during the last crop year. Domestic shipments from September 2013 to August 2014 were 151,543,693 million pounds, a 11% decrease over last year (170,483,531 million pounds), but when reviewing a five-year average, this represents a 53% increase in domestic shipments.

EXPORT SHIPMENTS Export shipments were 284,301,480 million pounds, a 2% decrease over the same time period last year. When reviewing exports over the last five years, shipments have increase by 47% during that time. Shipments to Western Europe have continued to increase, by over 14% compared to last year, reaching a level of 106,596,654 million pounds. China exports (including Hong Kong) decreased somewhat, but are still quite high. Exports to China/Hong Kong were 114,956,114 million pounds, a 6% decrease over last year, according to the ACP. China’s rise in its middle class population and income levels are the biggest factor in pistachio consumption increase. Sales over the last 9 years have risen from just over $1 million annually to $239 million annually. We believe that this positive shipment trend will continue into the foreseeable future.

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PISTACHIO HEALTH INSTITUTE PAIRS WITH DIETITIAN BLOGGERS REGISTERED DIETITIANS INSPIRE PISTACHIO LOVERS TO ELEVATE THEIR SNACKING EXPERIENCE WITH CREATIVE PISTACHIO PAIRINGS In-shell pistachios are the ultimate healthy snack. They’re perfect for a chic cocktail party or just casual game-day eats. So it’s often the company they keep that can transform them from sweet to savory, and everything in between. Earlier this year, the Pistachio Health Institute (PHI) challenged 60+ bloggers--who also happened to be registered dietitians (RDs)--to create their ideal “Pistachio Pairing.” To highlight the unique taste and healthfulness of in-shell pistachios, RDs competed to create snack pairings in the following categories: Skinny NutTM/Reduced Calorie, Mediterranean, Kid Friendly and Indulgent. With more than 90 entries to choose from, four pairings rose to the top. Winners included: MEDITERRANEAN In-shell Pistachios | Mediterranean Skewers | Arugula Pesto + Dried Figs + Red Wine

SKINNY NUT/ REDUCED CALORIE In-shell Pistachios | Smoked Sea Salt Caramels | Popcorn with Chipotle and Rosemary + Light Cream Soda

KID FRIENDLY

INDULGENT

In-shell Pistachios | Raspberries | Cream Cheese | Celery Sticks

In addition to collecting nearly 100 new pairing combinations, the pistachio pairing blog posts reached an estimated 860,000 people online with the clear message to choose pistachios as a nutritious and delicious snack that all ages can enjoy. As part of the Pistachio Health Institute’s dedication to continually raise awareness of the nutrition and health benefits of pistachios, each RD blogger that partnered with PHI shared their favorite pistachio health benefits along with their pistachio pairing. Dietitian bloggers touted pistachios for their generous serving size of about 49 kernels, and featured the PHI-supported research behind the “Pistachio Principle,” which suggests in-shell pistachios may curb calorie consumption due to visual cues. They also highlighted the Harvard University research on nuts and mortality (New England Journal of Medicine 2013). The Pistachio Health Institute was able to amass more than 100 new assets to utilize on its social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter. For example, a Pinterest-style handout (opposite page), including three new pistachio pairings, was shared with magazine editors to highlight the unique flavor of California pistachios.

ABOUT PISTACHIOHEALTHINSTITUTE.ORG PistachioHealthInstitute.org is the leading online source of information on the health and nutrition benefits of pistachios for both consumers and health professionals. It houses a comprehensive research library, with research updates and information from leading experts in the field of health and nutrition, including the Health Nut blog, Ask Our Expert section, and educational materials. The Institute is committed to advancing the understanding of the health benefits of pistachios, and continues to invest and support research at leading institutions around the world. “Like” Pistachio Health Institute on Facebook and follow @PistachioHealth on Twitter. For more information about the health benefits of pistachios, please visit www.PistachioHealthInstitute.org.

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california Pistachio Pairings Elevate Your Snacking Experience

Mildly sweet apples, soft cheese and a drizzle of honey complement salty and crunchy in-shell pistachios. Enjoy with a glass of sparkling water, topped with a splash of pomegranate juice.

Oven-roasted tomatoes, parmesan crisps & in-shell pistachios make a savory Mediterranean pairing with robust fLavor. Enjoy with a glass of home-made basil spritzer.

Toasted coconut chips, chocolate-dipped pineapple and in-shell pistachios create a perfect balance of texture and FLavor. Enjoy with a glass of sparkling water with lime.

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NUTS EVERY DAY. WHY NOT! A NEW CAMPAIGN PRESENTED BY NUCIS ITALIA PROMOTES THE DAILY CONSUMPTION OF NUTS AND SUGGESTS HOW AND WHEN IT IS BEST TO CONSUME THEM.

Nuts are not unhealthy and they do not make you fat. On the contrary, there are countless scientific studies which contradict one of the most deep-rooted misperceptions about nuts, loved by many but shunned by men and women on a diet. in the day is suggested in which to consume that particular kind of Scientists and nutritionists alike have totally rehabilitated walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds rediscovering their many qualities, and nut. This “special” link between fruit, its nutritional properties and today they consider nuts to be rich in nutrients that are precious for specific target is further emphasized in posters for points of sale, human health and staying fit. which are addressed to seniors, women and sports buffs---the three categories of consumers who are most interested in following a So it is not just “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Now, a healthy lifestyle and choosing a careful, balanced diet for themselves handful of nuts can have the same effect too! And, according to and their families. the latest discoveries, eating walnuts, almonds and other nuts, moderately and every day, helps us keep our ideal weight, because For the 2014 fall campaign, Nucis Italia will set up about 1700 these foods contain unsaturated fats which get metabolized very points of sale of the key distribution chains throughout Italy. fast and are highly beneficial. They are also full of proteins, fibers, Displays will be ready in the marketplace at the end of October and vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids which increase the sensation of being materials are scheduled to be in place all winter. Among the new satiated which reduces appetite. informative materials available for consumers is a Nucis recipe book, which suggests fanciful combinations between nuts and Nucis Italia is actively involved in informing consumers about the foods that are usually eaten every day. This shows consumers how nutritional qualities of nuts. A new informative campaign has set to eat their daily portion of wellbeing in a way that is agreeable, the goal to do so in a more personalized way by reaching various always different and personalized. segments of consumers and meeting everybody’s specific needs. This is why in the new informative materials every fruit is dedicated to a specific consumer target, and for each fruit a special moment

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Given the success of a recent Health Marketing activity last spring, this fall the campaign will be repeated with the presence of

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nutritionists at the points of sale. The health and nutrition professionals sponsored by Nucis will again provide customers’ personal advice about choice of fruit based on lifestyle and possible health problems. In the framework of so called “educational entertainment”, Nucis proposes this year as well its online games, available on its website (www.nucisitalia.it) and Facebook profile “Nucisitaliafruttasecca”. These games, simple and engaging, have always been a great success among Internet users, who can play and win funny and useful gadgets such as the now famous “Nucis tinbox”, the tiny metal box that contains exactly 30gr. of nuts and which has become the perfect tool for the recommended daily quantity of nuts at hand. New kits of materials will be prepared for practitioners who adhere to and support the “Nuts are wellbeing” project to make available for their patients. Over 1000 waiting rooms and about 50.000 patients will be reached. They will also be given a 2015 Nucis Calendar where every month of the year, a different type of nut, its properties, nutritional qualities and who can benefit most from them is featured.

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NUCIS GERMANY HOSTS RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM LUNCHEON The event was organized by Nucis Germany at the congress “Nutrition 2014” that took place from 26. – 28. June 2014 in Ludwigsburg.

As a leading source for nutritional information for tree nuts, Nucis Germany organized a luncheon symposium at the congress “Nutrition 2014” in late June in Ludwigsburg. Sessions included a research update by Dr. Hans Hauner, followed by Ms. Stephanie Wetzel, a recognized nutrition scientist who illustrated how to integrate nuts in daily diet. During the subsequent question and answer session, experts in nutritional medicine, dietitians, chefs and the media discussed various aspects about nuts as a whole food that is good for you. The importance of scientific knowledge and having the tools to integrate the findings in clinical practice, nut consumption and diabetes, nut consumption and overweight and nut consumption to prevent illnesses dominated the discussion. Participants wanted an easy way to incorporate nuts in the diet

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and cooking. Using nuts as snack instead of other more common but maybe not as nutritious food was one idea the audience welcomed. In Addition to the symposium, Nucis hosted an information booth with credentialed nutrition scientists. Many more questions and additional insights were gained from visits made to the booth which helped to reinforce positive feedback for future use in upcoming events.

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DOMESTIC MARKETING UPDATE SUMMITS IMMERSE CHEFS IN THE VERSATILITY OF CALIFORNIA WALNUTS The California Walnut Board recently hosted two California Walnut Summits with the Culinary Institute of America. The first summit was held in August at the Hyde Park campus in New York and the second was in September at the St. Helena campus in California’s Napa Valley. Guests represented restaurant chains, retailers, independent restaurants, hospitality, and corporate foodservice. Chefs spent a day and a half at the Culinary Institute of America learning about walnuts. An industry member was on hand to talk about growing, processing and storing walnuts. Guests at the California event had the opportunity to experience harvest as well. The industry’s registered dietitian, Carol Berg Sloan, presented the exciting health benefits of walnuts, and marketing director Jennifer Olmstead spoke about the Board and Commission, the history of walnuts, and how the nuts are marketed to create consumer demand. Culinary Institute of America chef instructor Rebecca Peizer led the group through a flavor experience in which chefs sampled raw, blanched and toasted walnuts, and then combined those with different foods. She also spoke about the role of walnuts in cuisines across the world. Chefs had two kitchen sessions - the first with assigned recipes, and the second as a market basket challenge where they had to create dishes that combined walnuts with specific foods.

Hyde Park Chefs

St. Helena Chefs

The guests left with a renewed interest in California walnuts and an awareness of their versatility across all meal parts. Most chefs were also surprised by the extensive nutritional benefits of walnuts. The Board will continue to follow up with the chefs in the future to see what walnut dishes may be added to their menus as a result of these unique educational events.

PINTEREST PARTIES PRODUCE GREAT RESULTS Social media is a great way to have one-on-one engagement with our consumers. While Facebook and Twitter have led our efforts since the beginning of our social media program, we have expanded our social efforts to include Instagram as well as Pinterest. Pinterest is a great platform for California walnuts, as it is photo-based and provides the opportunity to share delicious walnut recipes. In order to boost the Board’s presence, two Pinterest parties were conducted over the summer. The first was a Summer Picnic Pinterest Party and the second was a So Simple So Good Pinterest Party. Using Facebook and Twitter, the Board promoted the party, encouraging fans to pin to California Walnuts Pinterest board for a chance to win $500. Food bloggers were also approached and had their own opportunity to win money for pinning. In fact, one of the winning bloggers, Jessica Formicola from Savory Experiments, shared her winning dish on a local news spot. Her winning pin was repined 312 times. As a result of these promotions, our Pinterest fans increased from 977 to 3,327 and the number of pins of walnut recipes grew by 450.

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INTERNATIONAL MARKETING UPDATE TV COVERAGE IN JAPAN For many years, the California Walnut Commission (CWC) has made the health benefits of walnuts one of its core message points. The CWC’s public relations strategy in Japan puts an emphasis on the many aspects of walnuts’ health benefits. This emphasis paid off in late April 2014, when the popular Japanese television program, “Takeshi`s Health Entertainment” featured a segment on the health benefits of walnuts, with an emphasis on Sarasara shiniyaka, the Japanese phrase for smooth blood flow. During the 45-minute segment, Kazuki Shiina, MD, of Tokyo Medical University, explained how omega-3 fatty acids (ALA) and polyphenols, both of which are contained in walnuts, rejuvenate blood vessels. Three celebrities showed the longer they ate walnuts, the younger their blood vessels were. A popular chef showcased a seven day menu of homemade and easy to prepare recipes, which included 42g walnuts. After the airing of the show, supermarket sales increased 18-fold from the previous daily average. Less than one month later, the television show “Anohini Kaeritai” (missing the good old days) aired, highlighting walnuts again. Hiroyoshi Inoue, MD, of Keio University, and Elica Angyal appeared as endorsers of walnuts. Dr. Inoue introduced walnuts as “an ultimate food” to consume omega-3 fatty acids (ALA) easily and efficiently. In July, “Takeshi’s Health Entertainment” aired the walnut segment again, causing walnuts to be virtually sold out in the marketplace. As a result of the increased consumer demand stemming from the TV coverage, the bakeries, with whom we are currently partnering for our Great Walnut Harvest Festival campaign, have been inspired to incorporate the health benefits of walnuts in the point of sale merchandising.

SALES CONTESTS IN KOREA The California Walnut Commission partnered with Korea’s leading retail grocery company, E-Mart, to conduct the “CA Walnut Sales King” promotion for the third year in a row. This successful promotion, which is held in 145 E-Mart stores nationwide, was designed to engage all stores/stores’ nut section managers in a competition against each other in boosting CA walnut sales for maximum sales result at a time of year when sales are typically slow. This “Sales King” promotion was held during August. Each store had a designated floor display and promotional tables for California walnuts. At the stores, printed advertisements providing information on the special sales item was posted, featuring the California walnut sales news. At the end of the promotion, the managers of the 5 stores with the biggest sales were selected as “Sales Kings,” and won a CWC-hosted trip to a California walnut orchard to see the harvest. Building upon the success of the sales contest with E-Mart, the CWC partnered with Kim’s Club to conduct a similar competition. This promotion was held from mid-June through mid-July to coincide with the FIFA World Cup games across 35 Kim’s Clubs in South Korea. November 2014 | The Cracker

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INC WORLD FORUM FOR NUTRITION RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATION

Prof. Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Chairman of the INC World Forum for Nutrition Research and Dissemination

PISTACHIO NUT CONSUMPTION IMPROvES INSULIN RESISTANCE AND REDUCES GLUCOSE LEvELS IN PRE-DIAbETIC SUbjECTS By Prof. Jordi Salas-Salvadó and Pablo Hernández-Alonso. Human Nutrition Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Rovira i Virgili University, Reus (Spain). Type 2 diabetes is a worldwide problem that affects a huge part of world’s population. Its current prevalence is nearly 400 million people (more than 5% of current population), and it is estimated that by 2035 there will be almost 600 million people living with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, prediabetes condition could be even worse because of its alarming current prevalence (almost 900 million people) and because it is a silent state associated with a higher risk of several deadly conditions, including T2DM, heart disease, hypertension, strokes and early death [1]. However, with lifestyle changes such as following a healthy diet, physical exercise and maintaining a healthy weight, blood sugar levels can go back to normal values.

Nuts are a complex matrix of different nutrients (healthy unsaturated fat, minerals such as magnesium, vitamins (folate, tocopherols), lowGI fiber, antioxidants (phytosterols and polyphenols)) [4] that could have potential modulatory properties such as regulating postprandial glucose clearance, improving pancreatic secretion and decreasing insulin resistance [4, 7] thus leading to a potential beneficial role on both prediabetes and diabetes. Within nuts, pistachios are less energetic, have high amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and are rich in fiber and bioactive compounds such as procyanidins and carotenoids. So, it can be hypothetizise that chronic intake of pistachios will improves glucose metabolism and insulin resistance status in pre-diabetic subjects.

Since the publication of the results of the Adventist Health Study showing that nut consumption was inversely associated with coronary heart disease [2], many evidences from epidemiological studies and controlled clinical trials (RCT) have demonstrated the beneficial impact of nut consumption on health outcomes and total mortality [3]. Nevertheless, the association of nuts with T2DM, as one of the most common cardiovascular risk factor, have been evaluated in different epidemiological studies including the PREDIMED study [4, 5]. However, even though we did found a significant protective effect of nuts over T2DM in the PREDIMED, the association of diabetes with nut intake is less conclusive [4, 6]. For this reason, some RCT have assessed the effect of nuts on glucose and insulin metabolism. Thus, there is a consensus in acute feeding studies as all of them reported beneficial effects on glucose and insulin parameters after nuts consumption, however, inconsistent results have been found in medium- and long-term clinical trials.

Investigators from our Unit of Research (Human Nutrition Unit, Rovira i Virgili University, Reus, Spain) have in the last two years conducted a clinical trial in order to examine whether a pistachio-rich diet reduces glucose and lipid profile and improves its metabolic risk profile, including inflammation and other related markers.

The Cracker | November 2014

This study whose acronym is “EPIRDEM” (Effect of Pistachio Intake on Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus) was headed by Dr. Mònica Bulló. The research team, recruited fifty-four individuals with prediabetes and recommended to consume two diets: a pistachiosupplemented diet (PD; including 57 g/day of pistachios) or a control diet (CD, lacking of any type of nuts), each for four months in a crossover manner. The periods were separated by a two-week washout period. Diets were isocaloric and matched for protein, fiber, and saturated fatty acids.

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Results from EPIRDEM study have been recently published in the prestigious scientific journal Diabetes Care the 14th of August [8]. After the pistachio period, there were significant decreases in fasting glucose, insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance compared with the control diet. Importantly, there were no significant between-intervention changes in body mass index, which supports the fact that nuts are not fattening. Participants in the pistachio diet also showed a non-significant decrease in glycosylated hemoglobin (a measure of glucose control), and a higher non-significant reduction in serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels (bat cholesterol)), compared with participants in the CD. Compared with the control diet, after the pistachio diet there

were significant decreases in other cardiometabolic emergent risk markers such as fibrinogen, glucagon-like peptide-1, oxidized LDL, and platelet factor-4, showing an improvement in the inflammation, coagulation and platelet function. In addition, the study demonstrated a significant decrease of interleukin-6 and resistin gene expression in lymphocytes after the pistachio intervention, whereas SLC2A4 (glucose transporter) expression increased by 69% in CD. This implies that the beneficial systemic changes performed by the pistachio consumption are also present at the molecular level. Finally, cellular glucose uptake by lymphocytes decreased by 78.8% also during the pistachio diet, suggesting an improved glucose regulation.

the inclusion of pistachios into a balanced diet can be a safe nutritional strategy to reverse the risks associated with prediabetes The results of this important study have demonstrated that the inclusion of pistachios into a balanced diet can be a safe nutritional strategy to reverse the risks associated with prediabetes. This research adds more evidence to the recent literature showing beneficial effect of nuts on glycemia and insulin levels, because few of them have focused on pistachios in particular, and none have studied people in the prediabetes stage in particular. Along with the recent publication, this research funded by the American Pistachio Growers (U.S.) and Paramount Farms was previously selected for presentation in the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2014) held in May 28th to 31st in Sofia (Bulgaria), and have had a high impact in science and a great media coverage worldwide.

REFERENCES 1. International Diabetes Federation. IDF Diabetes Atlas, 6th edn. [http://www.idf.org/diabetesatlas]

mortality risk in the PREDIMED nutrition intervention trial. BMC Med 2013, 11:164.

2. Fraser GE, Strahan TM, Sabate J, Beeson WL, Kissinger D, Sabaté J: Effects of traditional coronary risk factors on rates of incident coronary events in a low-risk population. The Adventist Health Study. Circulation 1992, 86:406–413.

6. Salas-Salvadó J, Bulló M, Babio N, Martínez-González MÁ, Ibarrola-Jurado N, Basora J, Estruch R, Covas MI, Corella D, Arós F, Ruiz-Gutiérrez V, Ros E: Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with the Mediterranean diet: results of the PREDIMED-Reus nutrition intervention randomized trial. Diabetes Care 2011, 34:14–19.

3. Kelly JH, Sabaté J: Nuts and coronary heart disease: an epidemiological perspective. Br J Nutr 2006, 96 Suppl 2:S61–7. 4. Ros E: Health Benefits of Nut Consumption. Nutrients 2010:652–682. 5. Guasch-Ferré M, Bulló M, Martínez-González M, Ros E, Corella D, Estruch R, Fitó M, Arós F, Wärnberg J, Fiol M, Lapetra J, Vinyoles E, Lamuela-Raventós R, SerraMajem L, Pintó X, Ruiz-Gutiérrez V, Basora J, SalasSalvadó J: Frequency of nut consumption and

7. Casas-Agustench P, Bulló M, Salas-Salvadó J: Nuts, inflammation and insulin resistance. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2010, 19:124–130. 8. Hernández-Alonso P, Salas-Salvadó J, Baldrich-Mora M, Juanola-Falgarona M, Bulló M: Beneficial Effect of Pistachio Consumption on Glucose Metabolism, Insulin Resistance, Inflammation, and Related Metabolic Risk Markers: a Randomized Clinical Trial. Diabetes Care 2014.

November 2014 | The Cracker

INC WORLD FORUM FOR NUTRITION RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATION

NEW SCIENTIFIC STUDIES HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Diabetes Care, 2014 Aug 14. beneficial Effect of Pistachio Consumption on Glucose Metabolism, Insulin Resistance, Inflammation, and Related Metabolic Risk Markers: a Randomized Clinical Trial. Hernández-Alonso P, Salas-Salvadó J, Baldrich-Mora M, JuanolaFalgarona M, Bulló M. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether a pistachio-rich diet reduces the prediabetes stage and improves its metabolic risk profile. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Prediabetic subjects were recruited to participate in this Spanish randomized clinical trial between 20 September 2011 and 4 February 2013. In a crossover manner, 54 subjects consumed two diets, each for 4 months: a pistachiosupplemented diet (PD) and a control diet (CD). A 2-week washout period separated study periods. Diets were isocaloric and matched for protein, fiber, and saturated fatty acids. A total of 55% of the CD calories came from carbohydrates and 30% from fat, whereas for the PD, these percentages were 50 and 35%, respectively (including 57 g/day of pistachios). RESULTS: Fasting glucose, insulin, and HOMA of insulin resistance decreased significantly after the PD compared with the CD. Other cardiometabolic risk markers such as fibrinogen, oxidized LDL, and platelet factor 4 significantly decreased under the PD compared with the CD (P < 0.05), whereas glucagon-like peptide-1 increased. Interleukin-6 mRNA and resistin gene expression decreased by 9 and 6%, respectively, in lymphocytes after the pistachio intervention (P < 0.05, for PD vs. CD). SLC2A4 expression increased by 69% in CD (P = 0.03, for PD vs. CD). Cellular glucose uptake by lymphocytes decreased by 78.78% during the PD (P = 0.01, PD vs. CD). CONCLUSIONS: Chronic pistachio consumption is emerging as a useful nutritional strategy for the prediabetic state. Data suggest that pistachios have a glucose- and insulin-lowering effect, promote a healthier metabolic profile, and reverse certain metabolic deleterious consequences of prediabetes. Nutrition, 2014 Sep; 30(9):1022-7. Nut consumption and 5-y all-cause mortality in a Mediterranean cohort: The SUN project. Fernández-Montero A, Bes-Rastrollo M, Barrio-López MT, Fuente-Arrillaga Cde L, Salas-Salvadó J, Moreno-Galarraga L, Martínez-González MA. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the association between nut consumption and all-cause mortality after 5-y follow-up in a Spanish cohort. METHODS: The SUN (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra, University of Navarra Follow-up) project is a prospective cohort study, formed by Spanish university graduates. Information is gathered by mailed questionnaires collected biennially. In all, 17 184 participants were followed for up to 5 y. Baseline nut consumption was collected by self-reported data, using a validated 136-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Information on mortality was collected by permanent contact with the SUN participants and their families, postal authorities, and the National Death Index. The association between

The Cracker | November 2014

baseline nut consumption and all-cause mortality was assessed using Cox proportional hazards models to adjust for potential confounding. Baseline nut consumption was categorized in two ways. In a first analysis energy-adjusted quintiles of nut consumption (measured in g/d) were used. To adjust for total energy intake the residuals method was used. In a second analysis, participants were categorized into four groups according to pre-established categories of nut consumption (servings/d or servings/wk). Both analyses were adjusted for potential confounding factors. RESULTS: Participants who consumed nuts ≥2/ wk had a 56% lower risk for all-cause mortality than those who never or almost never consumed nuts (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.44; 95% confidence intervals, 0.23-0.86). CONCLUSION: Nut consumption was significantly associated with a reduced risk for all-cause mortality after the first 5 y of follow-up in the SUN project. PLoS One. 2014 Jul 30;9(7):e103376. Effect of tree nuts on glycemic control in diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled dietary trials. Viguiliouk E, Kendall CW, Blanco Mejia S, Cozma AI, Ha V, Mirrahimi A, Jayalath VH, Augustin LS, Chiavaroli L, Leiter LA, de Souza RJ, Jenkins DJ, Sievenpiper JL. BACKGROUND: Tree nut consumption has been associated with reduced diabetes risk, however, results from randomized trials on glycemic control have been inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: To provide better evidence for diabetes guidelines development, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to assess the effects of tree nuts on markers of glycemic control in individuals with diabetes. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases through 6 April 2014. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials ≥3 weeks conducted in individuals with diabetes that compare the effect of diets emphasizing tree nuts to isocaloric diets without tree nuts on HbA1c, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and HOMA-IR. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two independent reviewer’s extracted relevant data and assessed study quality and risk of bias. Data were pooled by the generic inverse variance method and expressed as mean differences (MD) with 95% CI’s. Heterogeneity was assessed (Cochran Q-statistic) and quantified (I2). RESULTS: Twelve trials (n = 450) were included. Diets emphasizing tree nuts at a median dose of 56 g/d significantly lowered HbA1c (MD = -0.07% [95% CI:-0.10, -0.03%]; P = 0.0003) and fasting glucose (MD = -0.15 mmol/L [95% CI: -0.27, -0.02 mmol/L]; P = 0.03) compared with control diets. No significant treatment effects were observed for fasting insulin and HOMA-IR, however the direction of effect favoured tree nuts. LIMITATIONS: Majority of trials were of short duration and poor quality. CONCLUSIONS: Pooled analyses show that tree nuts improve glycemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes, supporting their inclusion in a healthy diet. Owing to the uncertainties in our analyses there is a need for longer, higher quality trials with a focus on using nuts to displace high-glycemic index carbohydrates.

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BMJ Open. 2014 Jul 29;4(7):e004660. Effect of tree nuts on metabolic syndrome criteria: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Blanco Mejia S, Kendall CW, Viguiliouk E, Augustin LS, Ha V, Cozma AI, Mirrahimi A, Maroleanu A, Chiavaroli L, Leiter LA, de Souza RJ, Jenkins DJ, Sievenpiper JL. OBJECTIVE: To provide a broader evidence summary to inform dietary guidelines of the effect of tree nuts on criteria of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). DESIGN: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of tree nuts on criteria of the MetS. DATA SOURCES: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library (through 4 April 2014). ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: We included relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of â&#x2030;Ľ3 weeks reporting at least one criterion of the MetS. DATA EXTRACTION: Two or more independent reviewers extracted all relevant data. Data were pooled using the generic inverse variance method using random effects models and expressed as mean differences (MD) with 95% CIs. Heterogeneity was assessed by the Cochran Q statistic and quantified by the I(2) statistic. Study quality and risk of bias were assessed. RESULTS: Eligibility criteria were met by 49 RCTs including 2226 participants who were otherwise healthy or had dyslipidaemia, MetS or type 2 diabetes mellitus. Tree nut interventions lowered triglycerides (MD=-0.06 mmol/L (95% CI -0.09 to -0.03 mmol/L)) and fasting blood glucose (MD=-0.08 mmol/L (95% CI -0.16 to -0.01 mmol/L)) compared with control diet interventions. There was no effect on waist circumference, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or blood pressure with the direction of effect favouring tree nuts for waist circumference. There was evidence of significant unexplained heterogeneity in all analyses (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Pooled analyses show a MetS benefit of tree nuts through modest decreases in triglycerides and fasting blood glucose with no adverse effects on other criteria across nut types. As our conclusions are limited by the short duration and poor quality of the majority of trials, as well as significant unexplained between-study heterogeneity, there remains a need for larger, longer, high-quality trials. Eur J Nutr. 2014 Sep 3. A mid-morning snack of almonds generates satiety and appropriate adjustment of subsequent food intake in healthy women. Hull S, Re R, Chambers L, Echaniz A, Wickham MS. PURPOSE: To assess the effect of consuming a mid-morning almond snack (28 and 42 g) tested against a negative control of no almonds on acute satiety responses. METHOD: On three test days, 32 healthy females consumed a standard breakfast followed by 0, 28 or 42 g of almonds as a mid-morning snack and then ad libitum meals at lunch and dinner. The effect of the almond snacks on satiety was assessed by measuring energy intake (kcal) at the two ad libitum meals and subjective appetite ratings (visual analogue scales) throughout the test days. RESULTS: Intake at lunch and dinner significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner in response to the almond snacks. Overall, a similar amount of energy was consumed on all three test days indicating that participants compensated for the 173 and 259 kcals consumed as almonds on the 28 and 42 g test days, respectively. Subjective appetite ratings in the interval between the mid-morning snack and lunch were consistent with dosedependent enhanced satiety following the almond snacks. However, in the

interval between lunch and dinner, appetite ratings were not dependent on the mid-morning snack. CONCLUSION: Almonds might be a healthy snack option since their acute satiating effects are likely to result in no net increase in energy consumed over a day. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014; 11;11:18. The effect of almond consumption on elements of endurance exercise performance in trained athletes. Yi M, Fu J, Zhou L, Gao H, Fan C, Shao J, Xu B, Wang Q, Li J, Huang G, Lapsley K, Blumberg JB, Chen CY. BACKGROUND: Almonds are a healthy tree nut food with high nutrient density. Their consumption has been shown to ameliorate oxidative stress, inflammation, etc. The objective of the study was to examine the effect of almonds on elements of endurance exercise performance in trained athletes. METHODS: A 10-week crossover, placebo controlled study was conducted. Eight trained male cyclists and two triathletes were randomly assigned to consume 75 g/d whole almonds (ALM) or isocaloric cookies (COK) with equal subject number. They consumed the assigned food for 4 wks and then the alternate food for another 4 wks. They underwent 3 performance tests including 125-min steady status exercise (SS) and 20-min time trial (TT) on an indoor stationary trainer at the start of the study (BL) and at the end of each intervention phase. Venous blood was collected in the morning prior to the performance test for biochemical measurements and finger blood during the test for glucose determination. Carbohydrate and fat oxidation, energy expenditure, and oxygen use were calculated using respiratory gas analysis. RESULTS: ALM increased cycling distance during TT by 1.7 km as compared BL (21.9 vs. 20.2 km, P = 0.053) and COK increased 0.6 km (20.8 vs. 20.2 km, P > 0.05). ALM, but not COK, led to higher CHO and lower fat oxidation and less oxygen consumption during TT than BL (P < 0.05), whereas there was no significant difference in heart rate among BL, ALM and COK. ALM maintained higher blood glucose level after TT than COK (P < 0.05). ALM had higher vitamin E and haemoglobin and lower serum free fatty acid (P < 0.05), slightly elevated serum arginine and nitric oxide and plasma insulin (P > 0.05) than BL, and a higher total antioxidant capacity than COK (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Whole almonds improved cycling distance and the elements related to endurance performance more than isocaloric cookies in trained athletes as some nutrients in almonds may contribute to CHO reservation and utilization and effective oxygen utilization. The results suggest that almonds can be incorporated into diets of those who undertake exercise training for performance improvement. J Funct Foods. Volume 10, September 2014, Pages 252-259. Almond supplementation in the absence of dietary advice significantly reduces C-reactive protein in subjects with type 2 diabetes. Karen L. Sweazea, Carol S. Johnston, Kristin D. Ricklefs, Katherine N. Petersen. Heart disease and stroke are primary causes of morbidity and mortality among people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The objective of this 12week randomized, parallel-arm controlled study was to determine if almond supplementation (1.5 oz/d) without further diet instruction improves diabetic and cardiovascular risk markers in individuals with T2D (hemoglobin A1c between 6.5 and 9.0%) who were not taking November 2014 | The Cracker

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insulin (n = 10) compared to matched controls who were instructed to maintain their customary diet (n = 11). Subjects in the almond-treated group tended to consume fewer carbohydrates (p = 0.073). There were no significant differences in biomarkers of glucose regulation or oxidative stress; however, the inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein was significantly reduced in the almond-treated group versus controls (−1.2 vs. +4.33 mg/L, p = 0.029). Daily almond ingestion in the absence of other dietary or physical activity modification is beneficial in reducing inflammation in individuals with T2D. Food Funct. 2014 Sep 12. Walnut polyphenol metabolites, urolithins A and b, inhibit the expression of the prostate-specific antigen and the androgen receptor in prostate cancer cells. Sánchez-González C, Ciudad CJ, Noé V, Izquierdo-Pulido M. Walnuts have been gathering attention for their health-promoting properties. They are rich in polyphenols, mainly ellagitannins (ETs) that after consumption are hydrolyzed to release ellagic acid (EA). EA is further metabolized by microbiota to form urolithins, such as A and B, which are absorbed. ETs, EA and urolithins have shown to slow the proliferation and growth of different types of cancer cells but the mechanisms remain unclear. We investigate the role of urolithins in the regulatory mechanisms in prostate cancer, specifically those related to the androgen receptor (AR), which have been linked to the development of this type of cancer. In our study, urolithins downregulated the mRNA and protein levels of both prostate specific antigen (PSA) and AR in LNCaP cells. The luciferase assay performed with a construct containing three androgen response elements (AREs) showed that urolithins inhibit AR-mediated PSA expression at the transcriptional level. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that urolithins decreased AR binding to its consensus response element. Additionally, urolithins induced apoptosis in LNCaP cells, and this effect correlated with a decrease in Bcl-2 protein levels. In summary, urolithins attenuate the function of the AR by repressing its expression, causing a down-regulation of PSA levels and inducing apoptosis. Our results suggest that a diet rich in ET-containing foods, such as walnuts, could contribute to the prevention of prostate cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2014 Sep 10;106(9). Cancer Chemoprevention With Nuts. Falasca M, Casari I, Maffucci T. It is well established that increased nut consumption is associated with a reduced risk of major chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. On the other hand, the association between nut consumption and cancer mortality is less clear. Recent studies have suggested that nut consumption is associated with reduced cancer mortality. This evidence reinforces the interest to investigate the chemopreventive properties of nuts, and it raises questions about the specific cancer type(s) and setting that can be more affected by nut consumption, as well as the cellular mechanisms involved in this protective effect. Here we discuss recent studies on the association of nut consumption and cancer, and we propose specific cellular mechanisms by which nut components can affect cancer progression.

The Cracker | November 2014

Eur J Nutr. 2014 Sep 5. Sicilian pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) nut inhibits expression and release of inflammatory mediators and reverts the increase of paracellular permeability in IL-1β-exposed human intestinal epithelial cells. Gentile C, Perrone A, Attanzio A, Tesoriere L, Livrea MA. BACKGROUND: Dietary approaches to control inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) may include proanthocyanidin-rich foods. Our previous research showed that a hydrophilic extract from Sicilian pistachio nut (HPE) contains substantial amounts of proanthocyanidins and possesses anti-inflammatory activities. PURPOSE: We studied the effects of HPE and of its polymeric proanthocyanidin fraction (PPF) in a cell model that simulated some conditions of IBD, consisting of interleukin (IL)-1β-stimulated Caco-2 cells. METHODS: HPE was prepared by Pistacia vera L. nuts, and PPF was isolated from HPE by adsorbance chromatography. Proanthocyanidins were quantified as anthocyanidins after acidic hydrolysis. Differentiated Caco-2 cells were pre-incubated with HPE or PPF and then were exposed to IL-1β. Cell viability and parameters associated with nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation were assayed. Adsorption of polymeric proanthocyanidins to the cell membrane was investigated by transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) measurements. RESULTS: HPE decreased prostaglandin (PG)E2 production, IL-6 and IL-8 release, and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression. HPE also inhibited the increase in paracellular permeability and reduced NFκB activation. Polymeric proanthocyanidins, tested at a concentration comparable with their content in HPE, produced effects comparable to HPE. Finally, cell exposure to PPF increases TEER of the epithelial monolayers. CONCLUSION: Our results provide evidence that pistachio nut components inhibit inflammatory response of intestinal epithelial cells in vitro and indicate polymeric proanthocyanidins as the major bioactive nut components. The protection implies inhibition of NFκB activation and occurs in parallel with the adsorption of polymeric proanthocyanidins to cell membrane. Our findings suggest that intake of small amounts of pistachio nut can exert beneficial effects to gastrointestinal pathophysiology. Food Chem. 2015 Feb 1;168:529-37. Epub 2014 Jul 25. The pecan nut (Carya illinoinensis) and its oil and polyphenolic fractions differentially modulate lipid metabolism and the antioxidant enzyme activities in rats fed high-fat diets. Domínguez-Avila JA, Alvarez-Parrilla E, López-Díaz JA, MaldonadoMendoza IE, Gómez-García Mdel C, de la Rosa LA. Tree nuts such as pecans (Carya illinoinensis) contain mostly oil but are also a source of polyphenols. Nut consumption has been linked to a reduction in serum lipid levels and oxidative stress. These effects have been attributed to the oil while overlooking the potential contribution of the polyphenols. Because the evidence regarding each fraction’s bioactivity is scarce, we administered high-fat (HF) diets to male Wistar rats, supplementing them with pecan oil (HF+PO), pecan polyphenols (HF+PP) or whole pecans (HF+WP), and analysed the effects of each fraction. The HF diet increased the serum leptin and total cholesterol (TC) with respect to the control levels. The HF+WP diet prevented hyperleptinemia and decreased the TC compared with

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the control. The HF+WP diet upregulated the hepatic expression of apolipoprotein B and LDL receptor mRNAs with respect to the HF levels. The HF+PO diet reduced the level of triacylglycerols compared with the control. The HF+PP diet stimulated the hepatic expression of liver X receptor alpha mRNA. The HF+WP diet increased the activities of hepatic catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S transferase compared with the control, and decreased the degree of lipid peroxidation compared with the HF diet. The most bioactive diet was the WP diet.

I and Tellimagrandin II, members of the ellagitannin family. We also show a walnut extract decreases the intracellular pH, depolarizes the mitochondrial membrane with release of cytochrome c and phosphatidylserine flipping. The antimitogenic effects of walnut extract were associated with a twofold reduction of mitochondria respiration. These results suggest impairment of mitochondrial function and apoptosis as relevant mechanism of anticancer effects of the walnut extract.

Food Chem. 2015 Jan 15;167:138-44. The intake of a hazelnut skin extract improves the plasma lipid profile and reduces the lithocholic/ deoxycholic bile acid faecal ratio, a risk factor for colon cancer, in hamsters fed a high-fat diet.

Br J Nutr. 2014 Aug 20:1-10. Effect of almond consumption on the serum fatty acid profile: a dose-response study.

Caimari A, Puiggròs F, Suárez M, Crescenti A, Laos S, Ruiz JA, Alonso V, Moragas J, Del Bas JM, Arola L. The effects on lipid and glucose metabolism of a hazelnut skin extract (FIBEROX™) administrated during 8weeks (HFD-FBX8w group) or during the last 4weeks of the study (HFD-FBX4w group) to Golden Syrian hamsters fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 8weeks were investigated. FIBEROX™ consumption reversed the increase in total and LDL plasma cholesterol induced by the HFD feeding in both HFD-FBX groups and decreased the circulating levels of free fatty acids and triglycerides in the HFD-FBX4w animals. The higher excretion of bile acids found in the faeces of both groups of hamsters fed the FIBEROX™ suggests that this mechanism is involved in the cholesterol-lowering effects of the extract. Furthermore, FIBEROX™ intake sharply decreased the lithocholic/ deoxycholic bile acid faecal ratio, a risk factor for colon cancer, in both HFD-FBX groups. In conclusion, the consumption of FIBEROX™ improves different risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and colon cancer. Nutr Cancer. 2014 Sep 29:1-11. Cytotoxic Effects of Ellagitannins Isolated from Walnuts in Human Cancer Cells. Le V, Esposito D, Grace MH, Ha D, Pham A, Bortolazzo A, Bevens Z, Kim J, Okuda R, Komarnytsky S, Lila MA, White JB. Walnuts contain many bioactive components that may slow cancer growth. A previous report showed that a diet supplemented with walnuts decreased the tumor size formed by MDA-MB-231 human cancer cells injected into nude mice. However, the mechanism of action was never determined. We characterized the effects of a methanol extract prepared from walnuts on human MDA-MB-231, MCF7, and HeLa cells. The extract was cytotoxic to all cancer cells. We identified compounds from the methanol extract that induced this cytotoxicity. The predominant compounds were Tellimagrandin

Nishi S, Kendall CW, Gascoyne AM, Bazinet RP, Bashyam B, Lapsley KG, Augustin LS, Sievenpiper JL, Jenkins DJ. Consumption of almonds has been shown to be associated with a decreased risk of CHD, which may be related to their fatty acid (FA) composition. However, the effect of almond consumption on the serum FA composition is not known. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated whether almond consumption would alter the serum FA profile and risk of CHD, as calculated using Framingham’s 10-year risk score, in a dose-dependent manner in hyperlipidaemic individuals when compared with a higher-carbohydrate control group using dietary interventions incorporating almonds. A total of twenty-seven hyperlipidaemic individuals consumed three isoenergetic (mean 1770 kJ/d) supplements during three 1-month dietary phases: (1) full-dose almonds (50-100 g/d); (2) half-dose almonds with half-dose muffins; (3) full-dose muffins. Fasting blood samples were obtained at weeks 0 and 4 for the determination of FA concentrations. Almond intake (g/d) was found to be inversely associated with the estimated Framingham 10-year CHD risk score (P= 0•026). In both the half-dose and full-dose almond groups, the proportions of oleic acid (OA) and MUFA in the TAG fraction (half-almond: OA P= 0•003; MUFA P= 0•004; full-almond: OA P< 0•001; MUFA P< 0•001) and in the NEFA fraction (half-almond: OA P= 0•01; MUFA P= 0•04; full-almond: OA P= 0•12; MUFA P= 0•06) increased. The estimated Framingham 10-year CHD risk score was inversely associated with the percentage change of OA (P= 0•011) and MUFA (P= 0•016) content in the TAG fraction. The proportions of MUFA in the TAG and NEFA fractions were positively associated with changes in HDL-cholesterol concentrations. Similarly, the estimated Framingham 10-year CHD risk score was inversely associated with the percentage change of OA (P= 0•069) and MUFA content in the NEFA fraction (P= 0•009). In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that almond consumption increases OA and MUFA content in serum TAG and NEFA fractions, which are inversely associated with CHD lipid risk factors and overall estimated 10-year CHD risk.

November 2014 | The Cracker

NEWS FROM THE NUTRITION RESEARCH & EDUCATION FOUNDATION

By Maureen Ternus, M.S., R.D. INC NREF By Maureen Ternus, M.S., R.D. Executive Director INC NREF Executive Director

TREE NUTS HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON GLYCEMIC CONTROL IN DIABETES AND ON METABOLIC SYNDROME CRITERIA New Findings on Tree Nuts, Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome Two new meta-analyses involving tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts) were recently published in the online publications, British Medical Journal Open (BMJ Open) and PLOS ONE . The BMJ Open article looked at the effects of tree nuts on metabolic syndrome (MetS) criteria and showed that tree nut consumption resulted in a significant decrease in triglycerides and fasting blood glucose. The PLOS ONE article focused on the effect of tree nuts on glycemic control in diabetes and showed significant decreases in HbA1c and fasting blood glucose levels. Researchers from the University of Toronto conducted both meta-analyses. In the paper focusing on MetS, the analysis included 47 randomized control trials with 2,200 participants who were otherwise healthy or had MetS criteria, dyslipidemia (elevated levels of blood cholesterol and/or triglycerides), or type 2 diabetes. “We found that tree nut consumption of about two ounces per day was found to decrease triglycerides significantly by ~0.06 mmol/L and to decrease fasting blood glucose significantly by ~0.08 mmol/L over an average follow-up of eight weeks,” stated Cyril Kendall, Ph.D., lead researcher of the study.

This is important since MetS is a cluster of risk factors shown to be associated with mortality, a twofold increased risk for cardiovascular disease, and a fivefold increased risk for type 2 diabetes. While the diagnostic criteria can vary, presence of any three of the five following conditions results in a diagnosis of MetS: abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol), high blood pressure, and hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels). Based on NHANES data from 2003-2006, an estimated 34.3% of the U.S. population has MetS. In addition to the effect of nuts on MetS, the researchers also looked at the effect of nuts on glycemic control in those with diabetes. The PLOS ONE analysis included 12 randomized clinical trials with 450 participants and compared the effects of diets emphasizing tree nuts to isocaloric diets without tree nuts on HbA1c (a marker of longer-term blood sugar control), fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin and insulin resistance (HOMA-1R). The results showed that diets emphasizing about two ounces of tree nuts per day significantly lowered HbA1c (P=0.0003) and fasting glucose (P=0.03) compared to the control diets. While neither diet showed significant effects on fasting insulin and insulin resistance, the direction of effect favored tree nuts.

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NEWS FROM THE NUTRITION RESEARCH & EDUCATION FOUNDATION

According to Dr. Kendall, “Both of our analyses indicate that daily tree nut consumption has an overall metabolic benefit and can improve risk factors for metabolic syndrome, and glycemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes.” “With MetS and diabetes on the rise worldwide, this is yet another reason to include tree nuts in your diet every day,” states Maureen Ternus, M.S., R.D., Executive Director of the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation (INC NREF). “In 2003, FDA (in its qualified health claim for nuts and heart disease) recommended that people eat 1.5 ounces of nuts per day—well above current consumption levels. We need to encourage people—especially those at risk for MetS and those with diabetes—to get their handful of nuts every day.”

THIS PAST YEAR HAS BEEN A GOOD ONE FOR NUT RESEARCH. INC NREF HAS HAD SIX PAPERS PUBLISHED SINCE LAST NOVEMBER: •

Mejia, S.B. C.W.C. Kendall, E. Viguiliouk, L.S. Augustin, V. Ha, A.I. Cozma, A. Mirrahimi, A. Maroleanu, L. Chiavaroli, L.A. Leiter, R. J. de Souza, D.J. A. Jenkins, J.L. Sievenpiper, 2014. Effect of tree nuts on metabolic syndrome criteria: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMJ Open. DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2013-004660

• Viguiliouk, E., C.W.C. Kendall, S.B. Mejia, A.I. Cozma, V. Ha, A. Mirrahimi, V.H. Jayalath, L.S.A. Augustin, L. Chiavaroli, L.A. Leiter, R.J. de Souza, D. J.A. Jenkins, J.L. Sievenpiper, 2014. Effect of tree nuts on glycemic control in diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled dietary trials. PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103376 •

Nishi, S.K., C.W.C. Kendall, R.P. Bazinet, B. Bashyam, C.A. Ireland, L.S.A. Augustin, S. Blanco Mejia, J.L. Sievenpiper, D.J.A. Jenkins, 2014. Nut consumption, serum fatty acid profile and estimated coronary heart disease risk in type 2 diabetes. Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2014.04.001

•

Jaceldo-Siegl, K., E. Haddad, K. Oda, G.E. Fraser, J. Sabate´, 2014. Tree nuts are inversely associated with metabolic syndrome and obesity: The Adventist Health Study-2. PLOS ONE. 9(1): e85133. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0085133.

• Bao, Y., J. Han, F.B. Hu, E.L. Giovannucci, M.J. Stampfer, W.C. Willett, C.S. Fuchs, 2013. Association of nut consumption with total and cause-specific mortality. N Engl J Med. 369:2001-2011. • Bao, Y., F.B. Hu, E.L. Giovannucci, B.M. Wolpin, M.J. Stampfer, W.C. Willett, C.S. Fuchs, 2013. Nut consumption and risk of pancreatic cancer in women. Br J Cancer. doi:10.1038/bjc.2013.665. The most recent papers were published in PLOS ONE and BMJ Open (see Sidebar 1), and were both conducted by Dr. Cyril Kendall at the University of Toronto. The BMJ Open article looked at the effects of tree nuts on metabolic syndrome criteria and showed that tree nut consumption resulted in a significant decrease in triglycerides and fasting blood glucose. The PLOS ONE article focused on the effect of tree nuts on glycemic control in diabetes and showed significant decreases in HbA1c (a marker of longer-term blood sugar control) and fasting blood glucose levels. Publicity efforts to date have resulted in media coverage in Canada, India, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States: Online placements:

1,223,991 impressions

Broadcast placements:

4,363,568 impressions

Print placements:

810,583 in circulation

Total to date:

6,398,142

November 2014 | The Cracker

NEWS FROM THE NUTRITION RESEARCH & EDUCATION FOUNDATION

EXHIBITS All of this new research has been disseminated at a number of health professional meetings in the U.S. In 2014, INC NREF exhibited at four meetings targeting doctors, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and dietitians. In addition, for the first time INC NREF targeted the fitness industry. The IDEA Wellness Convention is the largest fitness meeting in the country and the attendees include personal trainers, fitness instructors and others who routinely share nutrition advice with their clients. Those who came by the booth were very enthusiastic and most were aware of the many health benefits of nuts. The overall response from the various meetings was very positive, especially from the fitness industry. This is an audience that needs accurate information and is a group worth targeting.

U.S. DIETARY GUIDELINES Finally, the last public meeting for the 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) will be held in November. INC NREF will be attending and sending in a final set of comments which will include the latest nut research. Nuts have been discussed in previous meetings in the discussions about dietary fat and nutrients of concern. These are the nutrients that many Americans do not get enough of, including vitamins A, D, E, C, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium and fiber. The most under-consumed of these nutrients are D, calcium, potassium and fiber. The DGAC members also discussed the fact that Americans consume too much sodium and saturated fat, and therefore recommend increased intakes of nutrient-dense foodsâ&#x20AC;Śwhich is good for nuts. The new guidelines will be published sometime next year. For more information on any INC NREF project please contact Maureen Ternus at maureen.ternus@gmail.com. Editor's Note: For full researcher information please visit www.nuthealth.org.

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FOOD TYPE MAY PLAY A ROLE IN TYPE 2 DIABETES The type of food we eat, and not simply how much we eat, could play an important role in the risk of type 2 diabetes by influencing circulating metabolises and the makeup of our microbiota, say researchers. The new research, published in The FASEB Journal, analysed how healthy genetically identical twins of differing body weights reacted to a fast food meal by measuring the effect on blood metabolites. Led by Matej Oresic from the Steno Diabetes Center in Gentofte, metabolites, including those related to type 2 diabetes, were found Denmark, the team found that post-meal (postprandial) levels of in both individuals at the same levels – suggesting that the onset of circulating metabolites in the blood of the identical twins tended to this type of diabetes is largely influenced by genetic factors and/or the be similar after the fast food meal, independent of weight differences. composition of gut microbiota, rather than body weight. The finding suggests that post-meal levels of metabolites linked to the Indeed, the team noted that branched chain amino acids, known risk of diabetes are dictated by what we eat and not just how much we risk factors of diabetes, were increased in heavier as compared to eat, and that differences in genetics and the make-up of our intestinal leaner co-twins in the fasting state, but revealed that levels converged microbiota are they drivers of type 2 diabetes. postprandially. “This study also demonstrated that specific bacterial “We found that within-pair similarity is a dominant factor in the groups were associated with postprandial changes of specific metabolic postprandial response, independent of acquired obesity,” metabolites,” said the team. reported the team. “Branched chain amino acids were increased in heavier as compared with leaner co-twins in the fasting state, but their levels converged postprandially,” they added. Oresic added that the study contributes to a better understanding of the genetic and environmental factors influencing several risk factors which are associated with obesity and metabolic disease like type 2 diabetes. "When someone is overweight and at risk for diabetes, the conventional wisdom is to say 'lose weight,'" commented Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal, "and to a degree that recommendation holds true.” “This report, however, shows that a calorie is not just a calorie as some would contend. Exactly what we eat and drink, and not just the number of calories, may be the most important factor in our health." Genetically identical, but different weights, healthy young adults from a national (Finnish) study of twins were recruited to the study. After baseline tests – including measures of gut microbes from fecal samples – the twins were given a fast food meal, before being monitored and having blood samples taken over several hours. The team analysed the effect of the meal on a broad panel of blood metabolites including amino acids, fatty acids and bile acids – comparing any differenced to differences in body weight or microbiota make-up. Oresic and his colleagues reported that circulating November 2014 | The Cracker

NUTRITION RESEARCH UPDATE

TREE NUTS KEY FOR HEART HEALTH Press Release from University of Missouri Extension

5 REASONS TO CHOOSE NUTS DAILY (BLUE SPRINGS, MO – April 28, 2014) Do you want to make a simple change in your diet that pays off big in health rewards? Then add a small handful of nuts each day to your diet! “Tree nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, pistachios, cashew, pecans, macadamia, Brazil, hazelnut, and pine, are nutrient powerhouses,” says Susan Mills-Gray, Nutrition and Health Specialist with University of Missouri Extension. Nuts reduce your risk of coronary heart disease by lowering LDL (lousy) cholesterol, lowering total cholesterol level and raising HDL (happy) cholesterol. Nuts also lower blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels to improve blood flow. Improved heart health leads to improved brain function, so nuts protect cognitive function as we age. Nuts play a key role in diabetes management with their cholesterol lowering effect, as well as improving blood glucose metabolism. Recent studies have shown that nut consumption actually lowers mortality risk from heart disease, cancer, and lung disease. Now we know that lots of people avoid nuts because nuts are high in calories. “Nuts actually can help you LOSE weight,” Mills-Gray adds. “Those persons who consume tree nuts regularly tend to weigh about 5 pounds less than those who avoid nuts.” When consuming nuts, you only absorb about 80% of the calories, plus the protein and the fiber in the nut actually helps you feel fuller longer. While it’s true that nuts are high in calories due to the fat content, that fat is actually heart healthy. So how do you add nuts without piling on the weight? Limit yourself to a small handful daily—1 to 2 ounces (¼ to 1/3 cup). Replace current snack choices with nuts. Consider using nuts as the protein for one meal daily. Avoid salted nut varieties to reduce your sodium intake. For more information, contact extension.missouri.edu.

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