PPO on Almonds aka Is There Engine Fuel on Your Almonds?
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Engine fuel on almonds? Is this really a thing? Find out all of the details about PPO on almonds, why it really is on there and where to get almonds that aren't sprayed with this toxin so you and your family can be healthier!
Before we get to the engine fuel and almonds issue, did you know that the “raw almonds” in the grocery store, health food store, or at Costco, are most certainly not raw almonds at all?
And did you know that they are most likely coated with a fuel additive. Jet engine fuel additive, to be specific. As in for racing cars and motorcycles.
I know. I couldn't believe it either.
Seriously—we've been eating gassed almonds.
Sort of.
I first heard about this situation about 3 years ago when visiting another whole foods friend in a Chicago suburb.
My friend told me something about a chemical called PPO being sprayed on almonds. Like many new scary-sounding bits of natural information (like heavy metals, mercury in fish, personal care products in water), I thought, “Oh yeah, sure.” Then I asked her to show me proof. Just in case she was right, you know.
Well, she produced a copy of an article outlining the problem. I got home, did my research, and found out that she was right.
Yes, Virginia, you just might be eating Gassed Almonds.
Why Did Companies Start Treating Almond?
The history of this situation is this: In 2001 and 2004 there were two outbreaks of salmonella poisoning that were traced back to almonds. 33 people became ill, but thankfully no one died.
As a result, tons of almonds were recalled.
The Almond Board of California (ABC) started pasteurization of all almonds as a result and asked the USDA to mandate it.
As it turned out, however, the issue wasn't about all almonds. It was that the company processing the almonds where the problem started had unsanitary equipment. So really the whole industry was affected instead of just correcting the real problem.
As a result, all almonds in the US are now pasteurized either by:
- steam
- freezing (this is rare) or
- PPO (propylene oxide).
What Is PPO?
PPO is a synthetic, highly-flammable, volatile liquid that is used primarily in the process of making polyethers and propylene glycol. It's also used as an additive for engine fuel in vehicles (hence the title of this post), and as a pesticide and for disinfecting or sterilizing of foods (source).
PPO has been classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a Group 2B, probable human carcinogen (source).
Sadly, PPO is a commonly used method to treat almonds, because it's cheaper than steam distilling almonds.
One source (discussing PPO on almonds) says that PPO is “a chemical so nasty that it was banned by both the National Hot Rod and American Motorcycle Racing Associations, where it had been used as a fuel before being deemed too dangerous“, however it appears that it was banned due not due to it being a carcinogen, but due to it explosive.
Is There PPO On All Almonds?
No, there isn't. However, it's on a lot of almonds.
At the time this post was written, PPO couldn't be used on organic almonds due to regulations and standards placed on organic foods.
Where to Buy Almonds That Aren't Sprayed With PPO
We love shopping at Costco, but sadly at the time this post was written, Costco stated that their Kirkland almonds are sprayed with PPO.
Since some companies only use steam, you can call and ask companies what they do and purchase from those that do not use PPO. Of course, a company's practices might change so you should follow up on occasion to make sure that they are are still doing things without PPO.
As mentioned, organic almonds do not have PPO sprayed on them.
However, if you don't want to spend the extra cost for organic, here are some conventional almonds that at the time of writing this post were not pasteurized with PPO.
Azure Standard
Azure Standard is a great company. They have organic almonds that of course do not have PPO on them, but their conventional almonds are also PPO-free.
They sell so many great products at fantastic prices and their mission statement is stellar as well.
“Sproutable” Pasteurized Almonds
Though I haven't done enough research into this to know if they are really more nutritionally beneficial than steamed almonds, I have seen these in stores and online but they are quite pricey.
Imported Untreated Almonds from Spain
Spain is apparently a good option for purchasing raw almonds, however these are also pricey. When I wrote this post, they were selling for about $13.99 per pound.
Find a Raw Almond Buying Club
Some groups buy almonds direct from almond farmers. There's a little loophole in the pasteurization law that makes it an option to get truly raw almonds as long as you buy them directly from a farmer. I had one of these out of my home and we bought loads of almonds every fall.
Buy Direct From an Almond Farmer
Not simple but it's a possible solution.
Grow Your Own Almonds
This is truly not feasible for most people, and almond trees take a while to have a good yield and
Call to Action
I highly recommend that everyone reading this post contacts the Almond Board to ask if they will consider halting the spraying of almonds since it never made sense in the first place.
Where do you buy your almonds?
Source: Local Harvest
Do you have a contact email address? I would love to repost this on my blog with your permission and link abck to you and your instagram.
Hi Alexia. I am sorry but I don’t want people to repost things to their blog as Google will penalize either you or me and it is copyrighted. So please do not do that. Thank you.
I should say thanks for the compliment, however :).
The link to Nuts.com is broken–just in case you’re getting some kind of perk for embedding it! 😉
Here’s a link to Nuts in Bulk and their organic almonds come from Spain. Or so i read!
Working on it – thanks! They must have changed their affiliate system and didn’t notify. Thanks again!
FYI: I called Costco today to find out their Almond Butter only uses steam treatment, which is great, and that they are working toward steaming all their raw and roasted almonds. Currently they will check your almond purchase and let you know if it’s from a lot that was steamed or treated with PPO.
Really? Their almond butter doesn’t have any PPO in it?
What about Raw Cashews? Any Problems there? THX JAMES
Hi there. They are not truly raw – they have to heat them to destroy a toxin. I haven’t heard of anything being put on them. Thanks!
Hi, your article came up in a google search. I was trying to find out more info on nuts.com. I just made a huge purchase and though thoroughly satisfied with everything, i tried my raw almonds today and my 4 yr old and I both almost threw up. Are you SURE they are not sprayed with PPO? All I can say was it tasted like a disgusting mix of bourbon and chemicals. Ive been eating raw nuts for years and have never tasted this. I plan to call the company tomorrow but just curious if you knew or anyone else had this problem. Thanks!
I am sorry but I haven’t heard about this. Please do let me know what you hear from them.
My research found Aldi almonds to be sprayed with PPO. Trader Joe’s said their’s are steamed, so that’s where I buy mine.
Good to know – thanks!
Steaming also concerns me, based on an article called “Pasteurizing Almonds: Good or Bad?” I read on “Natural Family Today” site stating: “Steam processing is the method used for pasteurizing organic almonds and they are heated to a temperature of 200 degrees with steam. Not only are the enzymes and vitamins destroyed but so are the bonds of the fats and the fat then oxidizes and becomes a source of free radicals.” I’m thinking the only truly healthy almonds must be organic ones with no pasturization.
This is very interesting. Thanks. I am looking into other options.
This probably means that there is PPO residue on all the commercial almond milk, almond flour and almond butter products too! Where does it end? Thank you Adrienne for exposing these toxic practices!
I’m wondering if Organic Certification bars the use of almonds with PPO pasteurization? Have you checked into that? It seems like I read something recently that said organic almond products could only use almonds that were steam pasteurized, but it’s possible I dreamt this up as a product of wishful thinking. My memory is not always reliable – a byproduct of food toxins I’m sure : (
Apparently they can’t have PPO on organic almonds. I am likely going to have to look for a new supplier for my readers. Not hearing back from these folks now :(.
Thanks for the response. That’s a VERY helpful detail to be updated/added to your article so your readers know they can avoid PPO by buying organic almond products. They might miss this info if they don’t read comments.
It would also be helpful if you dated your articles. I’d like to know when something is older because I often read older articles on blog sites. I only know they are older because of the dates of some of the comments.
Thanks again for all the valuable info you provide!
You are welcome. I had dates before, but folks would email stating “I know this is old….do you still feel the same way” so it’s a problem either way that I do it. Not sure what to do in the future but I will take your comment into consideration. Thanks!
Adrienne, I would love it if the articles were dated. I was wondering when it was written as I was reading the original article about almonds. Thanks for allowing my input.
Hi there. The dates are in the comments – I’m torn about which way to go w/ the dates. When I put them there people would comment asking me if I still stood by the information b/c the date is old, and now I get this kind of comment so I’m confused about the best way to go – thanks!
What about roasted almonds? Would they be subjected to PPO if they are to be roasted?
Roasting doesn’t affect anything. The PPO is on the almonds already. Sorry :(.
I was on Just Almonds website 3 days ago to place an order. When I went to checkout, I wasn’t given the reduced price for the volume I ordered. I emailed the company through their Contact Us link. Later in the day, I called them on the phone and left a message. I did not receive a reply, so I emailed them again yesterday. To date, I have not heard back from anyone. Has anyone else had an issue with their customer service?
Do you know of another company that sells almonds without jet fuel?
I see my previous comment is still awaiting moderation. However, I am providing an update. I emailed the company again this morning and called again this afternoon because they still have not replied to my previous emails or my previous voice mail. As of this time, I still have not received a reply. The issue I am having is when I add items to my cart, I am not getting the discounted rate for buying more than 5 lbs. I would go elsewhere to purchase almonds, but there prices are better than other websites that sell non PPO almonds. Adrienne, have you ever had an issue with them?
Hi Laurie, I am so sorry I haven’t responded to you yet. I have been swamped w/ internet and phone problems and a bunch of family things. I emailed Just Almonds and didn’t hear back. I just called them as well. I am not happy. Let’s keep in touch about this. I obviously can’t have this kind of customer service problems w/ no accountability. I am OK if there are mistakes but not with no answers.
Thanks,
Adrienne
Hi Adrienne,
I just finished reading your article on the problems with buying almonds from Costco and other large retailers. I wanted to write and introduce ourselves. We are a family owned almond grower in Bakersfield California, GF Orchards, and provide fresh Almonds straight from our ranch. Funny you talked about internet problems, we too are having problems, but hope to have them resolved this week. The website will be back up and running. I would love to provide you and any of your followers with our prepackaged almonds in any quantity you would like. We just finished harvesting the non-pariel variety and they will be ready for delivery in the next week or so. I look forward to hearing from you and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to write.
Would be happy to talk to you. Sent you an email – thanks!
I saw the email and wrote you back. Just want to verify you received it.
No I did not. Did you email it to wholenewmom {at} gmail {dot} com?
I haven’t found anything on GF Orchards but I did find this and it might be a great resource for calling and questioning growers. I would be very interested in buying bulk from the growers.
https://www.seecalifornia.com/farms/almonds.html
Hello there Renee,
I am interested in ordering from you!!! Could you ship to Singapore!?
Hi there. I don’t know what to do about this. I have emailed and called. I will give them a little more time, but I am looking for another source.
Hi Laurie,
I am writing to you after reading your post to Adrienne regarding the trouble having trying to get almond from Justalmonds. We have a family owned almond orchard in Bakersfield California and provide packaged raw almonds to the public. We just finished the harvesting and they will be ready in the next week or so. We are having trouble with our websit — Almondstogo.com, but hope to have that resolved in the next week as well.
I would love to answer any questions or fill your request for almonds if you would like. Please email me at Almondstogo@gmail.com.
Hello Renee. I have tried to contact you but am not getting replies. I hope you get this. Thanks.
Hi Laurie. I finally heard back from them. My main contact was apparently on vacation. I am still waiting to find out why no one responded to my calls, but here is her reply about your checkout problem:
” She needs to follow all the way thru with he order and the computer will automatically put in the discounted price. She also has to put in your code to receive that discount. Once the shipping and billing info had been entered. The correct price should come up.”
I hope that helps!
Thanks for the info Adrienne. I still haven’t heard back from anyone since my initial contact on August 3. That is just not acceptable. Maybe something will come about with GF Orchards (per the above post), because I don’t think I want to give my money to Just Almonds due to the poor customer service.
I’m so sorry. I emailed them again. I am looking around – one other source I found is very expensive. Hoping we get a good solution.
I finally heard back from Just Almonds. It was from a Diana who said she was sorry but “we were out of the office for two weeks.” I am not sure how large this company is, but it should state on their website and voice mail when calling that they are closed for the specified period of time.
In the meantime, I have ordered two separate times from nuts.com. They were phenomenal. They have organic almonds which have no PPO. Both orders were shipped the same day I ordered and I received within 2 days. Shipping was very reasonable.
Hi Laurie, thanks. I told them that we were very upset. They told you that “they” were out of the office for two weeks and not just one person?
How did you feel about the cost of the nuts.com? Their organic almonds are pricey but I am willing to consider offering them to my readers. What did you think about the pricing?
Thanks so much.
Yes, she specifically said “we” were out of the office.
Nuts.com are pricey; however, their shipping was very reasonable and super speedy. I am leaning toward purchasing all my almonds from them because of their service. It seems that any company I contacted says you have to purchase organic almonds to keep from getting ones processed with PPO. I am not sure how/where Just Almonds purchases their “nonorganic” almonds from without the grower using this process.
Hi Laurie. I am working on this. I have added nuts.com to my post. Just Almonds says their almonds are processed with steam, which is allowed as a processing option in the US. They just aren’t allowed to be unpasteurized. Let’s keep in touch about this.
Thanks for the update Adrienne and for letting me know I can link to nuts.com from your website the next time I order.
You are welcome!
Wow. This is crazy information… thank you for posting and doing this research. Ever since I realized something is wrong with the food we eat, the products we use in our homes and on our bodies, etc., it’s been like a never ending struggle to purge my life of chemicals and habits detrimental to my health. What are your thoughts on Geoengineering and Chemtrails?
Keep spreading the light ~
By geoengineering do you mean GMOs? If so – I am very much against them. Chemtrails? The same. Glad to have you here! You might like today’s post. https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/how-i-recovered-from-mercury-poisoning/