Pasteurization

As of September 1, 2007, federal regulation requires that all California almonds sold from a handler within NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement between United States, Canada and Mexico) must undergo a validated treatment (pasteurization) process. Current organic regulation allows our market a handful of options for pasteurization of almonds in their natural state. All methods use some form of thermal heat treatment.

We have worked diligently with our QA staff and our custom processor for pasteurization achieving premium results. Of the handful of treatment options available to us, we exclusively use one process, as well as our own pasteurizer for manufacturing. Both processes are validated by the Technical Expert Review Panel (TERP). We have determined that both custom processes deliver the highest quality which least impacts the natural quality and integrity of each nut. The almond is treated with a quick exposure to steam and then proceeds directly into a drying and cooling (tempering) process.