Not all Almonds are good for you
The growing popularity of Almonds as a high-protein superfood is beyond doubt. Almonds are consumed in various formats: Almond milk, Almond flour, Almond nuts raw or roasted, blanched or unblanched, diced or pieces.
While raw Almond Nuts may appear to be one of the “safer” foods, they are actually prone to contamination by harmful bacteria: salmonella bacterium. So, not all almonds are good for you.
Food poisoning outbreaks have occurred in USA and Australia (both large Almond producing countries), leading to extensive product recalls of raw Almonds from retailers. In November 2012, 27 cases of salmonella poisoning across six different territories in Australia, were identified as linked to batches of raw almonds contaminated with the bacterium.
According to Karen Fuchs, a researcher at Fraunhofer UMSICHT in Oberhausen:
“Salmonella can go dormant to survive on almonds. In the process, they produce additional biomass that protects them from desiccation. If water enters the picture, salmonella then proliferates explosively. But it takes just 10 to one hundred of these bacteria to cause food poisoning. Contaminated almonds that make their way into production facilities after harvesting can also contaminate other batches.”
Almond producers continue to improve processes and food safety policies to reduce the risk of contamination of raw Almonds. The simplest of which is to lightly air-roast raw Almonds, effectively killing any potential bacteria which might be present.
Another great reason to enjoy Roastwell’s Almond unsalted, air-roasted nuts and Almond Flour!
Related blog post: Raw or Roasted Nuts
Healthier and Tastier Almonds
Our Air-Roasting process gives our Almond nuts and Almond nut flours a rich, sophisticated flavour, plus the nutrients within the almonds are easier to digest when air-roasted.