The Cracker magazine, July 2015

July 2015 Edition 65, No. 2

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

ANTALYA CONGRESS HIGHLIGHTS

COCA-COLA CHAIRMAN ON CONSUMER INSIGHTS AND MACRO TRENDS INC REWARDS INDUSTRY

LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE EUROPEAN NUTRITION CONGRESS FEATURES NUTS

www.nutfruit.org

Turkish Hazelnuts Add Value and Taste www.ftg.org.tr

Cracker The

July 2015, Edition 65 INTERNATIONAL NUT AND DRIED FRUIT COUNCIL FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES Mark Mariani - Chairman Mariani Packing Company, USA Pino Calcagni - Vice Chairman V. Besana S.P.A., Italy Michael Waring - Vice Chairman MWT Foods, Australia Jordi Martí - Treasurer and General Secretary Borges S.A.U., Spain Asadollah Asgaroladi Hassas Export Co. Ltd., Iran Karsten Dankert Max Kiene GmbH, Germany

Harry Sinclair,

Chen Ying China Chamber of Commerce, China Cuneyd Zapsu Balsu A.S., Turkey EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

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

Mark Mariani – Chairman Susan Brauner – Editor Goretti Guasch – Executive Director Graphic Design by:

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94

FEATURED ARTICLES

INDEX

06 world news

22 INC Ambassadors

Ferrero to plant up to 10,000 ha of hazelnuts in Serbia; TOMRA takes Innovation Award at INC Congress; as temperatures rise and rain decreases in West Africa, 60 percent of cocoa production at risk; social media, club stores and food service trends challenge supermarket sales; large food companies fail to address water sustainability in report.

54 Statistical Outlook 93 Advertisers

24 ANTALYA CONGRESS HIGHLIGHTS

INC Advisory Committee invites members to embrace change and challenges INC to increase member services, investment in nutrition research; Chairmen and CEOs of Coca-Cola and Chobani share their visions for two great brands and global leadership; INC Scientific Seminars discuss control strategies and climate change challenges; industry leaders awarded prestigious INC Excellence recognition in congress ceremonies.

Quality.

46 NUTS IN U.S. DIETARY REPORT

In a preliminary report, dietary advisors include eating more nuts in their recommendations for overall healthy diet, no recommendation made for dietary cholesterol because no scientific evidence shows it reduces bad cholesterol. Over half Americans have one or more preventable chronic disease.

Cracker The

51 SECRETARIAT NEWS

INC MEMBER EXHIBITS AT ANUGA IN OCTOBER

2016 Congress slated for San Diego 30 May-1 June; Turkey’s Executive Chef 0f Ulus 29 includes recipes for using nuts in popular recipes; INC Pavillion to welcome members Satake EVOLUTION RGB+Shape tradition10 are two values we at ANUGA; SIAL Quality and to exhibits, sponsorship opportunities, welcoming party October appreciate at Satake. That is why our driven by passion to deliver the Paris 2016 open for INC member exhibits; nutsteam toisparticipate in European Congress best optical sorting results in the industry. We understand that your of Nutrition in October, 2015; INC at New York Summer Fancy Food Show. customer is also our customer.

INC REWARDS INDUSTRY

LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE

EUROPEAN NUTRITION CONGRESS

70 NUTRITION NEWS

p.70: INC Research Forum 2014 is year of meta-analysis for nuts in the news; 2015 INC Award of Excellence to Dr. Jeffrey Bloomberg; new nut nutrition research is highlighted. p.95: Boston Experimental Biology Meeting features many nut research papers according to NREF. p.100: Nutrition Research highlights vitamin E for muscle health; nuts for weight management and teenage metabolic syndrome.

77 CHILE EXPORTS UP

Export volume, rise of dollar, good weather, more promotions drive optimistic Chilean export market for nuts/dried fruit in a special Cracker report; Asia, Middle East ripe for more walnuts; Chilean prunes move to #1 global export position.

78 WORLD INDUSTRY NEWS

Almond industry fights back on water issues on multiple fronts; American Pistachio Growers continue building global demand; Nucis Italy joins largest wellness event in Rimini; Walnut Commission targets South Korea, Spain, Turkey, India and North America with variety of promotional tools; Pistachio Institute has success with social media; Nucis Germany targets healthy workers message; Australian macadamia campaign spreads heart news.

July 2015 Edition 64, No.2

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

FEATURES NUTS

July 2015

Mark Mariani - Chairman Pino Calcagni - Vice Chairman Michael Waring - Vice Chairman Giles Hacking - Board Member Ashok Krishen - Board Member Jack Mariani - Board Member Antonio Pont - Board Member Berton Steir - Board Member Cuneyd Zapsu - Board Member Goretti Guasch - Executive Director

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Edition 64 | No. 2

Kraft Foods, USA Berton Steir Wonderful Pistacios & Almonds LLC, USA Dick Walden The Green Valley Pecan Company, USA

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

THE CRACKER

Arie Endendijk Intersnack Procurement BV, Netherlands Giles Hacking CG Hacking & Sons Limited, UK 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 Jack Mariani Mariani Nut Company, USA Stephen Meltzer Balcorp Ltd., Canada Pratap Nair Vijayalaxmi Cashew Company, India Osman Oz Aegean Exporters Associations, Turkey Antonio Pont - Honorary President Borges S.A.U., Spain Sabit Sabir Sabirlar Findik Ihracat Ltd. Sti., Turkey

www.nutfruit.org

www.nutfruit.org

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.

Legal Deposit: B-7497-1989

July 2015 | The Cracker

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CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTARY

Greetings from California As your newly elected Chairman of the INC, I am committed to serving our growing membership in the global nut and dried fruit business. Many newcomers to our industry continue to discover the importance and prestige of an organization that has quickly established itself in a business of multi-generational families who continue to produce the healthiest food on the planet! I am dedicated to assuming the reigns of this position in a way that will allow us to focus on our strengths so we can continue to create unprecedented demand for our products.

The dried fruit and nut business is an ancient one. Some scientists even say that nuts were the original whole food that nomads carried across the desert on the backs of camels to satiate their hunger and preserve their energy. That makes my family’s business a fairly recent one—The Mariani family is now in its fourth generation as a Dried Fruit company in California. Much like the INC whose membership spans over 70 countries, our brand is also represented in 70 countries.

I look forward working with the Trustees of the INC Foundation for its continuous success. Some of the initiatives launched this year will be key to expanding on our success as a global resource for everything relating to dried fruit and nuts. These include our new statistics database, our redesigned website, our social media campaign featuring superheros, the INC Pavilion at Anuga in October, the 2015 Trade Map, the World Nutrition Research Forum and our very successful congress meetings.

Speaking of success, our Congress held in Antalya, Turkey was represented by over 62 countries and 949 participants. Once again the Congress exceeded all our expectations, including our round table discussions and our guest speakers from Coca Cola and Chobani. We cannot thank our Turkish hosts enough, as they provided a relevant and memorable experience in their beautiful country.

We are pleased to recognize the following individuals: Cunyed Zapsu for the Individual Golden Nut award; Mevlüt Çavusoglu, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Honorary Golden Nut Award; Dr. Jeffrey B. Blumberg for Excellence in Research; the INC Innovation Award to TOMRA SORTING for their new BSI Technology; and Chef Mert Seran for Excellence in Gastronomy.

Congratulations on receiving these awards for your excellence and dedication to our industry!

Most recently, our membership voted to transition from an Organizational Entity to a Foundation to be represented by a group of esteemed Trustees. Our focus will remain the same as we continue to provide oversight and maintain global relevance to our stakeholders. Our new Foundation of Trustees will convene in Cologne Germany. The INC will be well positioned in Cologne as an industry leader and source of information at the Anuga Food Show October 10-14, 2015. The Nuts and Dried Fruit Pavilion, apart from co-exhibitors, will provide meeting spaces for INC members to meet with suppliers and customers. Please look for more information in this issue of The Cracker as space is selling fast.

Finally, I want to thank our fearless INC leader and past Chairman, Giles Hacking, for his untiring dedication to making this a worldclass organization. He not only worked seamlessly with the INC Secretariat to build a new INC headquarters in Reus, Spain, but the key initiatives mentioned above all began on his watch! We owe Giles our deepest gratitude. Thank you, Giles!

Meanwhile I wish you: Good Harvests, Good Selling, and a continuing dedication to improving people's lives!

My Best, Mark A. Mariani

July 2015 | The Cracker

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world nut & Dried fruit news Keep up with current events from the international nut & Dried fruit industry Ferrero goes to Serbia for more hazelnuts Italy’s confectionery major Ferrero has purchased almost 700 hectares of fertile agricultural land controlled by Serbian agricultural company Aleksa Santic for 7.95m ($8.64m).

It will be a crucial step in the Italian manufacturer’s plan to set up large hazelnut tree plantation in Serbia and reduce dependence on third-party hazelnut suppliers. Hazelnut prices skyrocketed last year on concerns of frost in Turkey, the world’s leading producer of the commodity.

hectares under hazelnut trees, with a further prospect of enlarging the area tomore than 10,000 hectares by 2020.

Ferrero’s eastern approaches

Ferrero Group’s Serbian subsidiary Agriser, the only company to register and take part in the April 20 auction organized by the Serbian Privatization Agency, successfully bid for 699.5 ha of arable land and accompanying objects in the municipality of Sombor in northern Serbia.

Ferrero is clearly intensifying efforts to gain control over diverse sources of hazelnut supplies, thus reducing the risk of hazelnut shortages or sudden spikes in prices of the commodity. The European Commission recently cleared the takeover of Turkey-based hazelnuts trading and processing company Oltan from Trabzon by Ferrero International.

The auction was kicked off with an initial offering price of 7.94m ($8.63m), just a notch below the winning bid. Serbia’s privatization scheduled the holding of the auction on February 20, while the deadline for receiving applications from interested bidders expired on April 8.

The operation created the world’s largest hazelnuts supplier, with a significant market position for hazelnuts grown in Turkey, which accounts for around 70% of the worldwide production

The signing ceremony for the contract to privatize the 700 ha of agricultural land controlled by Aleksa Santic will be held in the coming weeks in the Serbian government headquarters.

Hazelnut nursery with 700,000 plantlets set up

The commission concluded that the transaction would not raise any competition concerns, in particular because the merged entity will continue to face sufficiently strong competition after the merger and customers will still have sufficient alternative suppliers in all markets concerned.

Ferrero, the world’s foremost hazelnut buyer, plans to plant all 700 ha of the newly acquired land from Aleksa Santic with commercial hazelnut varieties. The Italian company uses the nut in its leading consumer brands such as Nutella, Kinder Bueno, Kinder Surprise, Rocher and Mon Cheri.

What shell we do with the waste?

Even before the auction was announced, Ferrero confidently signed a business cooperation agreement with Aleksa Santic to set up a nursery with 700,000 plantlets of hazelnuts on 40 hectares of the Serbian company’s land back in December 2014

The cooperation project named ECO PAPER is team effort involving Ferrero, Stora Enso Barcelona (Spain) and Papiertechnische Stiftung (Germany) that started in July 2012. ECO PAPER has taken an innovative approach to using what has always been seen as waste, by treating the by-products and turning them into packaging.

Aleksa Santic is located in a small village of the same name, just 7km away from the Serbian-Hungarian border. The company’s arable land, situated on an altitude of around 124m, mostly consists of loess soil, a fertile soil that is conducive to intensive agriculture. There are no major water streams, or bodies of standing water in the immediate area.

The move to raise hazelnut orchards in Serbia was heralded in mid2014 when Ferrero Group representatives met with Serbian government officials to announce their plans to install a centre for hazelnut production in Serbia. The proposed hazelnut center, according to a Serbian government communiqué, should have a total acreage of 1,000

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The Cracker | July 2015

With the ever-increasing volumes of hazelnut shells and cocoa bean skins left behind in confectionery plants, Ferrero recently teamed up with members of the paperboard and packaging industry to find a productive use for the waste.

“We have access to large amounts of residual by-products which we realized could be used constructively,” said the project coordinator at Ferrero.

Early studies have shown that confectionary waste is capable of substituting for virgin cellulose in the middle layer of triple-layer folding boxboard. The paper recipes developed in the laboratory were up-scaled to pilot plant scale. The project team successfully performed several industrial trials and produced some dozen tons of multiply board containing up to 13% ground nut shells.

WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

WHO BACKTRACKS PEANUT MILK UNDER ON EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENT milk sales continue to grow in the double digits, while cashew OBESITY WARNINGS Almond milk is gaining momentum, but what about peanut milk? There’s no The WHO is urging people to ‘use with caution’ its own predictions that nearly 90% of Irish men and 77% of Greek men would be obese by 2030. The predictions were based on a study conducted by the UK Health Forum for the WHO’s regional office in Europe. The study used data from across Europe and compared 2010 obesity levels with predicted levels in 2030, using body mass index as a marker.

It suggested that a third of UK women would be obese by 2030 compared with 26% in 2010, rising to 70% of overweight men. Even for countries where obesity levels are lower, the report predicted a sharp rise – with Swedish obesity rates predicted to nearly double from 14% in 2010 to an estimated 26% in 2030.

While the initial report had painted a bleak picture, suggesting that there was no quick-­ fi x ‘silver bullet’, the WHO clarification focused on the success of some preventative measures. Out of 28 countries which supplied data, Ireland came out top for childhood obesity amongst under-­ fives. Britain was second.

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The Cracker | July 2015

major commercial product out yet, but a concept is being developed, says the National Peanut Board (NPB).

The peanut milk concept delivers 8 grams of plant-­based protein per serving – comparable to dairy milk;; It contains all-­natural ingredients, with 30 essential vitamins and nutrients;; It is fortified with calcium;; It has a smooth, slightly creamy mouth feel and taste similar to cow’s milk;; Efforts have been made to not have a strong peanut flavor to maintain a more neutral profile so it works in the same applications as almond milk and cow’s milk.

According to data from SPINS collected for Nutrition Business Journal, 2014 sales of dairy milk alternatives topped $1.6bn in 2014. Almond milk took the top spot with retail sales of $893.3m, up 31% on the previous year; followed by soy milk at $322.1m (down 15.5%);; coconut milk at $101.1m (+16.9%);; rice milk at $58.63m (-­8%);; hemp milk at $8.7m (+9.7%);; and oat milk at $5.4m (+4.4%). The balance was taken up by hazelnut, multigrain milk alternatives, and other miscellaneous products.

Peanut milk would be labeled in the same way as other nut milk and non-­ dairy milks. Coconut milk, rice milk, almond milk, etc.”

WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

TECHNOLOGY NEWS:

KEY TECHNOLOGY OFFERS ITS CAYMAN® BIOPRINT® ROADSHOW Key Technology offers its Cayman® BioPrint® Roadshow. These mobile tours offer live demonstrations of this powerful hyperspectral-based digital sorter in select regions. Traveling to each nut processor’s location and sorting the processor’s actual product, Cayman BioPrint quickly proves its ease-of-use and unparalleled performance to maximize the removal of foreign material (FM) and defects while minimizing yield loss, even when handling the highest incoming defect loads.

It is field-proven for almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, macadamias and peanuts, and additional applications are being developed with intelligent software and algorithms that enable the technology to achieve up to 99.5 percent sorting efficiency with very low false reject rates.

TOMRA WINS INNOVATION AWARD AT WORLD NUT AND DRIED FRUIT CONGRESS TOMRA Sorting Solutions is proud to announce that it has been presented with the 2015 Innovation Award at the World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress which took place last month in Antalya, Turkey. Bjorn Thumas, director market development, says: “We are delighted to have won this prestigious Innovation Award, which recognises the latest innovative technology in the world of nuts and dried fruits. An award voted by the industry we work for and with is a confirmation we are on the right path. We believe that TOMRA’s Nimbus BSI is a breakthrough for nuts and raisin processors.”

NEW SORTEX E BIOVISION™ REDEFINES SORTING CAPABILITIES FOR GLOBAL TREE NUT PROCESSORS The Bühler Group, a global leader in nut processing, has launched its revolutionary SORTEX E BioVision™. Featuring high definition BioVision™ detection technology, the optical sorter removes hazardous material up to 50 percent smaller than previously possible from almonds, pistachios, pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts. By targeting the spectral and spatial difference between nut meats and shell, the sorter is capable of distinguishing subtle differences between, for instance, pale shells and paler varieties of almonds. This is achieved accurately, in a single sort and at double the capacity of other sorters currently on the market - setting a new safety and quality standard for the industry.

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The Cracker | July 2015

WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

DARK CHOCOLATE:

LENGTHENS ATTENTION/IMPROVES ALERTNESS Chocolate lovers can now rejoice thanks to researchers from Arizona University, who uncovered the natural attention-boosting powers of dark chocolate. Their study, published in the journal NeuroRegulation, adds to a growing body of research touting the health benefits of chocolate. But this study may be the first to examine its cognitive impact. Furthermore, the researchers may have figured out a way to lower blood pressure with a newly concocted chocolate recipe.

"Chocolate is indeed a stimulant and it activates the brain in a really special way," said the study’s lead author Larry Stevens, a professor of psychological sciences at NAU, in a statement. "It can increase brain characteristics of attention, and it also significantly affects blood pressure levels.” The study was funded by the Hershey Company, the largest producer of chocolate in North America.

Stevens and his team fed 122 participants dark chocolate with high cacao levels or a placebo, and watched their electroencephalography (EEG) results to measure brain activity. The participants, aged 18 to

25, were required to perform cognitive tasks to see if there was any improvement in those who ate the dark chocolate.

Not only was chocolate able to help participants attention spans, but it also had the ability to bring peace to their brains and lower blood pressure, the researchers found. In a control group, they experimented with one of the chocolates by adding L-theanine, an amino acid used to calm brain waves. Normally, after chocolate is consumed, it immediately raises blood pressure for a short time. The new recipe with L-theanine changed that.

The new recipe hasn’t been introduced to the market yet, but further research could bring a new heart-healthy product onto the market.

Flavonoids and antioxidants found in chocolate help resist and repair cellular damage, according to the Cleveland Clinic, but L-theanine could improve its role in cardiovascular disease. Until then, consumers can reap the benefits of regular 60 percent-cacao dark chocolate, which may help boost attention span after a busy morning.

HOW WILL INDUSTRY PROTECT COCOA FROM CLIMATE CHANGE? Rising temperatures could seriously change where cocoa is grown in the next half-century and global output could be threatened if the chocolate industry does nothing to protect its key crop.

Research suggests many areas in West Africa will become unsuitable for cocoa growing as temperatures climb 2 C by 2050. Cocoa farming therefore must be intensified in West Africa in suitable regions and farmers in other origins in Latin America and Asia must be taught how to grow cocoa sustainably to meet global demand for the commodity, which is rising due to Asia’s appetite for chocolate.

This means training a new generation of farmers that are perhaps unfamiliar with cocoa and promoting the sector as a viable livelihood.

All that requires money-will financing be left to origin governments or is the industry willing to pay as demand for chocolate rises 2% a year?

A 2011 study by the international Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) said temperatures in some regions of Ghana and Cote d’lvoire, which together account for 60% of global cocoa production, would become unsuitable for cocoa growing as rainfall decreases and the temperature rises 1.2 C by 2030 and 2.1 C by 2050.

CIAT’s study said current cocoa-growing areas in Ghana and Cote d’lvoire will decrease “quite seriously by 2050 because of the temperature increases.” The world’s third largest cocoa producing nation, Indonesia, may also face challenges. This may mean cocoa growing is intensified in suitable growing areas, but cocoa production may also be stepped up in other origins.

NGOs are already encouraging coffee farmers in the region to multi-

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crop with cocoa to support their income in a changing environment.

But Aguilar said cocoa was a very different crop to manage for farmers and said producers would need to be taught good agriculture practices (GAP) such as using shade for cocoa trees from other crops to create a sustainable supply and income source.

Latin America and Central America cocoa origin countries are targeting fine flavor cocoa for premium chocolate to command a higher price for their farmers and to raise higher tax revenues, so farmers need to be particularly well-trained to manage their crop.

Consistently paying a higher price for cocoa, rewarding quality with greater premiums and investing in stronger farming organizations will not only support incomes of cocoa farmers, many of whom live below the World Bank’s threshold of absolute poverty on $1.25, it will secure the chocolate industry a sustainable supply of cocoa in a volatile market where the climate could seriously change the dynamics.

WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

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M&MS CANDY MAKER SAYS: DON'T EAT TOO MANY Mars, which makes M&Ms, Snickers and Twix, said it supports government recommendations to limit sugar intake and label sweets with the amount of added sugar they contain.

Nestle (NSRGF) said that it was the first major candy maker to eliminate all artificial color and flavors from its chocolates. Kraft Foods (KRFT) announced plans last month to remove artificial preservatives and synthetic colors from its macaroni and cheese.

Fast food chains, including Panera Bread (PNRA) and Chipotle (CMG), have also recently made high-profile changes in their ingredients, getting rid of hard-to-pronounce chemicals and genetically-modified foods.

Mars says it wants to address the "health and nutritional challenges facing our society." "Supporting global public health efforts to limit society's consumption of added sugars and labeling our products transparently are steps in the right direction for us and will benefit everyone who enjoys Mars products," the company said in a statement.

Mars said it endorses recommendations by global health authorities to limit the amount of sugar consumers eat to no more than 10% of

their daily calorie intake. In addition, the company said it supports a U.S. government proposal to include "added sugars" to nutrition labels on packaged foods.

Unlike natural sugar, added sugars and syrups are used to make foods sweeter and give them a longer shelf-life. The company made its support official in a letter to the heads of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Agriculture. It said changes are in line with recommendations by the World Health Organization, U.S. US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, and the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition.

July 2015 | The Cracker

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WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS feature story feature story

CAN ORGANIC FEED THE WORLD?

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.

Organic crops generally have lower yields than conventional cropsequation.

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Each year this conference includes more than chefs, trends.

Each year this pesticides conference includes more70and than management, uses fewer and fertilizers, is70a chefs, better to cut down forest. But without waste reduction, ways to increase crop culinaryculinary experts,experts, and other presenters from all over the world and and other presenters from all over the world and protector of biodiversity, However, when it comes to increasing food yields seem vital to out future ability to feed the planet. welcomes more than 700 attendees including chefs, journalists welcomes than 700 attendees including chefs,that journalists production for more a growing global population, others argue organics’ Finally, the argument over whether the planet has enough land to sustain and food critics, restaurant and foodservice management and food yields critics, restaurant and more foodservice management lower average would mean clearing land for agriculture. more cropland also assumes that dietary patterns will remain constant executives, corporate menu decision-makers and a wide executives, corporate menu decision-makers and arange wide range According to aleaders 2012 leaders meta-analysis, organic yieldsto average over the coming decades, but Western diets, at least, increasingly are of suppliers, from in agriculture and manufacturing of suppliers, from in agriculture andcrop manufacturing to about 80% of those of top conventional crops-but there is huge variation moving away from meat consumption, which uses more grain than government agencies and consumer brands.brands. government agencies and top consumer depending on the region and crop variety.

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Initial attendance is expected to be 800 to to 1,000 conference.

Initial attendance is expected totend be 800 1,000 extremely well controlled to match up-factors that be to a greater pit organic against conventional farming, conservation farming culinary and in hospitality professionals drawn from overallAsia culinary and hospitality professionals drawnallfrom over Asia challenge organic agriculture. may provide a compromise. It doesn’t explicitly prohibit any farming and theand Pacific—including China, India, the Pacific—including China,Japan, India, Korea, Japan, Southeast Korea, Southeast practices, but encourages soil and water conservation and the use of recent meta-analysis publishedoutreach in January thisUnited year found a Asia,A more and Australia—with a significant to the Asia, and Australia—with a significant outreach to the United mulch to minimize runoff and erosion. similar gapand in the productivityasofwell. organic agriculture-an average of States, Europe Latin program is slated States, Europe andAmerica Latin America asThis well.

This program is slated 19.2%-and suggested that the gap could be narrowed to 8 or 9% with The FAO has called it “a concept for resource-saving agricultural crop to kick offkick in early to off in2014. early 2014. different crop management techniques. production that strives to achieve acceptable profits together with high WorldsWorlds of Healthy FlavorsFlavors and Worlds of Flavor, along with of Healthy and Worlds of Flavor, along with and sustained production levels while concurrently conserving the U.S.additional economist and leadership social theorist Jeremy Rifkin, for example suggests additional CIA leadership initiatives, are a part the strategic CIA initiatives, are of a part of the strategic environment”. thatinitiatives global agriculture must shift toward organic in college order reduce initiatives & industry leadership division of the college headedtoheaded & industry leadership division of the dependence on Drescher, petrochemical-based and pesticides, which Even UK-based organic advocacy organization, the Soil Association, up by Greg vice president of thefertilizers division.

Mr. Drescher up byDrescher, Greg vice president of the division.

Mr. Drescher are likely to see prices skyrocket in the mid-to long-term. has argued that sustainable agriculture does not necessarily begin is responsible for theforcollege's thoughtthought leadership, strategicstrategic is responsible the college's leadership, with organic production. Its chief executive, Helen Browning, said at partnerships and industryfarming conferences, and newand media partnerships and initiatives, industry conferences, new inputs, media However, eveninitiatives, though organic avoids non-renewable a conference in 2013 that good food was about how it is produced-but and the is the creator of these programs and other CIA "think tank" and thedilemma creator ofremains. these programs andTrends other claims CIA "think landisuse NGO Forest thattank" more said the soil association had sometimes become too associated with initiatives.

He assumed his current title in 2011 after serving as He assumed his current title2000 in 2011 serving as thaninitiatives.

70% of tropical deforestation since was after for agricultural campaigns against genetic modification or pesticides. executive director of strategic initiatives for the CIA. Mr. Drescher executiveand director strategic initiatives for the CIA. Mr. Drescher conversion, more of than 6m hectares of tropical rainforest are lost joined the CIA in 1995, and served nearly 10 years as the first joined the CIA in 1995, and served nearly 10 years as the first each year.

According to Euro stat, only about 4% of agricultural directordirector of education for the for college's campuscampus in St. Helena, of education the college's in St. Helena, land in Europe is organically managed, despite toward CA, Any where he oversaw themore development of systems the CIA at Greystone’s CA,move where he oversaw theorganic development of the CIA at Greystone’s consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for organic therefore would need to reduce land use, rather program of continuing education and advanced studies.studies. program of continuing education and advanced food in many markets. The European organic than increase it-a big challenge when the All leadership initiatives led by the CIA, a not-for-profit college,college, are supported by partnerships and sponsorships.

Program sponsors havepasthave market hassponsorships. increased fourfold oversponsors the All leadership initiatives led by the CIA, a not-for-profit are supported by partnerships and Program Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) opportunities to help to make anmake impact on the future of our industry and receive invaluable exposure of theiraccording products andEUbrands to industry opportunities help an impact on the future of our industry and receive invaluable exposure of their products and brands to industry decade to figures, but organic estimates that food production will need to decisiondecision makersmakers and opinion leaders.leaders.

Parties Parties interested in becoming program sponsors may contact Cathy Jörin, Director of Special Projects and opinion interested in becoming program sponsors may contact Cathyland Jörin, Director of Special Projects agricultural has only doubled over the double by 2050. 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. same period.

Food waste may be aabout significant partand of our the new Singapore campus, please visit these websites: www.ciachef.edu, www.ciachef.edu/ For more the CIAthe Forinformation more information about CIA and our new Singapore campus, please visit 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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MarchMarch 2012 |2012 The Cracker 21 | The Cracker

21

WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

SUPERMARKET SALES OUTPACED ALL RETAIL OVER 5-YEAR PERIOD Supermarket sales outpaced overall retail sales between 2007 and 2012, though sales at supercenters and warehouse clubs grew even faster, according to preliminary findings of the U.S. Government’s “2012 Census of Retail Trade.”

Sales of supermarkets and other grocery stores, excluding convenience stores, grew by 15.2% during the five-year period — nearly twice as much as all retail trade, which grew by 7.8%, the study said. However, sales at warehouse clubs and supercenters increased 25.1% during the period.

In other statistics: •

Sales of all groceries and food at supermarkets declined over the five years to 58.7% in 2012, compared with 60.2% in 2007.

•

Sales of groceries and food at warehouse clubs and supercenters rose slightly to 22.9% in 2012, compared with 22% in 2007 — a shift resulting from the decline of Kmart and the flattening of grocery

sales at Walmart and Target, according to David Rogers, president of DSR Marketing Systems, Northbrook, Ill. •

Groceries and food represented just over 70% of total supermarket sales in 2012, compared with 73% in 2007.

•

Meals, snacks, soup and salad bars accounted for 4.2% of total supermarket revenues, up from 3.7% in 2007.

A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE OF RETAIL STORES The clear theme at a forum for retail executives in Portland, Oregon U.S.A. last May was change. As the retail world has been continually shaken up by everything from online shopping to smartphone purchases to drone delivery, traditional retailers are struggling to keep up.

At Portland State University's annual executive forum, hosted by the school's Center for Retail Leadership, Michael Sansolo, former senior vice president of the Virginia-based Food Marketing Institute, kicked off the discussions by urging retailers to get ahead of the curve.

"It seems like change is happening faster and more powerfully than ever before," he said. "We know there are forms of competition out there that we don't know about yet. ... We have to be flexible and facile enough to move with the changes."

The changes, he said, can be grouped into three primary areas: economic; technological; and demographic. Those shifts will lead to the formation of a new kind of store – a store of the future. Three industry experts discussed what they think brick-and-mortar stores – particularly grocery stores – will start to look like in a world rife with opportunities for digital shopping.

They predicted: Stores will be smaller: Herb Sorensen, who studies shopper behavior, said successful stores in the future will sell only products that "surprise and delight" shoppers, or items they want immediately. Everything else – including the mundane stuff like dish soap and toilet paper – should all be sold online and delivered to customers' doorsteps, he said. This model would allow stores to shrink their square footage while dedicating more space to things that improve the shopping experience.

Stores will look like cafes or lounges: Stores will need to work harder to entice shoppers inside, which means offering more amenities like comfy couches and free coffee. An increasing number of stores are already incorporating wine bars and beer pubs, said Syd Hannigan, a former Safeway marketing director. Being able to react quickly to trends

is crucial for retailers that want to stay relevant, she said. "Every time I turn around someone has created a new dining experience," she said.

Signs and price tags will be digital: According to retail consultant Jack Buller, the technology to digitize price tags and in-store signs advertising sale prices is already available. It's just a matter of time before retailers catch on. "Those kinds of technologies are starting to come out, and I think the retailers who find a way to process their work around those can save jillions of dollars," he said. Those retailers will also save time, Buller said, because their employees would hypothetically be able to spend more time with customers and less time changing price tags and signage.

Shoppers will have more pick-up and delivery options: As retailers increasingly strive to merge their online and brick-and-mortar inventories, shoppers will have more options: They'll be able to order it online and receive it quickly on their doorstep; order it online and pick it up in-store; or go to the store and pick it up, old-school. Sorensen stressed the importance of flexibility.

Digital pricing will have a huge effect. Stores can change their pricing by the hour if desired. Imagine going to the grocery store and prices are 15% higher during peak hours. Digit l pricing will gouge people big time. Whole Foods already has it in many stores.

The days of conventional brick and mortar stores are limited. Malls are closing all over the country as people purchase more and more products online. What we lose is the ability to see before we buy. But stores, like camera stores, are becoming showrooms for online sales, often by another retailer like Amazon. It's a double whammy for many retailershaving space, staff and inventory to display products only to have the customer buy elsewhere online, often at cheaper prices from retailers who don't have the storefront expense. One of the biggest reasons stores are closing is people's discretionary income is falling while costs are rising...hence less is being bought.

July 2015 | The Cracker

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WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

FOOD INDUSTRY UNPREPARED FOR WATER SHORTAGES The food industry – the most water-­ intensive business on earth -­is unprepared for global water shortages, according to a report which ranks the best and worst offending companies for their water management. The report, entitled Feeding Ourselves Thirsty,ranked 37 major food companies on their corporate water management and risk response, finding that nearly one third scored less than 50 out of 100.

The result was that food prices would hit record highs in coming years, warned the authors.

Using publicly available information from corporate social responsibility reports, the authors rated companies for their water management at all stages of the manufacturing process -­from direct operations to the processing, packaging and agricultural supply chain.

Co-­ authors Eliza Roberts and Brooke Barton issued a five-­step recommendation list for companies and investors, urging companies to strengthen board charters to explicitly mention water, conduct regular risk analyses of their own supply chains and set sustainable sourcing goals.

"While a small number of companies are taking wide-­ranging actions to manage water risks across their operations and supply chains, most have a long way to go," the authors wrote.

In the beverage industry, Monster Beverage was the worst offender with one point while Cocoa-­Cola came out on top with 67. For packaged foods, Kraft Foods giant scored a mere six points while Unilever, Nestlé and General Mills were top-­ranked with 70, 64 and 57 respectively.

And while industry was aware of the issue -­Cargill reported a 12% fall in 2014 Q4 profits following a four-­year drought which damaged US cattle pastures while Unilever estimated that natural disasters linked to climate change cost the company €357 m annually – corporate responses to this risk were insufficient, said the authors.

Words commonly failed to translate into action, with many companies paying lip service to water sustainability issues, said the authors.

"As water supplies become over-­exploited in many major growing regions across the planet, traditional approaches to managing commodity price risk—such as hedging and geographic diversification— are becoming less effective."

But they also highlighted leading practices of the top ranking companies, such as the Coca-­Cola Company which sets time-­bound goals to source all major agricultural inputs sustainably, or Smithfield meat producers which discloses its water accounting data, including the amount of water that is recycled and reused.

“Producing food is the most water-­intensive business on earth. (...)

Irrigating crops and raising animals consumes roughly 70 % of the world’s freshwater,” wrote the authors. “[But] the amount of water on the planet is for all practical purposes fixed. Only 2.5 percent of the world’s water is freshwater ... However, much of this freshwater is polluted and water quality is deteriorating in many parts of the world.

“Water risk is a corporate governance priority for many of the companies evaluated. (...) Despite this, strong board oversight did not consistently translate into strong overall performance.

Beef used more water than anything else humans eat, requiring 15,415 litres of water to produce one kilogram of beef mostly for animal feed.

By comparison, one kilogram of pasta used up 1,850 litres of water mostly used for growing the wheat.

“Of the 16 companies with board oversight, most performed poorly overall, with more than 60 percent receiving fewer than 35 total points,” they wrote.

Ceres is a Boston-­based nonprofit organization which aims to mobilize businesses and investors on climate change, water scarcity and other sustainability challenges.

EUROFINS ACQUIRES US/CANADIAN FIRMS TO PUSH AMERICAS MARKET Eurofins Scientific has acquired QC Laboratories (QCL) in the US and Experchem in Canada saying it sees the Americas as an attractive market for all businesses. QCL is an environment and food analytical testing provider and dairy testing reference laboratory located 80 miles from the Lancaster Laboratories Environmental campus. It employs 200 staff and generates annual revenues of about US$ 20m across two laboratories in Pennsylvania.

Experchem Laboratories, (Experchem), is an analytical testing service provider, with competence in nutraceuticals testing. It employs about 95 staff at its laboratory in Toronto, and generates revenues in excess of CA$ 10m.

Eurofins’ US revenues rose 29.6% to €356.9m in the firm’s 2014 results which makes up over 25% of the total. It completed a southern food testing hub in New Orleans, and launched construction of four

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The Cracker | July 2015

additional food testing laboratories across the country. The move was to strengthen its position in the US food testing market, which is supported by regulatory tailwinds, and its own growing scale.

QCL offers analytical services to support commercial clients and government agencies to comply with federal and state regulatory programs. Food testing services include microbiology and chemistry testing, with a strong reputation in local market for dairy testing. In environmental testing, QCL’s analytical competencies include testing services for compliance with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs.

In 2014, Eurofins completed the move of its central lab business from Washington DC to Lancaster, Pennsylanvia following the completion of the 7,250m2 extension bringing the surface to almost 30,000m2.

VICAM AflaTest: The Aflatoxin Test for the Tree Nut Industry AflaTest® easily meets your company’s internal requirements, the regulations in your country and the strict European import standards of between 2–8 ppb for B1, 4–10 ppb total aflatoxins for ready-to-eat tree nut products, 5–12 ppb B1, and 10–15 ppb total aflatoxins in nut products intended for further processing.

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Follow us on Twitter: @vicamwaters and try our mycotoxin regulations app: www.commodityregs.com ©2015 Waters Corporation. Waters, UPLC, VICAM and AflaTest are registered trademarks of Waters Corporation.

July 2015 | The Cracker

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WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

TAXATION NECESSARY TO OFFSET RISING COST OF HEALTHY DIET? The price of fruit and vegetables in the UK has tripled in the past 30 years, while the price of ice cream has halved – a pattern being repeated across the developing world which is fuelling the global obesity crisis. A report by independent UK think-­tank ODI compared retail food prices, consumption of healthy and unhealthy foods and obesity levels in five countries -­the USA, UK, Mexico, China and Korea – over the past thirty years.

It found that as energy-­dense processed food became cheaper and healthy food rose in price, the obesity crisis – a global health epidemic that no country has succeeded in offsetting -­has spiralled. In Brazil, where obesity levels have almost tripled since 1980, sales of energy-­ dense food formulated to be hyper-­palatable is on the rise, while in China the price of green vegetables has doubled in twenty years.

Using data from various studies, the researchers found the price of fruit and vegetables has risen substantially since 1990 – by 2–3 % a year on average, or by 55–91% between 1990 and 2012. Meanwhile four of the six processed products showed significant falls in prices.

The report identified three possible reasons for the rising cost of fruit and vegetables. A rise in specialty varieties of fruit and vegetables sold at a premium price, such as on-­the-­vine tomatoes, which created a gradual upward price trend for tomatoes in general.

Meanwhile the demand for fruit and vegetables out of season had also pushed up production costs, as had the rise in sales of pre-­ washed,

fresh-­cut produce which required more processing and packaging.

Simultaneous advances in R&D had cut the cost of processed food.

The study’s authors have called for taxation on energy-­ dense foods and subsidies for healthier foods, pointing to Mexico, which introduced a 'sin tax' in 2013, as an example of an emerging country stealing the march on high income countries. Lead author and ODI researcher Steve Wiggins said: “We hope that our study can contribute to thinking about the possibility of using moderate taxes and subsidies to nudge people’s diets in the right direction.”

“One country in the world which has taken the plunge is Mexico. In December 2013 the Mexican legislature put on a tax onto sugary, sweetened beverages, sodas and colas of which Mexicans are extremely fond and a tax on foods that are rich in energy.

"That Mexican experience is less than 18 months old and has been very keenly monitored by health experts to see if those taxes are indeed influential in changing the diet.”

But early reports suggest the tax is having an effect;; a 2014 National Obesity Survey involving 1,500 adults found that 52% of Mexicans had reduced intake of sugar sweetened beverages in 2014.

Against arguments that taxation must be disproportionately high in order to have an affect on consumption patterns, and therefore unfair to lower income families, the authors said that the focus should be on the concrete benefits derived from taxation, such as a fall in premature deaths and the resulting alleviation on health systems.

“The argument about ‘small taxes, small gains’ is tantamount to arguments that condemn doing good because perfection is unattainable,” they said, pointing to a 2009 study by Nnoaham et al. which suggested that taxes and subsidies of less than 20% in the UK could prevent 6,400 premature deaths from coronary heart disease and cancer. The authors said this was the first study which compared the changing costs of foods from different food groups across a sample of developed and developing countries.

Invitation to submit an Expression of Interest (‘EOI’) in potentially acquiring shareholding in Rotondo Walnuts (Pty) Ltd (‘Rotondo’) The Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Ltd (‘IDC’) invites interested companies to submit an EOI to acquire an equity stake of at least 34% within Rotondo. It is expected that the investor should be a key stakeholder, or otherwise have strong linkages to the nut industry.

Rotondo (a wholly owned subsidiary of IDC), represents a 488 ha walnut farm with operations located in Aliwal North, South Africa.

Interested investors who have submitted an EOI will receive a Preliminary Information Memorandum (‘PIM’) whereafter a shortlist of bidders will be chosen.

Interested investors are required to submit their EOI (including company name and contact details) by email to IDC at: rotondo@idc.co.za on or before the close of business day, 15 July 2015.

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The Cracker | July 2015

WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

ETHICAL FOODS MAKE CONSUMERS FEEL MORALLY SUPERIOR AND FOOD TASTE BETTER The feeling of moral satisfaction that consumers get from eating ethical food change their taste experience for the better-and means they are willing to pay more, according to a European survey.

The findings, taken from a 4000-strong survey across eight European countries and two further experimental studies, which suggested a casual link, can be explained by an interaction of both psychological and neurological mechanisms, said the researchers.

“The results…show that the food’s ethical origin plays a causal role in inducing moral satisfaction, [which] influences the expectation and experience of taste, as well as intentions to buy the food in the future “said the team, from the University of Brussels and Oxford University.

The researchers found that feelings of moral satisfaction of moral satisfaction were the most important factor for the initial purchases of ethical food. However once this taste-moral satisfaction link was established in consumers’ minds, the belief that the taste of ethical food was superior to conventional food took precedence and became the main motivator for continued purchases.

“The morality-enhanced tastiness of ethical food appears to act as a reinforcing mechanism that sustains consumers’ buying intention and willingness to pay for ethical food,” said the study.

practices during the manufacturing stage while the other was told that the company’s methods caused harm to the environment.

They were then given biscuits to eat and were asked to rate taste expectations, experience, moral satisfaction and whether they intended to buy it again. The eco-friendly biscuits fared better for all criteria.

The researchers also measured participants’ mood before the study and found that a lower mood did not lead to fewer feelings of moral satisfaction. “Importantly, this study also demonstrated that the effect of moral satisfaction is distinct from that of positive mood, and explains unique variance in taste expectations, over and above the variance explained by perceptions of the food’s quality.”

The researchers found similar results for the second experiment when changing the variables to Fairtrade chocolate and locally-sourced apple juice-common markers of product ethicality for consumers.

The findings build on previous research conducted on a smaller scale.

Swedish researchers suggested that positive taste perceptions for organic food were determined by how easily consumers can imagine the organic production methods-it is easier to imagine organic coffee than organic soda drinks.

This was a key factor in determining the staying power of ethical food in the global market. The study noted that uptake of other environmentally-friendly activities which give feelings of moral satisfaction-such as recycling and donations to charity-has remained stable in comparison with the boom seen by organic market for the same period-currently valued at 66bn in 2015 according to IFOAM. However, only consumers who were moderately or strongly in favour of organic, Fairtrade or locally-sourced food in the first place reported a higher taste experience.

The team analyzed data from a 2005 survey across eight European countries which found a correlation between buying organic tomato sauce and feelings of moral satisfaction. They then conducted two further experimental studies involving nearly 200 participants.

In the first study participants were divided into two groups- one group was told that a biscuit company engaged in environmentally-friendly

July 2015 | The Cracker

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BREAKTHROUGH BSI TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES SORTING EFFICIENCY

We sort a wide variety of nuts

TOMRA Sorting Solutions is proud to present its Nimbus free fall sorter with the next generation of spectral imaging BSI technology.

The Nimbus BSI free fall sorter combines the efficiency of laser detection with the BSI module, which is specifically designed to identify the material’s unique fingerprint.

This results in a stronger contrast between good and bad produce.

TOMRA Sorting Solutions Food Interested in a free demonstration with your own products?

Then visit our website or contact us directly: tomra.com/food or food-sorting@tomra.com msc_thecracker_190x134_Feb_2015.pdf 1 16.02.2015 18:19:13

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The Cracker | July 2015

WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

PLANTERS NUT-RITION LAUNCHING FIRST NATIONAL CAMPAIGN SINCE 2012; UPDATED PACKAGING Eleven-year-old Planters NUT-rition is getting updated packaging and its first brand-specific national campaign since 2012. The NUT-rition line includes 12 different mixes of nuts, fruit and other ingredients, each blended to support a different nutritional or wellness benefit, such as heart health, energy, or digestion.

The brand's new packaging, launched in May, now includes a prominent area on the front label where each individual mix's specific nutritional benefits and ingredients are showcased. In addition, Planters' Mr. Peanut brand character, traditionally shown in a cross-legged stance, is portrayed in more active walking mode on the redesigned packages to heighten his resonance with the active, health-minded people who are NUT-rition's core consumers.

The new campaign, from TBWA New York, is themed "Nutrition Starts With Nut," and includes two television ads (each with 30- and 15-second versions). Both feature Mr. Peanut shown in a science lab setting, wearing a lab coat, and conveying in a jaunty, humorous way that Planters has done all of the hard scientific work to ensure that consumers can realize important nutritional benefits simply by consuming tasty NUT-rition snack mixes.

In one spot, the character stresses the heart-health benefits of NUT-rition as he playfully fends off a skeleton trying to get at the snack mix. That ad was posted on YouTube , and began airing on TV nationally on May 18. The second spot, "Science," will receive highly targeted exposure: It's scheduled to started airing on addressable TV in June.

The campaign also includes digital ads and video on third-party sites and major social channels, including custom ads with partners, as well as messaging on Planters' Mr. Peanut-branded Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels. NUT-trition ran its last major national campaign three years ago, when it partnered with Rodale to launch the Men's Health Recommended Mix — now among the snack line's top-sellers. That campaign included a TV spot featuring Mr. Peanut and two other manly nut characters, an ad in Men's Health and other print vehicles, and digital and social elements (including integration in the magazine brand's mobile apps).

Fall 2012 also saw the launch of a NUT-trition Peanut Butter line, the first national PB brand to incorporate ingredients such as granola, nut pieces and fruit. That was backed by marketing that was managed separately from the snack-nut side of the business, and included an experiential, online and social promotion partnership with Zipcar, focused in major U.S. markets where Zipcar operates.

Since August 2013, Planters has been running a "Power of the Peanut" campaign — also from TBWA and also starring Mr. Peanut — designed to raise consumers' awareness of peanuts' high protein and nutrients content, and so support the full, varied range of products within Planters' portfolio.

That umbrella campaign — a response to the reality that peanuts, although nutritionally on par with other nuts, haven't benefitted as much from nuts' growing popularity among protein-craving, health-conscious consumers —helped lay the foundation for Planters' 2014 launch of four bold-flavored peanut varieties (chipotle, salted caramel, cocoa, smoked). The strategy also specifically called for "Power of the Peanut" to set the stage for the refresh of the NUT-trition brand and its accompanying campaign.

The umbrella campaign's messaging is paying off: Sales for Kraft Foods' overall Planters portfolio have been showing incremental year-over-year sales growth since late 2013. While NUT-rition's sales have "flattened out a bit" since its brand-specific marketing has been in a quiet period, it has been one of Planters' fastest-growing lines since its launch, and it continues to have particularly promising growth potential. Plans call for supporting the brand "in a big way" starting with the current campaign, according to sources.

Nuts and trail mixes have been the fastest-growing segment within the booming snacks arena, showing 53% growth between 2008 and 2013 and projected to grow at a 60% pace over the next four years, according to Mintel. However, private-label nuts and trail mixes have been stealing some of the growth thunder. That is among the reasons that Planters is focused on innovation that adds differentiation to the brand's already unmatched recognition and quality perception among consumers.

July 2015 | The Cracker

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WORLD NUT & DRIED FRUIT NEWS

MARS: 5-YEAR COCOA FLAVANOL STUDY WITH HARVARD Mars Inc., is partnering with Harvard to take a long-term look at the possible health benefits of cocoa flavanols. The candy maker will work in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH),a major teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, to conduct a five-year landmark study to examine the role of cocoa flavanols — bioactives found in the raw cacao bean — in helping maintain cardiovascular health.

The study could provide clues about healthy aging and the role of diet and nutrition in limiting the societal impact of population aging. And, ancillary studies will focus on a broad range of potential benefits of cocoa flavanols on brain health, including memory, decision-making skills, mood, and cognitive performance, as well as metabolic health.

This randomized placebo-controlled trial, called the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS), will enroll 18,000 women and men nationwide, making it the largest dietary intervention study to evaluate the health benefits of cocoa flavanols and a multivitamin.

Mars is providing financial infrastructure support together with the Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the NIH, as well as the cocoa

flavanol-containing capsules for use in this trial. The capsules are prepared specifically for research purposes and are produced using Mars' proprietary Cocoapro process to extract flavanols from cocoa beans. The study was announced as part of summit held today about the future of food.

Representatives from organizations as diverse as the UN World Food Program; the University of California, Davis; and the White House debated the link between food, health, nutrition and wellness and investigated how a revised, multi-stakeholder approach to policy, research, and innovation can ensure effective impact where it matters most in a recent online discussion.

The world population is expected to rise above nine billion by 2050 — meaning food production will need to increase sustainably by up to 70 percent. Simultaneously, societies everywhere must alleviate the burden of nutritional deficiencies and confront the unprecedented social and economic challenge presented by aging populations. Mars, Inc., has taken an active role in cocoa flavanol research, and in 2012 established the Mars Center for Cocoa Health Science (MCCHS) as a Center for Excellence. More information is available on Mars’ website.

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

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The Cracker | July 2015

· Vitali Levy, Israel · Yossi Mussafi, Israel · Alessandro Annibali, Italy · Hidemitsu Honda, Japan · 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 · Rustam Kushu, Russia

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

July 2015 | The Cracker

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We thank all sponsors, advertisers, speakers and participants for contributing to the XXXIV World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress Antalya 2015!

DR FRUIED IT

NU & TS

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The Cracker | July 2015

The XXXIV World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress, Antalya 2015 can be summed up in 3 key points: • Networking with Top-level Managers & Meeting Point • Keynote Speakers & Global Industry Leaders • Premier Exhibitors & Sponsorship Opportunities

Highlights of the World’s Greatest Industry Event Attendance • 949 people from 62 countries Top 10 Attendance Countries: 1.

2.

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USA Turkey China UK Spain Netherlands Italy Germany Australia Chile

Maestro Nut

July 2015 | The Cracker

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Report of the INC Advisory Committee

Speech by Cuneyd Zapsu, as Spokesman of the INC Advisory Committee INC General Assembly, Antalya, Turkey, 24 May 2015

Dear Members and Friends, On behalf of the Advisory Committee, which is fromed by the past presidents and chairmen: Antonio Pont, Pino Calcagni, Don Soetaert, myself, and Jack Mariani, I would like to present the report of the Advisory Committee.

Our sector is full of challenges and opportunities, and INC has become a very big organization, with over 700 members and 1000 Congress participants. This was the dream of our founders 35 years ago, and each one of the presidents and chairmen helped build and contributed to INC. But this should only be the beginning. We all should update ourselves, our organizations, and our businesses. As we all saw at Muhtar Kent’s presentation, the future will be driven by consumers’ needs and technology. To be online is the highlight. Look at this stage for instance.

This is not the regular printed background we used to have. We are starting to use the advantages of the technology even here.

You all know that we are the international source of information in our industry, and the web speaks for itself.

We said at our 30th anniversary that the transition period of the INC had not finish. We are now just starting. We believe that this period still continues and, as members, we should also ask for more. We should ask for more quality in our Congresses, and much more quality in our services.

Imagination is unlimited, compared to knowledge. First, we should start by imagining, and then hopefully achieve our goals. One thing’s for sure: we can’t achieve anything, if we don’t imagine it first.

We also hope to see more ladies in the Board -looking at the stage here we can only see one lady, and hopefully new blood to join us and take the lead.

Finally, we would like to give more attention to research, as a key driver of demand, and hope to see more participation in the scientific sessions in the future.

Thank you very much,

Cuneyd Zapsu Past Chairman

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Keynote Speakers – A Chat with CEO’s

This year, the XXXIV World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress was honored by the presence of two distinguished guests. On Saturday morning, the Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, Mr. Muhtar Kent, as well as the Founder, CEO and Chairman of Chobani LLC (Yogurts), Mr. Hamdi Ulukaya, joined us for a special “Chat with CEO’s” session.

Muhtar Kent

Chairman and CEO at The Coca-Cola Company Muhtar Kent joined The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta in 1978 and has held a variety of marketing and operations roles throughout his career. From 1999 to 2005, he served as President and CEO of the Efes Beverage Group, the majority shareholder of Turkish bottler Coca-Cola Icecek. Mr. Kent was named President and Chief Operating Officer of The Coca-Cola Company’s North Asia, Eurasia and Middle East Group from 2005 until early 2006.

He served as President of Coca-Cola International through most of 2006, until his appointment as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Coca-Cola Company. He succeeded Neville Isdell as Chief Executive Officer of the Company on July 1, 2008, and as Chairman of the Board of Directors on April 23, 2009.

Hamdi Ulukaya

Founder, CEO and Chairman at Chobani LLC (Yogurts) Hamdi Ulukaya founded Chobani in upstate New York in 2005 and launched Chobani Greek Yogurt in 2007. In just five years, Chobani became the No. 1-selling Greek Yogurt brand in the U.S. with more than a billion dollars in annual sales -making Chobani one of the fastest-growing companies in history. Led by his passion to democratize better food for more people, Hamdi’s vision for Chobani has effectively transformed an entire food category. He is a member of the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) in which he has committed to helping develop the next generation of entrepreneurs. He was named the 2013 Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year an also earned the Small Business Administration’s Entrepreneurial Success Award.

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Keynote Speakers – A Chat with CEO’s

Firstly, Hamdi Ulukaya started his presentation giving an overview of his origins as a farmer’s son born in Turkey, and founder of Chobani LLC, the No. 1-selling Greek Yogurt brand in the U.S. According to Ulukaya, the reason of Chobani’s success was that they sold the food they grew-up with in their town: pure, simple yogurt, made with very few ingredients. The only tools they had were “the quality of the products, the look of the brand, and the reason of our existence”, explained Ulukaya. The consumer took us to the next level. All we had to do was stay true to our standards and believes, and continue to do what we knew how to do.

“The only tools we had were the quality of the products, the look of the brand, and the reason of our existence.” - Hamdi Ulukaya.

Today’s market place for food is about great products, simple ingredients, national products, reason for existing, and environmental and social consciousness. In addition, he outlined the trend of coming back to the nature. “Consumers are looking for pureness”, he added. In closing, he presented one of Chobani’s latest creations, the Chobani Flip yogurt with nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts) and seeds, which “became one of the fastest growing products”, he added.

Muhtar Kent shared his thoughts about consumer insights and the macro trends that are shaping today’s consumers. He emphasized that effective marketing now drives not only consumer impressions but also -and more importantly- consumer expressions. We are moving from an era of mass marketing to one of mass personalization, which is driven by consumer tastes and often enabled by technology.

“We need to evolve from impressions to expressions. Today’s successful companies create positive consumers expressions about their brands.” Muhtar Kent.

As for the macro trends shaping the market, Kent grouped them into two categories: macro trends changing the expected roles of companies and brands (aging population, rise of young consumers, shifting economic powers, and resource scarcity of all kinds: water, energy, time) and macro trends empowering consumers (emerging middle class, mobile ubiquity, and focus on health, wellness, and personal needs).

Moreover, he added, brands can also address tensions in societies and across macro forces. For example, consumers want to live sustainably, and do so partly through what they buy. If companies can assure that they source, manufacture and distribute sustainably, then they are proactively working to strengthen communities, which also offers an opportunity for differentiation.

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“A brand is a promise. A great brand is a promise kept.” - Muhtar Kent.

Other examples of macro trends outlined by Kent are the accelerating urbanization, technologic progress and hyper-connectivity, and the rise of millennials.

Cities are growing in size and importance. Currently, one in eight people wake up in cities of more than 10 million people, the so-called mega-cities (Tokyo, New York, Istanbul...). And, by 2030, the world is projected to have 41 mega-cities. In Kent words, “we need to ask ourselves what is the local role of business in these mega-cities? How are we going to find our costumers? And how will they, in turn, discover us?

Technology’s adoption is hurtling forward at a blistering pace. Experts expect a trillion devices to be web-connected by 2025, which is going to touch every single aspect of our lives, business and commerce.

Millennials will shape the economic and social future.

In the US, this year, millennials will outnumber Baby Boomers as they top 75 million. Percentage-wise, their numbers are even higher in India, China, Indonesia, Turkey, and across the Middle East. Stereotyping them would be a mistake, but they do have some common expectations: millennials want it now and want it to be seamless. They are diverse. They are optimistic. Very tech savvy, aware and connected.

As consumers, they want businesses to have a positive impact in the world. In Kent words, “to engage with millennials effectively, brands must be responsive and authentic”.

After their interventions, Ulukaya and Kent responded the questions raised by the audience. They were asked whether they plan to diversify the business by incorporating nuts or dried fruits. Muhtar Kent remarked that The Coca-Cola Company is in the non-alcoholic beverage business, and does not plan to incorporate other foods, however, the company is constantly diversifying into new categories, such as the recently announced acquisition of an almond milk business in China.

In relation to the same question, Hamdi Ulukaya explained that Chobani is not only a yogurt company and, although the US yogurt market offers a lot of possibilities, the company explores other categories.

The clearest example is the Chobani SoHo Cafe in New York City, which offers a wide range of salty and sweet foods.

When they were asked about their opinion with respect to the future of retail, both Kent and Ulukaya agreed that shopping habits are changing. Nowadays, several trends can be observed: on-line shopping is growing, frozen food purchases are decreasing, and ready-to-eat food is sharply increasing.

Also, consumers are changing. They are younger, they have less time to cook, and they prefer natural products. The key is to understand the trends and the consumers to give a response in advance.

Scientific Seminar Pino Calcagni, INC Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, chaired the Scientific Seminar which provided participants with key topics of interest such as control strategies for pests, agronomic and genetic factors, climate change, and ethical trade, among others.

The seminar started with a presentation by Mr. Calcagni on a series of statistics, highlighting production and consumption forecasts. He introduced the creation of the new INC Statistics Committee, which will be formed by experts in the nut and dried fruit industry, who will support INC in collecting reliable statistics, and increase the range of statistical information, in order to help understand the situation of the market and face the challenges ahead.

Dr. Luciana Tavella, Associate Professor of the Department of Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences, of the University of Torino (Italy), highlighted the importance of implementing “Control Strategies for the Improvement of Hazelnut Quality and Yield”. Dr. Tavella emphasized the need for research programs, knowledge of the pest life cycle, and reliable sampling methods, and thus effective and sustainable control strategies.

Dr. Damiano Avanzato, Chair of the Commission Plant Genetic Resources of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS), gave a presentation on “Role of Agronomic and Genetic Factors to Counteract the Effects of Climate Change on Nuts Crop Production”.

He reviewed the impact of climate change on nut production, including some concrete examples. Dr. Avanzato concluded that the solution lies in search for new varieties more suited to the new climate conditions, or in identifying new, more suitable crop areas.

John O’Neill, Technical Manager, Commodities, at Tesco Stores Ltd (UK) gave a presentation about Responsible Sourcing, according to Tesco’s internal program “Trading Fairly”. He outlined the importance of values, transparency, monitoring (risk assessment, auditing) and improvement (correction and support) for the sake of moral ethics, business sustainability, brand reputation, and stakeholders expectations, including customers and shareholders. He also explained what the Ethical Trading Initiative and the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (SEDEX) are, and provided a business case.

Nutrition Update Prof. Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Chairman of the INC World Forum of Nutrition Research and Dissemination, outlined the main objectives and activities, composition, and priority areas of activity of the Forum, highlighting the annual Call for Research Projects. Furthermore, he reviewed the participation of the Forum in different scientific symposium worldwide.

Prof. Salas-Salvadó remarked the increasing interest in studies related to the healthy benefits of nuts and dried fruits, and presented some of the most important studies published in the last year. He also reported some new results in relation to the PREDIMED trial -a long term nutritional intervention study that assessed the efficacy of a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts in the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. Cesarettin Alasalvar, Director of Food Institute and Vice President of ISNFF at TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Centre (Turkey) gave a presentation on “New Findings on Dried Fruit: Phytochemicals and Heath”. He explained the nutritional significance and health benefits of dried fruits, and their phytochemicals, in particular -a good source of non-nutritive, naturally occurring, biologically active chemical compounds found in plant kingdom. These compounds are linked to many health benefits such as antioxidative, cardio-protective, hepato-protective, or cancer prevention effect, among others.

The latest INC-NREF-funded research projects were presented by Maureen Ternus, Director of the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation (INC NREF). The findings of these studies showed that nut consumption is inversely associated with pancreatic cancer, mortality, metabolic syndrome, obesity, blood glucose levels, blood pressure, colorectal cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Ms. Ternus also informed of current and future projects.

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INC Awards The INC Awards provide annual recognition to outstanding contributions in the nut and dried fruit industry. These awards recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the nut and dried fruit businesses, excellence in research, gastronomy, and innovation.

Congratulations to all winners!

The Honorary Golden Nut Award was delivered to Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Republic of Turkey.

Mr. Çavuşoğlu is a founding member of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and was the Vice Chairman of the AK Party in charge of Foreign Affairs in 2013.

He was elected as the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) during 2010-2012, and was the first Turkish parliamentarian to hold this office. In 2014, he was granted the title of Honorary President of the PACE in 2014.

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu served as Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator of the Republic of Turkey between December 2013 and August 2014. On August 29, 2014 he was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the 62nd Government of the Republic of Turkey.

The Individual Golden Nut Award was given to H. Cuneyd Zapsu for his successful career and outstanding contributions in the INC and the nut industry.

Born 1956 in Istanbul, Turkey, Cuneyd Zapsu joined the family owned Azizler Holding’s companies in 1977. He was General Manager and later Chairman of hazelnut processor Balsu (1979).

After being founding member of the AK Party and special advisor to the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Mr. Zapsu resigned from political duties in 2008, and founded Cuneyd Zapsu Consultancy (International Investment & Management).

He is a member of the INC Board of Directors since 1996, and joined the Executive Committee upon its formation in 2004. He served as President of the INC from 2002 to 2003, an as Chairman from 2003 to 2007.

He was the Chairman of the INC Congress in Istanbul in 2003, and in Antalya this May of 2015. Among others, he is Founding Co-Chair of the Hazelnut Promotion Group (1997-2001), and was President of the Istanbul Exporters’ Association (1987-2001).

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The Award for Excellence in Research was delivered to Dr. Jeffrey B. Blumberg, He is Professor in the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and a Senior Scientist and Director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the Jean Mayer, USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.

His research has focused on the biochemical basis for the role of antioxidant nutrients and their dietary requirements during aging. He also participates in activities relevant to the incorporation of sound nutrition science into public health policy, and has served on the U.S. Surgeon General, U.S. Olympic Committee, FDA, and WHO/FAO. Last year, Dr. Blumberg was listed by Thomson Reuters as a Highly Cited Researcher from 2002-2012, i.e., in the top one percent of his field. He has published more than 350 scientific articles.

For his innovative and state-of-the-art cuisine, the Award of Excellence in Gastronomy was given to Mert Seran, the Executive Chef of Ulus 29.

At only 32 years old, he is one of the top chefs in the Istanbul culinary scene.

Mert Seran has achieved an international reputation for his unique avant-garde and modern technique as well as for his creative cuisine.

Ulus 29 is one of the most well-known fine dining places in Istanbul since 1993. Its owner, Metin Fadillioglu, is the creator of many other classic and trendy restaurants in the city like Cubuklu 29 and Hip Nisantasi Brasserie. In Ulus 29, Mert Seran prepares two stylish menus: one that lists a wide sushi selection and another made of Turkish and International favorite dishes.

In the third edition of the Innovation Award, INC celebrated the creative spirit of the nut and dried fruit business. TOMRA’s BSI Technology was awarded for its biometric signature identification (BSI) technology.

BSI is the next generation of spectral imaging, introduced to identify the material’s unique fingerprint. This creates a new range of never before seen sorting opportunities.

The other candidates for the Innovation Award were Mariani Nut Company’s Seasoned Almond Line, Mariani Packing Company Exclusive Partnership with Ganeden Biotech, and Roeber Institut’s OptoSelector OS900.

Thank you to all participants.

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Congress Highlights

22 May

Congress Welcome by Giles Hacking, INC Chairman

Coffee Break sponsored by Crain Walnut Shelling, Inc

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Congress Officially opens

Dried Fruit Seminar

Honorary Speaker, Minister of Economy Mr. Nihat Zeybekci

Buffet Working Lunch sponsored by Aydin Kuruyemis San.Ve Tic. AS

Cashews Satellite Parallel Meeting sponsored by the Cashew Export Promotion Council of India (CEPCI)

Walnuts Round Table

Almonds Satellite Parallel Meeting

Hazelnuts Satellite Parallel Meeting

Macadamias Satellite Parallel Meeting

Welcome Cocktail sponsored by Besana Group

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Congress Highlights

23 May Hazelnuts Round Table Mr. Mert Seran, Award for Excellence in Gastronomy

Mr. Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO at the Coca-Cola Company

Almonds Round Table

Mr.Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder,CEO and Chairman at Chobani LLC Yogurts

Coffee Break sponsored by Blue Diamond Growers

Macadamias, Pine Nuts and Brazil Nuts Round Table

Peanuts Round Table

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Nutrition Research Update

Scientific Seminar

Buffet Working Lunch sponsored by Rajkumar Impex Pvt Ltd

Casual Buffet Dinner sponsored

by Paramount Farms

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Congress Highlights

24 May

INC General Assembly

Financial Status Report

by Jordi MartĂ­

Dr. Jeffrey B. Blumberg, Award for Excellence in Research

Pistachios Round Table

Pecans Round Table

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Tomra Sorting NV receives the Innovation Award

Cashews Round Table

Buffet Working Lunch sponsored by Sun-Maid Growers of California

San Diego 2016 Congress Presentation by Mark Mariani and Jack Mariani

Coffee Break sponsored by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella

INC Ambassadors

Cuneyd Zapsu receives the Individual Golden Nut Award

Honorary Speaker Mevlßt Çavusoglu Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ferrero receives a recognition diploma

Gala Dinner and Ball sponsored

by The Republic of Turkey, Promotion Fund

INC Executive Committee and Staff

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OUR PEOPLE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OBSERVERS The Board of Trustees is formed by recognized leaders of the nut and dried fruit industry who volunteer their time and expertise on matters that benefit the entire sector.

The Executive Committee is formed by the Chairman, Vice-Chairmen and a maximum of eight more members of the Board and the Executive Director, representing the regions and products of the INC members.

The Observers are recognized leaders of the nut and dried fruit industry who work closely with the members of the Board of Trustees.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES ExECuTIVE CommITTEE MARk MARiANi, ChaIrmaN Mark Mariani has held leadership positions in the Dried Fruit Industry for over 40 years; introducing tropical dried fruits into North America, and the first Brand to market Turkish Apricots to every supermarket in the United States. The Mariani Family pioneered a Global supply chain starting in 1960 with operations in Australia, Thailand, and China. Mark has served on the California Prune Board and initiated major promotional programs into Europe which has opened up opportunities for multi-national market penetration of prunes.

Mark is Chairman of the 106 year old Dried Fruit Association that is internationally recognized as the technical experts in the Industry. Mark Mariani is presently serving as Chairman of the INC, and Chairman of Mariani Packing Company, the largest Independent handler of Dried Fruits.

PiNO CALCAgNi, VICE 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. He was President of the INC during the early 90’s and he is today Vice Chairman. For many years he has been active in spreading the importance of nuts and dried fruit as healthy foods, and always emphasizing the deep social and environmental aspect, as 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 him achieve significant international goals, for which he was honored with the Golden Nut Award in 2010.

MiChAEL WARiNg, VICE ChaIrmaN Michael Waring is Chairman / Managing Director of MWT Foods and MWT Agri Services (Australia), Chairman of MWT Foods USA LLC, and of Laurel Nut Company USA (Hazelnut Processor), and Chairman and CEO of Waring Group, comprising above businesses and other investments, including nut processing operations in Vietnam. Vice Chairman of INC, Member of the Board of Trustees and serving on the INC Executive Committee. He serves on the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, is an Ambassador to Australia, served as Chairman of the Ambassadors Committee (2009-2015), and was Chairman of the INC Congress Melbourne 2015. He is a founding Management Committee member of Nuts for Life Australia, Director and Deputy Chair of Australian Macadamia Society, and Chairman of that bodys’ Marketing Committee.

giLES hACkiNg Born 1963 in London, England, Giles’ first job was working for Chanel 10 in Sydney, Australia, in various TV shows. At the age of 20 he headed back to England, stopping in California to learn about the Almond and Walnut business. In the UK he joined a small tech business, worked in the advertising industry, and joined cocoa & nut traders V.Berg & Sons. From there, he moved to one of the great commodity goliaths of the time, JH Rayner (part of Berrisford PLC). After 12 years in the cocoa business, his father, Chris Hacking persuaded him to join CG Hacking, which he had established in 1971, having formerly worked for TM Duche. He has been here ever since, and has extensive knowledge about the tree nut industry.

Chris was also one of the original founders of the INC. In 1997 Giles helped to organize the INC Congress in London, and the following year joined the Board. He joined the Executive Committee upon its formation, and served as INC Chairman from 2011 until 2015.

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OUR PEOPLE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OBSERVERS

BOARD OF TRUSTEES ExECuTIVE CommITTEE AShOk kRiShEN Ashok Krishen is the Managing Director and Global Head of Edible Nuts Platform for Olam International, which includes Cashews, Peanuts, Almonds, Hazelnuts and Sesame. Ashok joined Olam 24 years ago and has been in the Nut Industry ever since. With presence in over 80% of Nut producing countries and all major consuming markets, and a unique portfolio of skills, capabilities and relationships which are fungible across Nuts, Geographies and Value Chain, Olam is a Global leader in the Nuts Industry. Olam has been a strong advocate for sustainable growth of the Nut Industry, while actively promoting the INC in all the countries that Olam operates in.

Ashok is a member of the INC Board since 2012 and has recently been inducted to the Executive Committee. He was the Chairman of the INC Congress in Singapore in 2012.

JACk MARiANi Jack Mariani is a partner in Mariani Nut Company since 1972. He has been member of the California Walmart board since 1978. Also that year, Jack joined the DFA of California, of which he is currently a Board member. Member of the INC since 1984, Jack joined the Board of Directors in 1990, and the Executive Committee in 2004, and served as Chairman from 2007 to 2011. He is also a member of the California Walnut Commission since 1987.

ANTONiO PONT, hoNorary PrEsIDENT Antonio Pont is Honorary President of Grupo Borges. He was the Director of Expro/Reus from 1975 till 1985, and chaired the First International Almond and Hazelnut Congress in Reus, Spain, in 1976. In 1983, he was among the entrepreneurs who founded the INC. Mr. Pont was elected the first and founding President. Through his presidency (1983-1989) the INC launched The Cracker magazine and the Golden Nut Award.

He is the President of the Gresol Empresarial de la Catalunya Nova, a group of businessmen that recognizes figures of international prominence and prestige. He is a member of the Royal Academy of Economic and Financial Sciences.

He has received the “Creu de Sant Jordi”, the highest recognition awarded by the Government of Catalonia to the most prominent figures in civil society, and the Gold Medal of Work Merit by the Government of Spain.

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BERTON STEiR Berton Steir has been working in the nut industry for over 30 years. He was a founder of the Paramount Agribusiness Group, is Executive Vice President of Paramount Farms, Inc., which grows almonds and pistachios in the San Joaquin valley of California, and is an Executive Committee member of the International Nut and Dried Fruit Foundation and a trustee of the INC - Nutrition Research and Education Foundation. Mr. Steir graduated from Harvard College, magna cum laude, and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He is married and has three children, 11 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

h. CUNEyD ZAPSU Born 1956, Istanbul. Education in Munich and German High School-Istanbul. B.A Business, Istanbul University and L. Maximillian University, Munich. Since 1977 in family owned Azizler Holding’s various companies, including General Manager and later Chairman of hazelnut processor Balsu (1979). After being founding member of the AK Party and special advisor to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, resigned from political duties (2008) and founded Cuneyd Zapsu Consultancy (International Investment & Management). Among others he is Founding CoChair of the Hazelnut Promotion Group (19972001), World Hazelnut Council (1997-2001), Board member and President of the Istanbul Exporters’ Association (1987-2001), Member of the INC Board of Trustees (1996-Present), President (2002-2003), Chairman (20032007), and Member of the Executive Committee (2007-Present).

OUR PEOPLE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OBSERVERS

BOARD OF TRUSTEES mEmBErs ASADOLLAh ASgAROLADi Asadollah Asgaroladi is the President of Hassas Export Co. Ltd., Tehran, Iran. He has been member of the Board of Trustees of the INC since 2007, and INC Ambassador for Iran since 2002. His first INC World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress was in 1987 in Montreux, Switzerland. Mr. Asgaroladi has been attending the INC Congress since then, and actively participating in the sessions about Pistachios. Among others, he was also an active participant in the Green Corridor Project, aimed at promoting food safety standards in Iranian pistachios.

kARSTEN DANkERT Owner of Max Kiene GmbH Hamburg and founder of Zerno SA Luxembourg, Karsten Dankert entered the nut business in 1994 and founded the nut processing company Zerno SA in 1995. He is member of the section snacks of the BDSI and, since 2015, he is part of the managing board for the section of dried Fruits of the Waren Verein der Hamburger Börse. He has been attending the INC World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress since 1995.

ARiE ENDENDiJk Arie Endendijk has been with the Intersnack Group and its predecessor The Nut Company for almost 10 years as managing director procurement. With a background in commodity trading, and finance with o.a. Cargill and Rabobank, he focuses on building sustainable and robust supply chains which take the interest of all stakeholders into account. To accomplish this goal, Intersnack joined and initiated a number of activities in, amongst others, the peanut, Amazonia, cashew, macadamia and walnut value chains thereby focusing on enhancing supply, quality and transparency. This is achieved by collaborating with all stakeholders through larger initiatives like the African Cashew Initiative and the African Cashew Alliance as well as bilateral projects with NGO’s, governments and impact investors.

ChENg hUNg kAy INC Golden Nut Award, Cheng Hung Kay led the creation of artificial opening pistachios from California in 1975. He was the first to assist the California industry to sort pistachio kernels and turn closed shell pistachios into a value added product; the first to work with a Hong Kong pistachio and macadamia dealer; to name pistachios in Chinese (Happy Nuts) in 1974 and macadamias (Hawaiian Nuts) in 1975; and to introduce Chinese pine nuts to the US market in 1978. 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, macadamia kernels, walnut meats, and pitted dates in the 1970’s. He works with INC in world pine nut kernels and walnut in shell specifications at UNECE since 2011.

MARk JANSEN Mark Jansen has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Diamond Growers since September 2010. Prior to Blue Diamond, Mark was president of Schwan’s Food Service. He also worked for the Pillsbury Company, and General Mills, Inc. Mark received his MBA in Marketing and Finance from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. He serves as Chair of California Chamber of Commerce’s International Committee, is on the Executive Council for the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, is a Director for the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council, and is Vice-Chair of the Almond Board of California.

ZhOU JiNkUi Involved in the nut industry since early 1970’s, Zhou Jinkui served for Tianjin Native Produce, a Chinese long established trading firm for over 30 years. He was one of the founders and Vice Director of China Tree Nut Association formed in 1999. He now works as Deputy General Manager for China Fenzhou Yuyuan Native Produce Corporation. With 40 years experience, he has devoted all to the nut industry, cooperating with INC since 1980’s. He has been an INC Board member since 2013.

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OUR PEOPLE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OBSERVERS

BOARD OF TRUSTEES mEmBErs BARRy F. 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 Sun-Maid Growers of California, the world’s largest processor and marketer of raisins and other dried fruits. As a member of the Board and 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.

JORDi MARTí TrEasurEr aND GENEral sECrETary I thank you very much for giving me the chance to earn my life in this wonderful business. All my life serving one of the leader companies in the world of nuts and dried fruits: company Borges since 1976, and enjoyed a lot in INC as Treasurer and General Secretary for the last 23 years. Thanks to all of you.

STEPhEN MELTZER Stephen Meltzer, Director of Balcorp Limited is member of the INC Board of Trustees since 2013. Balcorp Limited is currently involved in the international trade and marketing of a variety of products, including agri-foods and nuts.

INC Ambassador since 2002, Meltzer has been appointed Chairman of the INC Ambassadors Committee on May 2015.

PRATAP NAiR Pratap Nair has been member of the Board since 2012, and Ambassador for India since 2001. He is a member of the Committee of Administration of the Cashew Export Promotion Council of India and Managing Partner of Vijayalaxmi Cashew Company, one of the pioneers in the manufacture and export of cashews from India.

OSMAN OZ Osman Oz was born in 1953 in Izmir, Turkey.

He graduated from the Sheffield University as an engineer, and joined the family business in 1979.

After 10 years in the Dried Fruit sector, he went on to set-up Anatolia in 1989. He has been Council member of the Aegean Chamber of Industry since 2001, and Board member for over 25 years of the Aegean Dried Fruit Exporter’s Association, where he was Chairman for 4 years. He is member of the Board at INC since 2011, also chairing the Turkish Dried Fruit Sector Committee, and Dried Fruit Promotion Group. He is married with 2 kids.

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SABiT SABiR Sabit Sabir graduated from Robert College in Istanbul and has a master degree from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He founded Sabırlar Fındık (Sabir Hazelnut) in 1964, and he is currently the president of the company. Sabir has served for many years at the Hazelnut Exporters Union and Trabzon Trade Bourse as a president.

He is a member of the INC since more than 32 years, and member of the Board of Trustees.

hARRy SiNCLAiR Harry Sinclair is a 15 year veteran of the Peanut and Tree Nut businesses. He started as owner and Director of Ahcom International Ltd, a London based tree nut supply chain and trading business. This was followed by a 7 year stint with Olam International, leading the Sales and Marketing development of Olam’s North American Nut businesses. Harry joined the Kraft Foods Group in August 2012, initially leading Procurement for the Planters brand, and subsequently Kraft’s “Enhancers and Snack Nuts” business. Since April this year, Harry leads procurement for the newly formed “Beverages and Snack Nuts” Division.

RiChARD S. WALDEN Richard Walden is the President and CEO of Farmers Investment Co., a family-owned, pecan growing and processing company headquartered in Sahuarita, Arizona. He has served four terms on the Arizona Power Authority. He is a member of the Board of the International Tree Nut Council and in that capacity serves as the chairman of the Committee for Nutrition Research and Education associated with the Nutrition Research and Education Foundation. He is also a former member of the Advisory Council on Small Business and Agriculture for the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and a past member of the Board of the National Pecan Shellers Association.

ChEN yiNg Chen Ying, director of Cereal and Oils Department of the CFNA (China Chamber of Commerce for Imports & Exports of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products) is an expert in international trade and policy analysis of the Tree Nuts Industry with more than 2 decades of dedication to the Chinese Tree Nuts Industry. She is a member of the INC Board of Trustees and Ambassador for China.

OUR PEOPLE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OBSERVERS

oBsErVErs AhMET BiLgE ANBARLiLAR Bilge has over a decade of experience in hazelnut procurement, processing and trading in Balsu, currently serving as a Member of the Board. In addition to his various board duties in Balsu companies, he is the Vice Chairman of Istanbul Exporters’ Union, Board Member in the Hazelnut Promotion Group. Bilge has previous experience in new product development and consumer goods marketing in the US. He holds his MBA from Michigan State University in Supply Chain Management and Marketing and BS from Istanbul Technical University in Industrial Engineering with highest distinction.

MOhSEN BOUJBEL INC Observer since 2009, the commitment of Mohsen Boujbel with the INC has helped consolidate dates in the dried fruit basket. President and General Director of Boudjebel VACPA SA, Mr. Boujbel is passionate about this product and has devoted his life to its promotion. He is strongly involved with the sector with the aim to exploit the potential added value of the legendary fruit that is the date. For him, INC is an ideal platform for consolidating the position of dates among nuts and dried fruits.

RiCCARDO CALCAgNi Riccardo Calcagni, Besana Group CEO and President of Nucis Italia, serves as INC Observer since 2011. He was INC Ambassador to Italy from 2008 until 2013. Besana Group, today present in five continents, is a leading company in the production and distribution of nuts, dried fruits, seeds, and chocolates, and has received, among others, recognition by the British government for its activities in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1921 by the brothers Emilio and Vincenzo Besana, the group is today led by the fourth and third generations, Riccardo and his father Pino Calcagni.

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 Observer, and INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee member.

MiChAEL RUND Born in 1965, Michael Rund has been in the Dried Fruit business since 1983. In his first years in the dried fruit sector, Michael served in an import and processing company. In 1990, he changed Bösch Boden Spies. He become Managing Partner in 1996, responsible for dried fruit and nut commercial, and company’s Marketing, R+D, Business Development, CSR and Logistics. He is Observer in the INC since 2010.

hASAN OSMAN SABiR Second generation in family owned company Sabırlar Fındık (Sabir Hazelnut). The company was founded in 1964. Hasan joined in 1992, after his degree in Management (Bachelor of Science at Business Administration). He serves as INC Ambassador, promoting INC activities and sharing reports in Turkey to related business and science people to create awareness both in the media and the Nut Business world. He is also member of the Board in both Blacksea Hazelnut Exporters Union and Hazelnut Promotion Group, where he also contributes Hazelnut Sectors long run promotion and sustainability projects.

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GLOBAL FOOD ALLERGY NEWS

U.S. INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE LAUNCHES ALLERGY STUDY An Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee will be formed to examine critical issues related to food allergy (FA), including the prevalence and severity of FA and its impact on affected individuals, families, and communities; and current understanding of FA as a disease, and in diagnostics, treatments, prevention, and public policy. This consensus study will engage a broad array of stakeholders, including government agencies, organizations, academic institutions, industries, policy makers, and patient organization groups; to bring together leading investigators from relevant fields, clinicians, and parents; and to develop a framework for future work; and to recommend actions by both government and non-government agencies. INC-NREF will follow these activities closely. The committee’s review of the evidence will consider key questions: • • • •

•

What are current trends in FA prevalence?

What is an appropriate definition of FA to use in measuring prevalence?

What data or methods are most appropriate to use in measuring prevalence and how may they be implemented?

Should there be an effort to assess prevalence for allergens other than the 8 most common that are required to be disclosed on food packages? If so, should the same methods be used for these allergens?

What are the key prenatal/early life determinants of FA?

• • •

• • • •

(For example, are there dietary factors that impact development of FA and are these modifiable?)

What are the current data gaps in understanding the diagnosis and prognosis for FA? What new approaches are being developed to address these data gaps?

What steps can be taken to educate providers and the public in order to create safe environments for FA children both within and outside the home?

What and where are the most risky food scenarios and how can these be better managed?

What guidance can be given to individuals about exposure to low levels of allergens in food products?

What is the status of assessing allergen thresholds in individuals?

What additional methods or tools are needed?

What research gaps need to be filled in order to provide better guidance to health care providers and policy makers?

The committee will develop a framework for future direction in understanding FA and its impact on individuals, families, and communities; recommending steps to increase public awareness of FA; promoting research on both disease causation and management; and informing preventive approaches to FA. Research gaps will be identified and recommendations made to fill them.

FDA STUDY ON MILK IN DARK CHOCOLATE If you’re allergic to milk and you love dark chocolate, how do you know whether you can indulge in a candy bar without having an allergic reaction? That’s what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wanted to learn, especially after receiving reports that consumers had harmful reactions after eating dark chocolate.

of milk. Earlier this year, the agency issued preliminary findings, and is now releasing more information about its research. The bars tested

by FDA were obtained from different parts of the U.S., and each bar was unique in terms of product line and/or manufacturer. Bars were divided into categories based on the statements on the labels.

Milk is a permitted ingredient in dark chocolate, but it is also one of eight major food allergens (substances that can cause reactions that are sometimes dangerous). U.S. law requires manufacturers to label food products that are major allergens, as well as food products that contain major allergenic ingredients or proteins. Allergens contained in a food product but not named on the label are a leading cause of FDA requests for food recalls, and undeclared milk is the most frequently cited allergen. Chocolates are one of the most common sources of undeclared milk associated with consumer reactions.

The bottom line? Unfortunately, you can’t always tell if dark chocolate contains milk by reading the ingredients list. FDA researchers found that of 94 dark chocolate bars tested, only six listed milk as an ingredient.

When testing the remaining 88 bars that did not list milk as an ingredient, FDA found that 51 of them actually did contain milk. In fact, the FDA study found milk in 61 percent of all bars tested.

In part, that’s because milk can get into a dark chocolate product even when it is not added as an ingredient. Most dark chocolate is produced on equipment that is also used to produce milk chocolate. In these cases, it is possible that traces of milk may inadvertently wind up in the dark chocolate.

FDA tested nearly 100 dark chocolate bars for the presence

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GLOBAL FOOD ALLERGY NEWS

MISCONCEPTIONS: ASTHMA AND PEANUT ALLERGY STUDY A new study suggesting that children who have poorly controlled asthma should be tested for peanut allergy is receiving considerable media attention. However, experts in the food allergy field are responding to the study results and headlines, cautioning against the study’s recommendations. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology asserts that, “testing for food allergy in the absence of

clear symptoms of an acute allergic reaction is never recommended.” There is no practical value to testing children who are asymptomatic to peanut, and false positive tests may result in unnecessary avoidance of peanut, according to a release from AAAAI.

SCIENTISTS DEVELOP NEW DRUG FOR LOW-­ALLERGEN ALLERGIC ASTHMA A new drug for allergic asthma tested in clinical trials in Germany SOYBEAN has shown encouraging results, according to a study published May A new low-­allergen variety of soy bean has been developed using conventional methods. The variety, dubbed Triple Null by the researchers, has significantly reduced amounts of the three proteins which are responsible for soy's anti-­nutritional and allergenic properties.

The researchers screened 16,000 varieties of soybeans before finding one that contained almost none of the three key proteins -­Kunitz trypsin inhibitor, soybean agglutinin and P34. These are considered to be ‘anti-­nutritional’ because they impede digestibility and prevent absorption of certain nutrients, as well as provoking allergic reactions in some individuals.

Soy is widely used in the food industry, with up to 60% of manufactured foods containing soya or soy-­derived emulsifier lecithin, according to Allergy UK. According to a 2014 meta-­analysis, soy allergy affects approximately 0.4% of the population. It is more common among babies and children although many infants outgrow their allergy by age three.

Under current EU law food manufacturers are required to label 14 comon allergens– peanuts, tree nuts, soybeans, mustard, eggs, lupin, milk, fish, cereals containing gluten, sesame, celery, sulphur dioxide, molluscs and crustaceans.

17 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The therapy was tested in asthma, but could be effective in other allergic diseases as it directly alters the immune response underlying allergies.

Allergic asthma, which is triggered by inhaling allergens such as dust mites, pet dander or pollen, is typically managed by use of controller medications, e.g., inhaled corticosteroids. In this double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial of the drug SB010, researchers found that 21 patients with asthma who received the drug daily for 28 days had significantly improved lung function compared to the 19 patients with asthma in the placebo group. The results were measured during allergen challenges performed before and after the 28-day period.

SB010 is a novel DNA enzyme-based drug that can bind to GATA3, the transcription factor that triggers an allergic inflammatory response, and inactivates it – thus reducing the asthmatic symptoms. Researchers plan to conduct additional clinical trials with larger cohorts to further evaluate clinical benefits. The study was funded by Sterna Biologicals and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Credible Results. Incredible Service.

Nuts and Dried Fruits Analytical Competence Worldwide Mycotoxins • Sensory Analysis • Nutrition Values GMO • Pesticides • Microbiology • Contaminants • Sampling on site • and many more... service@eurofins.de www.eurofins.de July 2015 | The Cracker

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FEATURE STORY

U.S. NUTRITION PANEL RELEASES DIETARY GUIDELINES REPORT: NUTS FARE WELL The U.S. top nutrition panel released its advisory report setting target levels for sodium, saturated fats and added sugars – recommendations that eventually could shape public policy, including school lunches, how food manufacturers craft their products and diet advice.

INC-NREF Foundation provides reports and research related to tree nuts to the Dietary Committee. The recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee go next to the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. Those agencies will release the official Dietary Guidelines for Americans this fall, after a period of public comment and revision. The guidelines have been published every five years since 1980.

Reducing sodium in salty processed foods is “critical” in cutting cardiovascular risk, Antman said. Two-thirds of adults and about 14 percent of kids age 12 to 19 are prehypertensive or hypertensive.

Currently, Americans consume about 3,400 mg a day, about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt a day. The advisory panel’s recommendation of less than 2,300 mg a day of sodium is the same amount as the current guidelines.

The advisory panel, made up of the nation’s top nutritionists who spent 18 months of study, found that sodium and saturated fat are “overconsumed” by the U.S. population. Their report suggests the general population have these daily goals: less than 2,300 milligrams dietary

The report states that an overall healthy diet is higher in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, seafood, legumes, and nuts sodium (or an age-appropriate amount), less than 10 percent of total calories from saturated fat and a maximum of 10 percent of total calories from added sugar. The recommendations also advise Americans to consume diets that are “lower in red and processed meats.”

The report states that an overall healthy diet is “higher in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, seafood, legumes, and nuts; moderate in alcohol (among adults); lower in red and processed meat; and low in sugar-sweetened foods and drinks and refined grains.”

As anticipated, the panel did not include a recommendation for dietary cholesterol, agreeing with an American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology report that concluded there isn’t scientific evidence to show it reduces the artery-clogging LDL cholesterol in the blood. In the 2010 Dietary Guidelines, Americans were told to limit dietary cholesterol to 300 mg a day. The committee says none of the reductions in its report are meant to be done in isolation but as part of an overall healthy diet that focuses on the kinds of food and the patterns of eating. It encourages the food industry to revamp the way it makes and labels its products.

About half of all American adults, about 117 million people, have one or more preventable chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension and Type 2 diabetes, related to poor diet and lack of exercise, according to the advisory report. “It’s clear that Americans need to change their eating habits and make more nutritious choices,” said Elliott Antman, M.D., president of the American Heart Association.

Although the report’s advice differs from the AHA’s targets for sodium, saturated fats and added sugars, Antman said it is a shift in the right direction and, if they appear in the final report, will “steer the public toward a more heart healthy path in their daily diets.”

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“We urge the food industry to give Americans a better chance to achieve this goal, by decreasing sodium in packaged and restaurant foods – the source of nearly 80 percent of the salt we eat daily,” Antman said.

Barbara Millen, Dr.P.H., R.D., chair of the DGAC and a nutrition epidemiologist, said there have been few improvements in consumers’ food choices during recent decades. “On average, the U.S. diet is low in vegetables, fruit and whole grains, and too high in calories, saturated fat, sodium, refined grains and added sugars,” Millen said in her letter presenting the report to the federal government.

“Under-consumption of vitamin D, calcium, potassium and fiber are of public health concern for the majority of the U.S. population,” said Millen, who is founder of a company that creates web and mobile apps to encourage healthy lifestyles and a professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. “Furthermore, more than 49 million people in the United States, including nearly nine million children, live in food insecure households. Creative, evidencebased strategies are needed to reverse these alarming trends.”

NEWS FROM THE INC SECRETARIAT

INC pAvIlION AT ANuGA

Cologne, 10-14 oCtober 2015

The only pavilion exclusively dedicated to nuts and dried fruits offers just what you need: premium position, customers, support and success.

The INC Pavilion will be located at the main entrance of Hall 10.2, exhibiting together 17 INC Members in the largest trade fair under the roof of ANUGA Fine Food -the trade fair for delicasseten, gourmet and basic food. With over 3,500 exhibiting companies from 78 countries, this is the most important platform for fine food producers, importers and their customers from the food business and food service.

INC OFFERS AN ExCluSIvE SpONSORSHIp OppORTuNITy TO ITS MEMbERS: The Welcome Cocktail Sponsorship represents an excellent environment to expose your company and products so as to impact positively on your prospective clients. It includes: • Host INC’s Welcome Cocktail on Saturday, 10 October.

• Sign at the welcome cocktail entrance.

• Company logo or ad on the 2 TV screens placed in the lounge area during the cocktail time.

• Promotions during the welcome cocktail.

• Company logo on INC Pavilion banner, in The Cracker sponsorship ad, in the Post Pavilion Video, INC Website and Newsletter.

Those companies wishing to take advantage of this unique opportunity will need to contact Mr. Marc Centelles at: marc.centelles@nutfruit.org or Tel. +34 977 331 416

We thank our exhibitors for joining us in the biggest and most exciting food exhibition in the world.

DR FRUIED IT

NU & TS

Maestro Nut

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NEWS FROM THE INC SECRETARIAT

SIAl pARIS 2016 ON THE HORIzON

INC pAvIlION REGISTRATION OpEN FOR MEMbERS Paris will hold SIAL between 16th and 20th October 2016. Following the success in 2014, INC will host a pavilion focused on the nuts and dried fruit industry. Although it may seem distant on the calendar, INC has already received applications from members who want to exhibit at the world’s largest innovation marketplace. Should you be interested in joining us, don’t delay the registration. Contact Mr. Marc Centelles at marc. centelles@nutfruit.org or Tel. +34 977 331 416.

INC AT THE SuMMER FANCy FOOd SHOW INC exhibited for the first time at the Summer Fancy Food Show held in New York City, 28-30 June 2015. SFFS is the largest specialty food trade event in North America and the leading showcase of industry innovation. It brought together specialty food’s top manufacturers, buyers and thought leaders. More than 180,000 products, 25,000 buyers, and 2,500 exhibitors were featured. The show proved a great success, attracting hundreds of visitors to INC’s booth. This was a great opportunity to inform about the activities of the INC, promote INC Membership, and publicize the XXXV World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress in San Diego, California, 30 May - 1 June 2016.

NuTS TO pARTICIpATE AT THE EuROpEAN CONGRESS OF NuTRITION INC is organizing the symposium “New Findings on Nuts and Health” on October 21, 2015, in the frame of the European Nutrition Conference.

Berlin, Germany will host the 12th European Nutrition Conference, from 20th to 23rd October 2015, organized by the Federation of European Nutrition Societies, under the motto “Nutrition and health throughout life-cycle. Nutritional sciences for the benefit of European consumers”.

The symposium will bring together leading researchers from US and Europe, and will provide the opportunity to spread the benefits of nuts to the largest group of health and nutrition experts. INC already participated in the previous European Nutrition Conference in Madrid, Spain, in 2011, sponsoring the symposium “Nut Consumption, Cardiovascular Risk and Body Weight”. Following the success of the previous event, INC expects about 200 participants, researchers, nutritionists and academics from around the world.

The conference is taking place on Wednesday, 21 October 2015, from 4:30 - 6:00 pm, and will highlight the latest scientific studies on nuts and cardiometabolic health, cognitive function, digestion, and microbiota.

GuEST SpEAKERS NuTS ANd CARdIOMETAbOlIC HEAlTH

NuTS ANd dIGESTION

Prof. Salas-Salvadó has occupied teaching and research posts at the Faculty of Medicine in Reus (UB) since 1984. At present, he is professor of Nutrition and director of the Human Nutrition Unit of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Rovira i Virgili University (URV), and President of the Federation of the Spanish Scientific Societies on Nutrition and Dietetics (FESNAD). Since 1989, he has occupied a variety of medical posts at Sant Joan University Hospital in Reus, and since 1991, is Head of Nutrition of the Internal Medicine Service. He has directed 15 research projects financed by public bodies and 28 projects in conjunction with the pharmaceutical or food industries. He is one of the leaders of the PREDIMED study and has published more than 250 original articles.

Dr. Mandalari began her academic career at the University of Messina with a first class BSc degree in Biological Sciences. For her PhD in Pharmacognosy, she undertook a collaborative project in enzyme production and phenolic compounds extraction between the Pharmaco-Biological Department of the University of Messina, Italy and the Food Material Science at the Institute of Food Research UK. Her main research area involves the investigation of human digestion in relation to gut health. She has a particular interest in vivo studies and the bioaccessibility of nutrients and phytochemicals from various food matrices, which has important implications in the areas of disease prevention and management.

Prof. Jordi SalaS-Salvadó, UniverSitat rovira i virgili, SPain

NuTS ANd COGNITIvE FuNCTION

dr. fran grodStein, the brigham and Women’S hoSPital, USa

Dr. Grodstein received a doctorate in epidemiology in 1992 from Harvard School of Public Health. She is a Professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. She is a senior investigator with several large-scale cohort studies, including the Nurses’ Health Study, of which she is Director of Research, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Her research activities focus on healthy aging, especially brain aging, and she has published over 165 original manuscripts and numerous book chapters in this area. She has been an advisor to the Centers for Disease Control on their Healthy Brain Initiative, and is a member of the Executive Committee for the National Alzheimer Disease Coordinating Center.

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dr. giUSePPina mandalari, UniverSity of meSSina, italy

TREE NuTS ANd THE GuT: SuppORTING A HEAlTHy MICRObIOTA dr. volker mai, UniverSity of florida, USa

Dr. Volker Mai, PhD, is director of the microbial epidemiology laboratory at the Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida. His research program, which is focused on the interactions between diet, the commensal gut microbiota and human health, is supported by various funding source, including NIH, NSF and multiple industry partners. Dr. Mai received a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Biochemistry (1992) and a PhD in Microbiology (1998) from the University of Georgia, Athens, Ga. He received a Masters of Public Health (2000) from Harvard School of Public Health.

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Innovations for a better world.

July 2015 | The Cracker

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N CO EX NG T IN RE C SS

We look forward to seeing you in

www.nutfruitcongress.org

NEWS FROM THE INC SECRETARIAT

NUTS AND DRIED FRUITS IN

HAUTE CUISINE

By Mert Seran, Executive Chef of Ulus 29

Mert Seran has achieved an international reputation for his unique avant-garde and modern technique as well as for his creative cuisine.

Nowadays he is one of the top chefs in the Istanbul culinary scene.

Regarding the restaurant, Ulus 29 is one of the most well-known fine dining places in Istanbul since 1993. Its owner, Metin Fadillioglu, is the creator of many other classic and trendy restaurants in the city like Cubuklu 29 and Hip Nisantasi Brasserie.

Roasted Baby Beats and Lime Scented Goat Cheesex INGREDIENTS: Roasted baby beets: • 4 baby beets, scrubbed • Extra virgin olive oil • 4 garlic cloves • Sea salt Baby beets marination: • 125ml extra virgin olive oil • ½ tablespoon sherry wine vinegar • Fresh thyme • Chopped parsley leaves • Salt and pepper Fried walnuts: • 10g walnuts • 200ml sugar syrup • 2g ground cinnamon • 20g icing sugar • 500ml sunflower oil Lime scented goat cheese: • 60g goat cheese • 20g cream • 10g ground Parmigiano Reggiano • 1/4 lime zest • Ground pepper Salad: • 20g arugula • Extra virgin olive oil • Lemon juice • Sea salt Pistachio pesto: • 20g fresh basil leaves • 15g chives • 15g fresh coriander leaves • 15g spring onion • 4 cloves garlic • 25g pistachio • 100ml extra virgin olive oil • 25ml hazelnut oil • 5ml lemon juice • 25g ground Parmigiano Reggiano

PREPARATION: Prep: 30 min > Cook: 30 min > Ready in 1 hour. For the roast beets: Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Wrap each beetroot with 1 garlic clove, sea salt and extra virgin olive oil in two layers of aluminium foil, and place onto a baking tray.

Bake in a preheated oven until the beetroot is tender, about 30 minutes.

Allow the beetroot to cool slightly. Let the beetroot cool at room temperature until cold. For the marination: mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and once beets are cooled marinate them in this mixture. Walnuts: In a large deep saucepan “cook” the walnuts for 1 minute in the sugar syrup. Take out from the syrup and toss the walnuts with ground cinnamon and icing sugar.

In a frying pan fry the nuts for 4 minutes or until golden brown, stiring often.

Drain in a colander with paper towels and store in an airtight container.

Scented goats cheese: In a bowl, combine the goat’s cheese, cream, ground Parmiggiano Reggiano and lime zest very well and set aside. For the pistachio pesto: Combine all of the ingredients in the food processor and puree until smooth. Serving: Place an 8cm cookie cutter in the centre of a salad plate. Spoon some of the goat’s cheese mixture inside the cutter and pack down with a spoon. Place 4 beats on top. Gently lift the cutter up and away from the stack. Drizzle the plate with pistachio pesto dressing and scatter with some fried walnuts. Toss arugula with just enough extra virgin olive oil lemon juice dressing and gently mound on top of beets. Garnish with edible flowers and dried raisin bread.

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NEWS FROM THE INC SECRETARIAT

Nougat Parfait with a Peach Sorbet and Almond Pan De Gene Ingredients: Almond pan de gene: • 180g ground almonds • 315g free-range egg • 180g caster sugar • 50g unsalted butter, melted to 40 degrees • 50g grapeseed oil • 60g white cake flour, sieved with baking powder • 4g baking powder

Peach sorbet: • 600g water • 250g sugar • 1kg peach puree • 60g lemon juice • 3 leaves gold gelatine

Nougat parfait: • 58g clear honey • 100g caster sugar • 43g water • 87g free range egg white • 58 pistachio nuts, roasted and finely chopped • 58 salted almond nougatine, coarsely chopped • 58 dried apricots, finely chopped • 435 whipping cream whipped to medium peaks and reserved in the fridge

Almond nougatine tuile: • 300 caster sugar • 150 liquid glucose • 135 flaked almonds, slightly roasted

Peach gel: • 500g peach puree • 50g raspberry puree • 5g gellespe

Almond nougatine: (for inside the parfait) • 175g flaked almonds • 175g white sugar • 5g salt

PREPARATION: Almond pan de gene: Yield: 600x400 gastro-tray tray at 800g. In an electric mixer, whisk the almonds, sugar and eggs together until ribbon stage. Add a bit of the whisked egg mix to the melted butter, combine together and fold it back into the remaining mixture. Using a whisk, gently fold through the already sieved flour and baking powder and finish folding with a spatula making sure all the sides and base of the bowl have been scraped well. Pour the mix onto a silicon-paper lined tray and cook in a convection oven with fan for 10 minutes at 170°C. When the sponge is just firm to the touch it is cooked.

Transfer the cooked sponge onto a wire rack, brush lightly with a 1:1 peach puree, stock syrup mixture and allow to cool.

Nougat parfait: Yield: 1x50x30cm gastro container at 1cm deep (800g per gastro). Trim a piece of almond pan de gene to 48x28cm to fit a gastro-tray. Place the honey, sugar and water into a saucepan. Cook the sugar and honey to 116ºC, at this stage start to whip the egg whites. When the sugar is at 121ºC, on a slow speed setting, pour the syrup onto the medium peaked egg whites. Once all the syrup has been added, whisk on a high speed until cool. Remove from machine, fold in the prepared fruits and nougatine, then the whipped cream. Pour into a gastro with soaked pan de gen at the bottom, cover with double plastic and freeze straight away. Peach sorbet: Soften the gelatine in iced water. Chop up the puree and place in the thermo-mix. Make a syrup with the sugar and water and, once boiled, add the gelatine and pour over the frozen puree and blend. Then add the lemon juice and pass through a chinois. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours and then transfer to paco-jet containers to freeze. Once frozen, churn the ice cream, allow to set-up and pipe using straight edged nozzle at 5mm. Freeze, and then portion to 12cm in length. Peach gel: Using the thermo-mix, blend the defrosted purees together

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with the gellespe and transfer to bottles for service. Almond nougatine tuile: In a large stainless steel pan bring the sugar and glucose to a light brown caramel (min. 170ºC), stirring regularly. When the mix has reached the right color and temperature, add the slightly roasted flaked almonds and mix well. Pour the nougatine onto a silpat lined tray and allow to cool down completely. When cold, break down into pieces and vacuum pack. Reserve in a cool dry place for at least 12 hours before crushing down to powder (crushed too freshly cooked, will turn the nougatine into praline paste)*. In a large robot coup, crush until a fine powder. Sieve through a large grained sieve and store in vacuum bags. Reserve in a cool dry place. To cook: Sieve onto silpat and bake at 180ºC until golden brown, then portion using a knife to 12x3 cm. Store in a container with silica at the bottom to keep fresh. Almond nougatine: (for inside the parfait) Toast the almonds to achieve a golden color. Cook the sugar to 165ºC then add the salt and the almonds. Mix well and transfer to a silpat to cool and “dry out” for 12 hours. Crush what you need for the parfait and keep the rest in vacuum bags. *Chef’s Note: When cooking the sugar and glucose stir regularly with a spatula otherwise the sugar will tend to burn the sides of the pan.

To assemble: Place a piece of the portioned parfait (12x3cm) in the middle of a plate topped with 2 pieces of peach sorbet leaving space in the middle for the plum dice. Top this with a nougatine crisp. Using a squeeze bottle form a large dot of sauce 3 cm from the corner of the parfait, place a teaspoon in the sauce and drag it horizontally to the opposite end of the plate. Arrange some plum brunoise towards the end of the sauce and serve.

WORLD CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION TRENDS JULY 2015 | GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW T h e f o l l o w i n g c r o p f o r e c a s t s a r e p r e l i m i n a r y, a s a n n o u n c e d i n t h e I N C Wo r l d N u t a n d D r i e d Fruit Congress (May 2015). More accurate statistics will be available in November as regards the crops in the northern hemisphere.

«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 / This season 2015/16, the crop in California is forecast at 816,466 metric tons (1.80 billion pounds), according to the USDA California Almond Objective Measurement Report. That is 4% less than last season.

Although the impact of the drought has not yet been significant, with modest declines in production in the last three years, the future supply remains of great concern.

Despite the record prices, demand has proved to be remarkably resilient.

According to the Almond Board of California, May Position Report, yearto-date export shipments were down 10%, compared with the previous year, whilst domestic shipments remained steady. California shipments to Western Europe were down 13%, with most of the decline attributable to the upturn of the Spanish crop.

SPAIN / This season, the Spanish almond crop is expected to increase by 21%, from 60,750 MT in 2014/15 to 73,500 MT. Current prices are encouraging new plantings of good quality, self-fertile, and irrigated almonds, giving a new picture for the near future of the Spanish crop. The country could achieve a total crop of 100,000 MT by 2018.

Domestic consumption is estimated at between 50,000 and 55,000 MT, with a slight decrease of 1-3% in main almond categories, namely snacking, turron, and chocolate with almonds. Even so, consumption has not yet been impacted by the increase in prices. The main concern is the future risk of price increases and an exceptionally strong US dollar.

AUSTRALIA / According to the Almond Board of Australia, the crop in 2015/16 will reach 75,000 MT, that is an increase of 8,700 MT (+13%) compared to last year’s crop.

Australian farmers expect to plan 3,000 hectares (7,350 acres) of new orchard and to replant 1,000 hectares (2,450 acres) in 2015/16. Current orchard plantings total 29,000 ha (71,600 acres), 80% of which have been planted in the past 12 years. Most of the orchards are at the start of the mature stage. Australia is expected to achieve about 90,000 MT by 2020.

In 2014, domestic consumption was estimated at 0.934 kg/capita, up 50% from 2009.

Estimated World Almonds Production. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons COUNTRY USA MM Ibs USA

2014/2015

2015/2016

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

351

1.869

2.220

288

288

1.800

2.088

288

159.347

847.727

1.007.074

130.453

130.453

816.466

946.919

130.453

AUSTRALIA

1.000

66.300

67.300

1.000

1.000

75.000

76.000

1.000

SPAIN

2.000

60.750

62.750

500

500

73.500

74.000

2.000

IRAN

0

15.000

15.000

0

0

15.000

15.000

0

TURKEY

0

10.000

10.000

0

0

13.000

13.000

0

CHILE

0

10.000

10.000

0

0

13.000

13.000

0

500

14.000

14.500

0

0

12.000

12.000

0

MOROCCO

0

9.000

9.000

0

0

11.000

11.000

0

ITALY

0

9.000

9.000

0

0

5.000

5.000

0

GREECE

0

5.000

5.000

0

0

4.000

4.000

0

OTHERS

0

30.000

30.000

0

0

30.000

30.000

0

162.847

1.076.777

1.239.624

131.953

131.953

1.067.966

1.199.919

TUNISIA

WORLD TOTAL

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

1.107.671

Source: USDA California Almond Objective Measurement Report, Almond Board of California, Almond Board of Australia, Greek Nut Association, and other INC sources.

54

The Cracker | July 2015

133.453 1.066.466

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

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

World production of Amazonia (Brazil) Nuts in 2015/16 is forecast at 86,895 metric tons in-shell (28,965 MT kernel equivalent), very similar to 2014/15.

BOLIVIA/ Last year, Bolivia was hit by large floods and pickers found it very difficult to get the nuts out of the jungle. It was anticipated that yields and crop size would be reduced as a result, however according to export data the crop was eventually estimated at 21,000 MT (kernel basis). In the last four years, the crop has remained stable at about 20,000-22,000 MT, while demand is growing at a pace of 5 to 10%. The main challenge of the sector is the lack of investments in infrastructures (transportation).

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

COUNTRY

2014/2015

2015/2016

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

2.550

21.000

23.550

1.500

1.500

21.000

22.500

1.500

150

4.000

4.150

150

150

4.500

4.650

150

BOLIVIA PERU BRAZIL WORLD TOTAL

100

3.050

3.150

100

100

3.465

3.565

100

2.800

28.050

30.850

1.750

1.750

28.965

30.715

1.750

WORLD CONSUMPTION (SUPPLY - ENDING STOCK)

29.100

28.965

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

2014/2015

2015/2016

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

7.650

63.000

70.650

4.500

4.500

63.000

67.500

4.500

PERU

450

12.000

12.450

450

450

13.500

13.950

450

BRAZIL

300

9.150

9.450

300

300

10.395

10.695

300

8.400

84.150

92.550

5.250

5.250

86.895

92.145

BOLIVIA

WORLD TOTAL

WORLD CONSUMPTION (SUPPLY - ENDING STOCK)

5.250

87.300

86.895

Source: INC

World Brazil Nut Production. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons Bolivia

Peru

Brazil

40.000 35.000 30.000 25.000 20.000 15.000 10.000 5.000 2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015*

*Forecast. Source: INC

July 2015 | The Cracker

55

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

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

World cashew production is forecast at 651,100 metric tons, slightly higher from last season’s level of 629,700 MT. Whilst the crops in India and Vietnam are expected smaller (142,900 MT and 113,000 MT respectively), there are significant increases in Africa, especially in Cote d’Ivoire (from 109,600 MT in 2014/15 to 142,900 MT in 2015/16). However, this growth is not expected to keep up with the anticipated increase in demand.

INDIA/ The improvement in processing capacity through mechanization and new plantings in India may be expected to increase the production, although not at the same pace as demand. The growth of the middle class in recent years is closely associated with the rise in demand.

Estimated World Cashews Production. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons COUNTRY

2014/2015

2015/2016

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

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

164.286 109.583 119.048 48.300 35.200 28.600 25.000 17.000 19.048 7.350 12.800 12.000 10.600 9.400 1.920 1.200 8.333 629.668

164.286 109.583 119.048 48.300 35.200 28.600 25.000 17.000 19.048 7.350 12.800 12.000 10.600 9.400 1.920 1.200 8.333 629.668

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

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

142.857 142.857 113.095 53.571 35.200 28.600 25.000 20.238 19.048 14.286 12.800 12.000 10.600 9.524 1.920 1.200 8.333 651.129

142.857 142.857 113.095 53.571 35.200 28.600 25.000 20.238 19.048 14.286 12.800 12.000 10.600 9.524 1.920 1.200 8.333 651.129

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

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

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

629.668

651.129

Source: Global Cashew Council and INC.

India: Cashew Consumption and Gross National Income GNI per capita (Current International $) 6.000

250.000

5.000

200.000

4.000

150.000

3.000

100.000

2.000

50.000

1.000

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Source: Cashew Satellite Meeting (2015 World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress) and The World Bank.

56

The Cracker | July 2015

2010

2011

2012

2013

Current Inernational $

METRIC TONS

Consumption MT (kernel equivalent) 300.000

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Hazelnuts · Avellana · Noisette · Nocciola · Haselnuss · Findik

Last May, INC members gathered for its annual World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress in Antalya, Turkey. The topics inevitably revolved around prospects for an adequate new crop supply and pricing. How current prices and currency factors may have an impact in consumption are the main challenges for the hazelnut industry.

Discussions at the Hazelnuts Round Table also highlighted the development of new products, especially in USA, and new emerging countries: Chile and Eastern Europe in terms of production; China and India as for consumption.

TURKEY / The hazelnut crop in Turkey in 2015/16 is forecast at 640,000 metric tons, inshell basis (320,000 MT kernel basis), that is, 66% of the estimated world production. The season has been characterized by a much later than usual crop, and cold weather especially at altitudes over 800 m, but it appears to have had little impact on the crop.

ITALY / The crop in Italy is predicted to reach 125,000 MT inshell (56,250 MT kernel equivalent), up 56% over 2014/15, and up 20% over the 10-year average.

USA / Hazelnut consumption in the United States has increased significantly over the last three years, especially in confectionery, spreads, and energy bars. Between the end of 2013 and the end of 2014, up to 70 new products were seen on the shelves. The 2015/16 crop is forecast at 43,500 MT (in shell).

SPAIN / In Spain, higher prices are encouraging farmers to revive some of the abandoned orchards. On the negative side, consumption has been negatively affected by prices, as some retailers (supermarkets) have even delisted hazelnuts. In 2015/16, the crop is forecast at 20,000 MT (in shell basis), slightly up (+11%) from 2014/15.

Estimated World Hazelnuts Production. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons COUNTRY

2014/2015

2015/2016

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

32.500

250.000

282.500

15.000

15.000

320.000

335.000

15.000

2.250

36.000

38.250

450

450

56.250

56.700

1.350

800

15.200

16.000

0

0

20.000

20.000

400

USA

2.115

15.750

17.865

220

220

19.570

19.790

450

AZERBAIJAN

1.200

12.000

13.200

0

0

16.000

16.000

400

SPAIN

480

8.640

9.120

240

240

9.600

9.840

240

CHILE

0

5.850

5.850

0

0

6.750

6.750

0

480

4.800

5.280

240

240

4.800

5.040

0

0

4.500

4.500

0

0

4.500

4.500

0

TURKEY ITALY GEORGIA

FRANCE IRAN CHINA

0

2.250

2.250

0

0

2.250

2.250

0

OTHERS

0

2.250

2.250

0

0

2.250

2.250

0

39.825

357.240

397.065

16.150

16.150

461.970

478.120

WORLD TOTAL

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

380.915

17.840 460.280

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

2014/2015

2015/2016

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

65.000

500.000

565.000

30.000

30.000

640.000

670.000

30.000

ITALY

5.000

80.000

85.000

1.000

1.000

125.000

126.000

3.000

GEORGIA

2.000

38.000

40.000

0

0

50.000

50.000

1.000

USA

4.700

35.000

39.700

500

500

43.500

44.000

1.000

AZERBAIJAN

3.000

30.000

33.000

0

0

40.000

40.000

1.000

SPAIN

1.000

18.000

19.000

500

500

20.000

20.500

500

TURKEY

CHILE

0

13.000

13.000

0

0

15.000

15.000

0

1.000

10.000

11.000

500

500

10.000

10.500

0

IRAN

0

10.000

10.000

0

0

10.000

10.000

0

CHINA

0

5.000

5.000

0

0

5.000

5.000

0

FRANCE

OTHERS WORLD TOTAL

0

5.000

5.000

0

0

5.000

5.000

0

81.700

744.000

825.700

32.500

32.500

963.500

996.000

36.500

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

793.200

959.500

Source: INC.

July 2015 | The Cracker

57

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Macadamias · Macadamia · Macadamianuss · Makedemia · Cevizi

AUSTRALIA / The 2015 Australian macadamia crop is on track to hit 47,000 metric tons in-shell at 10% moisture (43,800 MT inshell at 3.5% moisture) announced the Australian Macadamia Society in its June update forecast. According to AMS, favourable weather conditions throughout the early part of the season across all growing regions, and early harvest conditions have been good. Recently harvesting in the Northern Rivers region had been slightly delayed following heavy rainfall in May, and the harvest season was expected to extend late into the year in this region. The industry forecast is provided from modelling developed by AMS and the Queensland Department of Employment Economic Development & Innovation. AMS has added historical data provided by the Australian Macadamia Handlers (AMHA) to assist in the forecasting. AMHA represents over 90% of all macadamia handlers. This crop estimate update is based on actual

receivals (until end of May) by participating handlers. Approximately 50% per cent of the crop is still to be delivered. A further report will be provided in September and the final figure for the 2015 crop will be announced by AMS in late November.

SOUTH AFRICA / With an estimated crop of 46,950 metric tons in-shell (at 1.5% kernel moisture) for this season 2015/16, South Africa leads the production of macadamias along with Australia. With estimated 19,000 ha of macadamias in South Africa and additional 1,000 ha being planted every year, the Southern African Macadamia Growers’ Association expects the current growth trend to continue for at least the next 5-7 years. About 40-50% of the South African crop is sold as inshell, particularly to China; the remainder is processed to kernel.

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

2014/2015

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

CROP 13.080 12.569 5.208 3.600 1.839 1.540 1.684 1.250 250 150 7 1.000 42.177

TOTAL SUPPLY 13.080 12.619 5.208 3.600 1.839 1.540 1.684 1.250 250 150 7 1.000 42.227

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

2015/2016

ENDING STOCK 0 115 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 115

BEGINNING STOCK 0 115 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 115

CROP 14.100 13.146 5.448 3.600 1.813 1.800 1.650 1.500 250 150 7 1.000 44.464

TOTAL SUPPLY 14.100 13.261 5.448 3.600 1.813 1.800 1.650 1.500 250 150 7 1.000 44.579

42.112

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 44.579

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

2014/2015

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

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

CROP 40.663 44.890 19.429 15.668 7.401 5.000 8.091 5.167 1.000 600 110 4.000 152.019

TOTAL SUPPLY 40.663 45.068 19.429 15.668 7.401 5.000 8.091 5.167 1.000 600 110 4.000 152.197

2015/2016

ENDING STOCK 0 412 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 412 151.785

BEGINNING STOCK 0 412 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 412

CROP 43.834 46.950 22.218 15.668 7.212 8.300 8.114 5.596 1.000 600 110 4.000 163.602

TOTAL SUPPLY 43.834 47.362 22.218 15.668 7.212 8.300 8.114 5.596 1.000 600 110 4.000 164.014

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 164.014

Australia, Guatemala and Brazil reported at 10% and converted to dried NIS at equivalent 3.5% NIS moisture content. South Africa reported at 1.5% kernel moisture content, or equivalent 3.5% NIS moisture content. Kenya and Hawaii reporting at 20% moisture content, converted to dried NIS at equivalent 3.5% moisture content. Malawi reporting at 1.3-2.1% kernel moisture content or equivalent 3.5% NIS moisture content. All other origins already reporting as dried NIS, at assumed 3.5% NIS moisture content.

Source: Australian Macadamia Society (AMS), Southern African Macadamia Growers’ Association (SAMAC), and other INC sources.

58

The Cracker | July 2015

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

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

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

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

2015/2016

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

35.029

54.363

89.392

22.453

22.453

61.236

83.689

22.453

2.000

40.823

42.823

2.000

2.000

45.360

47.360

1.250

13

5.724

5.737

0

0

6.360

6.360

27

104

1.248

1.352

0

0

1.248

1.248

0

0

750

750

0

0

750

750

0

37.146

102.908

140.054

24.453

24.453

114.954

139.407

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

115.601

23.730 115.677

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

2014/2015

2015/2016

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

77.842

120.807

198.649

49.896

49.896

136.079

185.975

49.896

4.000

81.647

85.647

4.000

4.000

90.719

94.719

2.500

30

10.800

10.830

0

0

12.000

12.000

50

200

2.400

2.600

0

0

2.400

2.400

0

0

1.500

1.500

0

0

1.500

1.500

0

82.072

217.154

299.226

53.896

53.896

242.698

296.594

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

245.330

52.446 244.148

Source: INC.

The forecast for 2015/16 is a crop of almost 243,000 metric tons (inshell), that is, 12% more than in 2014/15, thanks to increases in the three major production countries: USA, Mexico, and South Africa.

Last May, the pecan industry gathered at the annual World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress in Antalya, Turkey, to discuss the major challenges facing the future of the sector. The topics inevitably focused on China’s demand and long-term supply prospects.

China has become the second largest consumer of pecans in the world and top importer of in-shell pecans. In addition, the import tariff for inshell and shelled pecans was lowered from 24 to 10% on January 1, 2015.

About 20,000 new hectares (49,000 acres) were planted in the last decade, and the crop is projected to be about 44,450 MT in ten years.

USA / The main challenge for the US pecan industry is to be able to

meet the increasing demand. Domestic consumption has increased by 86% over the last 20 years, partly thanks to increasing imports from Mexico. About 28,000 new hectares (69,600 acres) are projected for the period 2010-2025, which could help achieve a total crop of 216,260 MT by 2025.

MEXICO / Mexico is growing and catching up with the US in terms of production and planted hectares. This season, the crop is expected to be about 90,720 MT, that is, 11% more than in 2014/15. More than 32,500 new hectares (81,000 acres) were planted from 2010 to 2014; Mexico could total 164,500 MT by 2025.

SOUTH AFRICA / The crop in South Africa has been estimated at 12,000 MT, up 11% from 2014/15. The country expects to have some 35,000 new hectares planted between 2012 and 2020, and a crop of 30,000 MT by 2025.

New Plantings New Acres

350.000 300.000 250.000

New Hectares

200.000 150.000 100.000 50.000 China 2005-15

Australia 2012-15

South Africa 2012-20

USA 2010-25

Mexico 2010-14

Total

Source: Pecans Round Table, 2015 World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress.

July 2015 | The Cracker

59

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

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

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

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

2015/2016

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK 1.650

FAR EAST (Pinus Chinensis): CHINA

500

25.000

25.500

12.000

12.000

3.000

15.000

RUSSIA

100

2.500

2.600

50

50

4.050

4.100

50

NORTH KOREA

100

5.000

5.100

200

200

3.000

3.200

200

PAKISTAN

100

3.000

3.100

100

100

3.000

3.100

100

AFGHANISTAN

100

3.000

3.100

100

100

3.000

3.100

100

SUBTOTAL

900

38.500

39.400

12.450

12.450

16.050

28.500

2.100

MEDITERRANEAN (Pinus Pinea): TURKEY

0

400

400

100

100

410

510

100

ITALY

0

350

350

150

150

360

510

150

PORTUGAL

0

360

360

40

40

370

410

40

SPAIN

0

300

300

0

0

310

310

0

OTHERS

0

40

40

0

0

50

50

0

SUBTOTAL

0

1.450

1.450

290

290

1.500

1.790

290

900

39.950

40.850

12.740

12.740

17.550

30.290

WORLD TOTAL

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

2.390

28.110

27.900

Source: INC.

Pine Nut Production in the Far East. Kernel Basis. Metric Tons China

North Korea

2007

2008

Afghanistan

Pakistan

Russian Fed.

45.000 40.000 35.000 30.000 25.000 20.000 15.000 10.000 5.000 2004

2005

2006

2009

*Forecast. Source: INC.

The crop forecast for this season is significantly lower (down 56% from 2014/15) mainly due to the decrease of production in China, from 25,000 to 3,000 metric tons (kernel basis). In Russia, the crop is forecast at 4,050 MT, up 62% from the previous season. Demand for pine nuts is expected to remain strong, especially in China and during the Chinese New Year festivities.

60

The Cracker | July 2015

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015 *

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

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

ous season due to the weather conditions -winter warm. The country expects to increase the number of hectares planted, in order to achieve a total crop of 500,000 MT by 2020. On the other hand, Iran has reduced significantly the number of EU Rapid Alerts System for Food and Feed notifications for pistachios, from 485 alerts in 2004 to 50 in 2014.

USA / California’s 2015/16 pistachio production is forecast at 249,000 metric tons, up 6% from last year’s crop of 235,000 MT. 2014/15 was the fourth year of drought level rainfall, with around 600 hours of chill and warm conditions during the winter. Pistachios are grown in the heart of the current California drought, and continued unfavorable weather conditions makes the crop hard to predict.

TURKEY / In Turkey, the 2014/15 crop experienced a significant drop due to frost damage, and production was revised downwards to 60,000 MT, from 130,000 MT previously forecast. For 2015/16, pistachio production is expected much higher, at 120,000 MT.

IRAN / In the last five seasons, the Iranian crop has been estimated at between 160,000 and 200,000 MT. For 2014/15, the crop was around 220,000 MT; 40,000 MT of which were destined to domestic consumption.

For 2015/16, the crop is forecast at 200,000 MT, 10% lower than the previ-

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

2014/2015

2015/2016

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

USA

40.000

235.000

275.000

48.000

48.000

249.000

297.000

44.000

IRAN

10.000

220.000

230.000

5.000

5.000

200.000

205.000

10.000

TURKEY

20.000

60.000

80.000

10.000

10.000

120.000

130.000

25.000

SYRIA

0

20.000

20.000

0

0

25.000

25.000

n/a

AFGHANISTAN

0

10.000

10.000

0

0

5.000

5.000

n/a

CHINA

0

4.200

4.200

0

0

4.200

4.200

n/a

ITALY

0

2.500

2.500

0

0

2.500

2.500

n/a

GREECE

0

5.000

5.000

0

0

4.000

4.000

n/a

AUSTRALIA TOTAL

0

1.150

1.150

0

0

1.150

1.150

n/a

70.000

557.850

627.850

63.000

63.000

610.850

673.850

79.000

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

564.850

594.850

Source: INC.

US Pistachio Industry Saleable Supply. 1000 MT Yielded Carry-in Supply

Yielded New Crop

300 240 180

257

120

162

60 0

66

98

19

9

1999

2000

65 31 2001

126 10 2002

48 47 2003

141

6 2004

105 35 2005

89

174 116

59

46

55

2006

2007

2008

147

211

31

18

2009

2010

62 2011

220

187

204

34

46

35

2012

2013

178

44

44

2014 2015 Low 2015 High

Source: Pistachios Round Table, 2015 World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress; Administrative Committee for Pistachios (ACP).

July 2015 | The Cracker

61

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Walnuts · Nuez · Noix · Noce · Walnuss · Ceviz USA / California’s 2015/16 walnut crop is forecast at 544,300 metric tons in-shell, up 6% from last year’s crop. Despite the lack of chilling hours and the drought in California, the 2014/15 walnut crop was estimated at the record level of 515,761 MT. The 2015 Walnut Objective Measurement Survey, officially conducted by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, is scheduled for September 3, 2015.

CHINA / China produces an annual harvest of around 500,000 MT in-shell, being 540,000 MT the forecast for 2015/16. If realized, that would be up 2% from last year’s crop of 530,000 MT. In 1999, 80% of the walnuts produced in China were exported, however, in 2014, with

a total production four times bigger than in 1999, domestic consumption has surpassed the exports.

IRAN / The crop in Iran in season 2015/16 is forecast at 97,000 MT in-shell (42,680 MT kernel equivalent), that is, 8% higher than in 2014/15.

UKRAINE / Ukraine registered an important growth in the last years. The crop for this season is forecast at 84,000 MT, up 47% from last year’s crop, and it is targeted to produce 150,000 MT by 2020.

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

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK 16.990 4.000 0 0 0 250 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21.240

CROP 227.207 212.000 39.600 22.800 30.000 32.500 16.720 14.000 15.505 10.800 6.400 6.000 4.500 3.500 641.532

TOTAL SUPPLY 244.197 216.000 39.600 22.800 30.000 32.750 16.720 14.000 15.505 10.800 6.400 6.000 4.500 3.500 662.772

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

2015/2016

ENDING STOCK 39.964 8.000 0 0 1.600 1.000 440 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 51.004

BEGINNING STOCK 39.964 8.000 0 0 1.600 1.000 440 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 51.004

CROP 239.779 216.000 42.680 33.600 30.400 39.000 17.600 14.737 15.062 11.600 7.600 6.214 4.500 2.763 681.535

TOTAL SUPPLY 279.743 224.000 42.680 33.600 32.000 40.000 18.040 14.737 15.062 11.600 7.600 6.214 4.500 2.763 732.539

626.968

ENDING STOCK 31.938 10.000 0 0 1.200 1.500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 44.638 687.901

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

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK 38.568 10.000 0 0 4.000 500 1.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 54.068

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock) Source: INC.

62

The Cracker | July 2015

CROP 515.761 530.000 90.000 57.000 75.000 65.000 38.000 38.000 35.000 27.000 16.000 14.000 10.000 9.500 1.520.261

TOTAL SUPPLY 554.329 540.000 90.000 57.000 79.000 65.500 39.000 38.000 35.000 27.000 16.000 14.000 10.000 9.500 1.574.329

2015/2016

ENDING STOCK 90.718 20.000 0 0 4.000 2.000 1.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 117.718 1.456.611

BEGINNING STOCK 90.718 20.000 0 0 4.000 2.000 1.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 117.718

CROP 544.300 540.000 97.000 84.000 76.000 78.000 40.000 40.000 34.000 29.000 19.000 14.500 10.000 7.500 1.613.300

TOTAL SUPPLY 635.018 560.000 97.000 84.000 80.000 80.000 41.000 40.000 34.000 29.000 19.000 14.500 10.000 7.500 1.731.018

ENDING STOCK 72.500 25.000 0 0 3.000 3.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 103.500 1.627.518

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Peanuts · Cacahuete · Cacahuète · Arachide · Erdnuss · Yer Fistigi Estimated World Peanuts Production. In Shell Basis. 1000 Metric Tons 2014/2015

COUNTRY

2015/2016

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

CROP

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

500 141 n/a 843 511 40 73 46 n/a 36 n/a 27 n/a 14 256

16.500 4.800 3.000 2.363 1.050 1.150 725 473 440 330 150 100 90 75 7.500

17.000 4.941 3.000 3.206 1.561 1.190 798 519 440 366 150 127 90 89 7.756

300 51 n/a 838 431 30 63 39 n/a 40 5 19 n/a 15 352

300 51 n/a 838 431 30 63 39 n/a 40 5 19 n/a 15 352

17.490 5.400 3.000 2.620 1.283 1.130 725 485 440 337 150 105 90 66 7.500

17.790 5.451 3.000 3.458 1.714 1.160 788 524 440 377 155 124 90 81 7.852

600 92 n/a 994 550 28 43 n/a n/a 40 3 25 n/a 5 350

2.487

38.746

41.233

2.183

2.183

40.821

43.004

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

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

2.730

39.050

40.274

Source: China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Exports of Foostsuffs (CCCFNA), The Peanut Institute, American Peanut Shellers Association and other INC sources.

US Peanut Supply and Disappearance. 1000 Metric Tons YEAR BEGIN. AUG. 1 2013/14* 2014/15** 2015/16** Production

SUPPLY

BEGINNING STOCKS 1.257 843 856

DISAPPEARANCE

PRODUCTION

IMPORTS

TOTAL

1.893 2.363 2.619

40 36 39

3.190 3.242 3.514

DOMESTIC FOOD 1.309 1.344 1.385

Total Supply

CRUSH 301 300 327

EXPORTS

TOTAL

497 503 515

2.347 2.386 2.482

3.577

3.514 3.190

2.673

2.388

2.715 2.463 3.068

2006/07

1.675

1.666

2007/08

2008/09

2.619

2.363

2.341 1.571

ENDING STOCKS 843 856 1.032

3.242

2.848 2.582

SEED & RESIDUAL 240 238 254

2009/10

1.886

2010/11

1.893

1.660

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14(*)

2014/15(**)

2015/16(**)

(*) Estimated. (**) Forecast. Last update: June 22, 2015. Sources: USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Crop Production and Peanut Stocks and Processing, and U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Statistics.

World production of peanuts is expected to increase 5% in 2015/16, from 38.7 million metric tons to 40.8 million MT (in-shell), mainly due to larger crops in top exporting countries (India, China, Argentina, and USA). Demand of peanuts is increasing, although not at the same clip as supply, which has been highly variable over the last ten years. Ending stocks are expected to increase, from 2.2 million MT in 2014/15 to 2.7 million MT in 2015/16.

CHINA / The peanut crop in China this season 2015/16 is expected to yield 17.5 million MT (in-shell basis), that is, 6% more than the previous season. With a beginning stock of 300,000 MT, the total supply is projected at 17.8 million MT (41% of world supply).

While farmers have responded to lower returns by reducing acreage, domestic consumption of peanut oil is increasing. The main issue for the industry is the future of Chinese imports.

USA / The US is forecasting a significant increase in peanut plantings, as relative prices of cotton, corn and soybeans fell. This season, the crop is expected to increase 11% over 2014/15, achieving a total of 2.6 million MT (in-shell). Since 2000, US peanut consumption has increased by 34.5%. Domestic consumption is currently estimated at 2.7kg per capita.

ARGENTINA / This season’s good weather is expected to bring a record number of 1.28 million MT (in-shell). That is up 22% from the previous year. Although the country ranks number 5 in peanut production in the world market, Argentina is the second exporter on average (2009-2013), behind India and before the US.

July 2015 | The Cracker

63

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Dates · Dátil · Datte · Dattero · Dattel · Hurma World production of table dates in season 2015/16 is forecast at 786,500 MT, which means a growth of 4% compared to 2014/15.

Around 90% of the world production is consumed within the producing countries and only 10% is consumed outside due to the high local demand. Asia is the main destination (68% of world imports on average), being India the largest importer. Europe and Africa are the second and third larger importers respectively, being Europe already a mature market. South-Eastern Asia and the USA are two emerging markets. US imports have increased significantly over the last years, as national production does not cover the demand.

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

2014/2015

2015/2016

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

17.000 7.000 8.000 5.000 4.500 3.000 2.000 1.500 3.000 2.000 500 1.500 1.000 100 3.500

185.000 90.000 85.000 80.000 75.000 70.000 40.000 25.000 20.000 15.000 10.000 10.000 15.000 1.000 35.000

202.000 97.000 93.000 85.000 79.500 73.000 42.000 26.500 23.000 17.000 10.500 11.500 16.000 1.100 38.500

18.000 8.000 7.000 4.000 5.000 2.000 2.500 1.000 2.500 3.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 50 4.000

18.000 8.000 7.000 4.000 5.000 2.000 2.500 1.000 2.500 3.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 50 4.000

190.000 100.000 90.000 85.000 80.000 60.000 40.000 28.000 25.000 16.000 15.000 12.000 10.000 500 35.000

208.000 108.000 97.000 89.000 85.000 62.000 42.500 29.000 27.500 19.000 16.000 13.000 11.000 550 39.000

17.000 8.500 6.500 4.500 5.500 1.500 2.000 1.500 2.500 3.500 1.500 1.000 1.000 100 4.000

59.600

756.000

815.600

60.050

60.050

786.500

846.550

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

755.550

60.600 785.950

Source: INC.

Dried Apricots · Orejón · Abricot Sec · Albicocca Secca · Getrocknete Aprikose · Kuru Kayisi World production of dried apricots is predicted to reach 166,546 MT in season 2015/16, up 90% from last year’s crop of only 88,129 MT, which was severely damaged by frost in Turkey. Exports from Turkey are expected to pick up with the new crop. The main challenge for the industry is to cover the increasing demand, not only in Turkey but also in China.

Estimated World Dried Apricots Production. Metric Tons COUNTRY

2014/2015

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

50.000

10.000

60.000

5.000

5.000

90.000

95.000

20.000

0

25.000

25.000

0

0

25.000

25.000

0

UZBEKISTAN

n/a

9.000

9.000

n/a

n/a

8.500

8.500

n/a

TURKEY IRAN CHINA

500

5.500

6.000

300

300

5.000

5.300

n/a

AFGHANISTAN

n/a

4.583

4.583

n/a

n/a

4.000

4.000

n/a

USA

n/a

2.000

2.000

n/a

n/a

2.000

2.000

n/a

SOUTH AFRICA

220

1.446

1.666

0

0

1.446

1.446

n/a n/a

AUSTRALIA

n/a

600

600

0

0

600

600

OTHERS

n/a

30.000

30.000

n/a

n/a

30.000

30.000

n/a

50.720

88.129

138.849

5.300

5.300

166.546

171.846

20.000

WORLD TOTAL

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock) Source: INC.

64

2015/2016

The Cracker | July 2015

133.549

151.846

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW 小红莓 · Arándano

Mirtillo Rosso · Keçiyemisi

Dried Cranberries

The North American cranberry crop is expecting a good harvest. The sweetened dried cranberries will be in balance for the 2015-2016 market share. At the time of writing this report, the European and Asian markets were buoyant with early inquiries.

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

2014/2015

2015/2016

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

17.000 3.000 250

125.000 20.000 7.000

142.000 23.000 7.250

10.000 2.000 0

10.000 2.000 0

130.000 15.000 8.000

140.000 17.000 8.000

12.000 1.000 0

20.250

152.000

172.250

12.000

12.000

153.000

165.000

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

160.250

13.000 152.000

Source: INC.

Dried Figs

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

World production of dried figs is forecast at 124,000 metric tons in 2015/16. Turkey is expected to lead the production with 65,000 MT. After the poor crop of 2007 in Turkey, hit by a summer heat wave, it took up to seven seasons for export volumes to reach pre-2007 levels. Export destinations shifted from Europe (74% share in 2007; 55% in 2013) to other regions like America, Asia and Oceania.

Estimated World Dried Figs Production. Metric Tons COUNTRY

2014/2015

2015/2016

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

0

69.731

69.731

0

0

65.000

65.000

0

IRAN

5.000

25.000

30.000

0

0

20.000

20.000

0

USA

n/a

10.000

10.000

n/a

n/a

10.000

10.000

n/a

TURKEY

GREECE

n/a

8.000

8.000

n/a

n/a

8.000

8.000

n/a

SPAIN

n/a

6.000

6.000

n/a

n/a

6.000

6.000

n/a

AFGHANISTAN

n/a

8.013

8.013

n/a

n/a

6.000

6.000

n/a

ITALY

n/a

4.000

4.000

n/a

n/a

4.000

4.000

n/a

OTHERS

n/a

5.000

5.000

n/a

n/a

5.000

5.000

n/a

5.000

135.744

140.744

0

0

124.000

124.000

WORLD TOTAL

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

140.744

0 124.000

Source: INC.

· Ciruela Seca · Pruneau · Prugna Secca Backpflaume · Kuru Erik · Pruna Seca

Prunes

World production of prunes is expected to increase by 13%, from 232,084 metric tons in season 2014/15 to 262,245 MT in 2015/16. This increase is primarily due to favorable crops in South America and USA. In California, after a steady decline for three years, bearing hectares increased slightly and stabilized in the past two years. A similar trend is seen in Chile. In Argentina, severe weather conditions contributed to the swings in production in the past five years. For 2015/16, production has been estimated to be 35,000 MT.

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

2014/2015

2015/2016

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

29.186 10.043 15.699 1.000 100 850 450 0

104.000 65.899 36.000 13.500 8.100 2.275 1.360 950

133.186 75.942 51.699 14.500 8.200 3.125 1.810 950

30.000 4.000 12.000 1.000 100 300 200 180

30.000 4.000 12.000 1.000 100 300 200 180

100.000 76.945 36.000 35.000 8.000 3.500 1.800 1.000

130.000 80.945 48.000 36.000 8.100 3.800 2.000 1.180

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

57.328

232.084

289.412

47.780

47.780

262.245

310.025

n/a

CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

241.632

Source: USDA, Chile Prune Associations, IPA (International Prune Association) and other INC sources.

July 2015 | The Cracker

65

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Raisins, Sultanas & Currants · Uva Pasa · Raisin Sec · Uvetta · Rosine · Kuzu Üzüm World production of raisins, sultanas and currants is set to be 1.25 million metric tons this season 2015/16, that is, down 7% from 2014/15. USA leads the production with 285,000 MT, followed by Iran (190,000 MT), Turkey and China (180,000 MT both).

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

2014/2015

2015/2016

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

BEGINNING STOCK

PRODUCTION

TOTAL SUPPLY

ENDING STOCK

USA

109.448

274.472

383.920

102.096

102.096

285.000

387.096

n/a

IRAN

10.000

180.000

190.000

15.000

15.000

190.000

205.000

n/a

TURKEY

25.000

328.000

353.000

45.000

45.000

180.000

225.000

15.000

0

180.000

180.000

2.500

2.500

180.000

182.500

n/a

INDIA

0

135.000

135.000

0

0

135.000

135.000

n/a

CHILE

7.350

65.000

72.350

7.600

7.600

70.000

77.600

n/a

SOUTH AFRICA

3.500

46.000

49.500

3.500

3.500

56.000

59.500

n/a

n/a

34.000

34.000

n/a

n/a

50.000

50.000

n/a

0

27.250

27.250

2.000

2.000

35.000

37.000

n/a

n/a

35.594

35.594

n/a

n/a

32.000

32.000

n/a

CHINA

UZBEKISTAN ARGENTINA AFGHANISTAN GREECE

5.000

27.000

32.000

0

0

27.000

27.000

0

AUSTRALIA

1.450

12.250

13.700

0

0

11.000

11.000

n/a

161.748

1.344.566

1.506.314

177.696

177.696

1.251.000

1.428.696

15.000

TOTAL

WORLD CONSUMPTION (T. Supply - End. Stock)

1.328.618

Source: INC.

The Raisin Industry in China / China’s 2015/16 raisin production is expected to reach 180,000 MT, the same as in 2014/15. Sultana raisins account for 28% of total production; the rest are mainly green raisins. Raisins are consumed as a traditional snack since AD 535, however the modern Chinese raisin industry was established only about ten years ago, transitioning from labor-intensive to mechanical automation. Compared to mature countries like Turkey and the United States, the Chinese raisin industry was small and undeveloped. Domestic demand for high quality products has increased rapidly, as well as the options available to consumers. Likewise, the bakery industry has grown rapidly in the last three years, bringing new opportunities to the industry.

66

The Cracker | July 2015

GLOBAL STATISTICAL REVIEW

Special Report: Demand in Europe & Supply-chain Linkage Source: Cashews Satellite Meeting, 2015 World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress.

Absolute Value Growth SNACK NUTS MAT 14 : MAT13 in Mio. EUR Germany has more than 50% share ABSOLUTE VALUE GROWTH 133

Europe Total: + 254 Mio EUR

27

24

19

12

10

8

5

4

4

4

3

3

2

2

2

1

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

-2

-5

-4

Volume Development SNACK NUTS MAT14 : MAT13 Germany IS THE ONLY MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO ABSOLUTE GROWTH 7 countries with NEGATIVE VOLUME DEVELOPMENT 15,743

Europe Total: +19,318 MT

93

93

85

81

69

47

2

0

Po

la n

d

1,514 735 718 662 618 511 497 398 353 320 299 283 114

-74 -125 -204 -687 -1,157 -1,669

Snack Nuts Segments - Volume Share

Snack Nuts Segments - Value Share

Europe 28 Countries

Europe 28 Countries

4 12.5

3.9 11.8

3.8 10.7

41.7

41.6

UNDEFINED

41.8

3.6 10.3

3.6 9.6

3.4 8.9

26.8

27.2

26.1

SEEDS

SEEDS

PEANUTS NOBLE NUTS

UNDEFINED PEANUTS

42.7

42.9

44.5

MIXES

NOBLE NUTS MIXES

27.6

28.2

29.1

14

14.3

14.9

16.7

16.7

17.1

MAT 12

MAT 13

MAT 14

MAT 12

MAT 13

MAT 14

July 2015 | The Cracker

67

GERMANY FRANCE GREAT BRITAIN NETHERLANDS SPAIN NORWAY BELGIUM ITALY AUSTRIA PORTUGAL POLAND GREECE ROMANIA BULGARIA SLOVENIA CROATIA LATVIA ESTONIA LITHUANIA

GERMANY FRANCE GREAT BRITAIN NETHERLANDS SPAIN NORWAY BELGIUM ITALY AUSTRIA PORTUGAL POLAND GREECE ROMANIA BULGARIA SLOVENIA CROATIA LATVIA ESTONIA LITHUANIA

878 906 665 501 367 400 291 220 179 74 47 17 5 5

-11.3 -16 -9.3

-23.7

68

39,696

19,098 16,461 12,612 11,608 8,944 6,277 5,708 4,637 3,500 2,862 1,272 1,000 199 90 88

GERMANY FRANCE GREAT BRITAIN NETHERLANDS SPAIN -4.5 NORWAY BELGIUM ITALY AUSTRIA PORTUGAL POLAND GREECE ROMANIA BULGARIA SLOVENIA CROATIA LATVIA ESTONIA LITHUANIA

GERMANY FRANCE GREAT BRITAIN NETHERLANDS SPAIN NORWAY BELGIUM ITALY AUSTRIA -9.5 PORTUGAL POLAND GREECE ROMANIA -7.2 BULGARIA -3.3 SLOVENIA CROATIA LATVIA ESTONIA LITHUANIA

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13,189

5,950

4,353

3,035

1,763

147,086

86,676

63,675

All Countries 32,844 MT France and Germany dominating with MORE THAN 50% share

2.9

5.9

7.6

13.2

All Countries +8.2% Value growth of cashews across Europe is again remarkable. Germany leads the growth with +13.8% value growth

8.3 16.3

5.1

13.9 32.9 41.4

3

5.9 32.3

21.1

2.9 3.4 2.2

51.3

21.8

5.8 6.9

All Countries +12.0% Germany leads the growth with +21.8% volume

9.3 17.4 17

42 50.8 3.5 28.9

38.8 61.6

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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

2014, THE YEAR OF META-ANALYSES

By Andrés Díaz-López1, Nuria Rosique-Esteban1 and Jordi Salas-Salvadó1 1 Human Nutrition Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, IISPV, Rovira i Virgili University, Reus, Spain. CIBEROBN, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.

The number of new investigations focusing on the study of different health problems is increasing rapidly. Therefore, when it comes to address a particular aspect, it is common to encounter several experimental studies which try to answer it. In this context, systematic reviews and meta-analyses gather systematic, objective and scientific methodology to quantitatively review a number of primary investigations addressing similar topics.

Currently, they both represent a fundamental tool to reliably summarize scientific evidence while increasing the validity of those conclusions drawn from single-experimental studies. Additionally, they also serve to easily identify any future prospects where new investigating efforts should be united. Furthermore, they are considered the highest scientific evidence, thus playing a fundamental role in any clinical decision-making within the context of the Evidence-Based Clinical Practice.

Nonetheless, not all meta-analyses may be considered as the highest evidence for a certain health problem. Importantly, their validity largely relies on its methodological quality as well as on the quality of those experimental studies included. Particularly, meta-analyses including high quality randomized-control trials (RCT) -with an adequate randomization of the study participants and following a double blinded design- represent highly reliable evidence to best decide the most suitable and convenient treatment programs for specifics health problems.

The year 2014 held the greatest number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses evaluating the relationship between tree nuts and risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), type II diabetes (T2D) and all-cause mortality. For instance, two systematic reviews and meta-analyses from RCT´s1,2 from the research groups led by Prof. Jenkins DJ and Prof.

Sievenpiper JL (Canada) concluded that tree nuts intake improve glycemic control in diabetic patients, and provide beneficial effects on the metabolic syndrome by slightly reducing fasting glucose and triglycerides. Another recent meta-analysis from RCT´s3 carried out by groups of Dr. Mohammadifard N (Iran) and Prof. Salas-Salvadó J (Spain) clearly showed that tree nut intake reduced systolic blood pressure in non-diabetic patients. Seven other systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been published including a substantial number of large prospective-cohort studies4-10. Of those, six meta-analyses carried out by Ma et al.4(China), Shi et al.5(China), Grosso et al.6(Italy), Zhou et al.7(China), Luo et al.8(China), and Afshin et al.9(USA) evidenced a protective effect of tree nuts intake for the prevention of CVD, all-cause mortality and cancer mortality; whereas the results for the prevention of T2D remained inconclusive in the last three studies. Lastly, one recent meta-analysis from Guo et al.10(China) concluded that intake of more than 2 servings/week of tree nuts was inversely associated to risk for hypertension, but not for T2D. In conclusion, both systematic reviews and meta-analyses are currently a widely consolidated methodology to apply in all disciplines of Health Sciences. Despite its strict methodology and highly controlled quality process to avoid biased conclusions, the final results should be carefully interpreted.

These meta-analysis analyzing the effect of nuts on health adds an unprecedented quality of evidence of the beneficial effects of nut consumption, and can be used to change current Dietary Guidelines and to substantiate Health Claims.

5.

REFERENCES 1.

2.

3.

4.

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Viguiliouk E, Kendall CW, Blanco Mejia S, et al. Effect of tree nuts on glycemic control in diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled dietary trials. PLoS One. 2014 Jul 30;9(7):e103376.

Blanco Mejia S, Kendall CW, Viguiliouk E, et al. Effect of tree nuts on metabolic syndrome criteria: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ Open. 2014 Jul 29;4(7):e004660.

Mohammadifard N, Salehi-Abargouei A, Salas-Salvadó J, Guasch-Ferré M, Humphries K, Sarrafzadegan N. The effect of tree nut, peanut, and soy nut consumption on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 May;101(5):966-82.

Ma L, Wang F, Guo W, Yang H, Liu Y, Zhang W. Nut consumption and the risk of coronary artery disease: a dose-response meta-analysis of 13 prospective studies.

Thromb Res. 2014 Oct;134(4):790-4.

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Zhou D, Yu H, He F, et al. Nut consumption in relation to cardiovascular disease risk and type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Jul;100(1):270-7.

6. Luo C, Zhang Y, Ding Y, et al. Nut consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Jul;100(1):256-69.

7. Afshin A, Micha R, Khatibzadeh S, Mozaffarian D. Consumption of nuts and legumes and risk of incident ischemic heart disease, stroke, and diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Jul;100(1):278-88.

8. Grosso G, Yang J, Marventano S, Micek A, Galvano F, Kales SN. Nut consumption on all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Apr;101(4):783-93.

9. Shi ZQ, Tang JJ, Wu H, Xie CY, He ZZ. Consumption of nuts and legumes and risk of stroke: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2014 Dec;24(12):1262-71.

10. Guo K, Zhou Z, Jiang Y, Li W, Li Y. Meta-analysis of prospective studies on the effects of nut consumption on hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus. J Diabetes.

2015 Mar;7(2):202-12.

INC WORLD FORUM FOR NUTRITION RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATION

2015 INC AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH

By Jeffrey B. Blumberg, PhD, FASN, FACN, CNS-S

Modern human nutrition research on tree nuts has dramatically transformed the perception -and the consumption- of these important and healthful foods. Just three decades ago nuts were generally perceived like candy, a fun food to be eaten occasionally and only in limited amounts.

Eating too many nuts was presumed to add extra fat calories to your diet and extra pounds to your weight. Since then, an emerging body of solid scientific evidence has been published, much of it in highly respected journals, and translated into practical advice by dietitians and other healthcare professionals as well as the popular media.

Nuts are now recognized as one of our most nutritional foods, containing high amounts of vegetable protein and unsaturated fatty acids. In addition, nuts are now generally understood to be useful sources of vitamins (including vitamins E, B6, folate, and niacin) and minerals (calcium, magnesium, and potassium) as well as critical phytochemicals (including fiber, phytosterols, and polyphenols). Both observational studies and clinical trials have consistently shown that tree nuts are associated with modest but consistent reductions in blood pressure, serum cholesterol, and biomarkers of inflammation and improvements in blood glucose control and cardiovascular function. Recently, some studies have suggested that tree nut consumption may also improve cognitive function and benefit people with Metabolic Syndrome. Examinations of large scale prospective cohorts have recently suggested that the frequency of nut consumption is associated with a decrease in total and cause-specific mortality, independently of other predictors of death.

My colleagues and I in the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University have been investigating the role of tree nuts for over 15 years. Our early efforts were focused on analytical methods for the determination of flavonoids and other polyphenols in tree nuts. We then used this capability to identify and characterize the phytochemical profiles of different

cultivars, different growing regions, and different harvest years. This work has contributed to the information now available in nutrient databases in America and Europe. These methods were equally useful in our studies of the absorption and metabolism of these compounds which we have conducted in cell cultures, animal models, and human studies. We have also worked to understand the mechanisms of action of tree nuts and the synergy that appears to exist between constituents in the skin, nutmeat, and oil. For example, we have found a synergistic antioxidant effect between the polyphenols found in nut skins and the vitamin E found in nut oil. While this fundamental research is still ongoing, we are also exploring the bioactivity of tree nuts in healthy older adults as well as in patients with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. In addition to substantiating the benefits of nuts on critical risk factors of age-related chronic diseases such as cognitive performance, glucose control, dyslipidemia, inflammation, and oxidative stress, we are confirming the work of others demonstrating an overall improvement in the quality of the diet associated with the addition of tree nuts. Of course, research efforts today are rarely insular and we have been fortunate to be able to collaborate and interact extensively with colleagues in Asia and Europe, often hosting visiting scientists who return home to continue their work on tree nuts.

“We should now move toward clearer, foodbased advice and advocate for dietary guidance that explicitly recommends nuts along with whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.”

It is interesting to look at the recent nutritional history of nuts and health.

At the beginning of the 20th century in the United States, nuts were recommended as a good source of protein (with little carbohydrate) for people with diabetes. During World War II, nuts were suggested to everyone in place of meat as a protein source. In the following 45 years, broad admonitions against nuts came to the fore as a way for people to comply with recommendations for low-fat diets. The combined efforts of government and industry in supporting nut research during the last 20 years, from the seminal work of David Jenkins in Canada to the landmark PREDIMED trial by Emilio Ros et al in Spain, has created an unequivocal success in supporting the important contribution that nuts can make to human nutrition. Nuts are now fully recognized as part of a healthy dietary pattern along with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seafood, and legumes.

However, nuts still often lack the necessary visibility as a healthy choice when classified as a “protein food” along with meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and soy. Nutrition research has provided clear evidence that we should now move toward clearer, food-based advice and advocate for dietary guidance that explicitly recommends nuts along with whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

July 2015 | The Cracker

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INC WORLD FORUM FOR NUTRITION RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATION

NEW SCIENTIFIC STUDIES HEALTH AND NUTRITION

JAMA Intern Med. 2015 May 11.

MEDITERRANEAN DIET AND AgERELATED COgNITIvE DECLINE: A RANDOMIzED CLINICAL TRIAL. Valls-Pedret C, Sala-Vila A, Serra-Mir M, Corella D, de la Torre R, Martínez-González MÁ, Martínez-Lapiscina EH, Fitó M, Pérez-Heras A, Salas-Salvadó J, Estruch R, Ros E.

IMPORTANCE: Oxidative stress and vascular impairment are believed to partly mediate age-related cognitive decline, a strong risk factor for development of dementia. Epidemiologic studies suggest that a Mediterranean diet, an antioxidant-rich cardioprotective dietary pattern, delays cognitive decline, but clinical trial evidence is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether a Mediterranean diet supplemented with antioxidant-rich foods influences cognitive function compared with a control diet. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Parallel-group randomized clinical trial of 447 cognitively healthy volunteers from Barcelona, Spain (233 women [52.1%]; mean age, 66.9 years), at high cardiovascular risk were enrolled into the Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea nutrition intervention trial from October 1, 2003, through December 31, 2009. All patients underwent neuropsychological assessment at inclusion and were offered retesting at the end of the study.

INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomly assigned to a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extravirgin olive oil (1 L/ wk), a Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts (30 g/d), or a control diet (advice to reduce dietary fat). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Rates of cognitive change over time based on a neuropsychological test battery: Mini-Mental State Examination, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Animals Semantic Fluency, Digit Span subtest from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Verbal Paired Associates from the Wechsler Memory Scale, and the Color Trail Test. We used mean z scores of change in each test to construct 3 cognitive composites: memory, frontal (attention and executive function), and global. RESULTS: Follow-up cognitive tests were available in 334 participants after intervention (median, 4.1 years).

In multivariate analyses adjusted for confounders, participants allocated to a Mediterranean diet plus olive oil scored better on the RAVLT (P = .049) and Color Trail Test part 2 (P = .04) compared with controls; no between-group differences were observed for the other cognitive tests. Similarly adjusted cognitive composites (mean z scores with 95% CIs) for changes above baseline of the memory composite were 0.04 (−0.09 to 0.18) for the Mediterranean diet plus olive oil, 0.09 (−0.05 to 0.23; P = .04 vs controls) for the

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Mediterranean diet plus nuts, and −0.17 (−0.32 to −0.01) for the control diet. Respective changes from baseline of the frontal cognition composite were 0.23 (0.03 to 0.43; P = .003 vs controls), 0.03 (−0.25 to 0.31), and −0.33 (−0.57 to −0.09). Changes from baseline of the global cognition composite were 0.05 (−0.11 to 0.21; P = .005 vs controls) for the Mediterranean diet plus olive oil, −0.05 (−0.27 to 0.18) for the Mediterranean diet plus nuts, and −0.38 (−0.57 to −0.18) for the control diet. All cognitive composites significantly (P < .05) decreased from baseline in controls. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In an older population, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts is associated with improved cognitive function.

Eur J Clin Nutr. 2015 May 6.

NUT CONSUMpTION AND RISk OF COLORECTAL CANCER IN WOMEN. Yang M, Hu FB, Giovannucci EL, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, Fuchs CS, Wu K, Bao Y.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Increasing nut consumption has been associated with reduced risk of obesity and type II diabetes, the risk factors for colorectal cancer. However, the association between nut consumption and colorectal cancer risk is unclear. We aimed to examine the association of long-term nut consumption with risk of colorectal cancer. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We prospectively followed 75 680 women who were free of cancer at baseline in the Nurses’ Health Study, and examined the association between nut consumption and colorectal cancer risk. Nut consumption was assessed at baseline and updated every 2-4 years. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: During 2 103 037 person-years of follow-up, we identified 1503 colorectal cancer cases. After adjustment for other known or suspected risk factors, women who consumed nuts 2 or more times per week (that is, ⩾56 g per week) had a 13% lower risk of colorectal cancer compared with those who rarely consumed nuts, but the association was not statistically significant (RR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.72-1.05; P-trend: 0.06).

No association was observed for peanut butter. CONCLUSIONS: In this large prospective cohort of women, frequent nut consumption was not significantly associated with colorectal cancer risk after adjusting for other risk factors.

INC WORLD FORUM FOR NUTRITION RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATION

Nutr Rev. 2015 Jul:73(7):409-425.

NUT CONSUMpTION AND RISk OF CANCER AND TYpE 2 DIAbETES: A SYSTEMATIC REvIEW AND METAANALYSIS. Wu L, Wang Z, Zhu J, Murad AL, Prokop LJ, Murad MH.

Context: The identification of foods that can decrease the risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes may be helpful in reducing the burden of these diseases. Although nut consumption has been suggested to have a disease-preventive role, current evidence remains inconsistent. Objective: The aim of this systematic review and metaanalysis was to clarify the association between nut consumption and risk of cancer or type 2 diabetes. Data Sources: Six databases were searched for relevant studies from the time of database inception to August 2014. Reference lists of relevant review articles were hand searched, and authors were contacted when data were insufficient.

Study Selection: Eligible studies included epidemiological studies (case–control and cohort) or clinical trials that reported an association between nut consumption and the outcome of type 2 diabetes or specific cancers. Data Extraction: Two investigators independently extracted descriptive, quality, and risk data from included studies. Data Synthesis: Random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool relative risks from the included studies. The I2 statistic was used to assess heterogeneity. A total of 36 eligible observational studies, which included 30 708 patients, were identified. The studies had fair methodological quality, and length of follow-up ranged between 4.6 years and 30 years. Comparison of the highest category of nut consumption with the lowest category revealed significant associations between nut consumption and decreased risk of colorectal cancer (3 studies each with separate estimates for males and females, RR 0.76, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 0.61–0.96), endometrial cancer (2 studies, RR 0.58, 95%CI 0.43– 0.79), and pancreatic cancer (1 study, RR 0.68, 95%CI 0.48–0.96).

No significant association was found with other cancers or type 2 diabetes. Overall, nut consumption was significantly associated with a reduced risk of cancer incidence (RR 0.85, 95%CI 0.76–0.95).

Conclusions: Nut consumption may play a role in reducing cancer risk. Additional studies are needed to more accurately assess the relationship between nut consumption and the prevention of individual types of cancer, given the scarcity of available data.

Int. J. Epidemiol. 2015 June.

RELATIONSHIp OF TREE NUT, pEANUT AND pEANUT bUTTER INTAkE WITH TOTAL AND CAUSE-SpECIFIC MORTALITY: A COHORT STUDY AND META-ANALYSIS. Van den Brandt PA, Schouten LJ.

BACKGROUND: Nut intake has been associated with lower mortality, but few studies have investigated causes of death other

than cardiovascular disease, and dose-response relationships remain unclear. METHODS: We investigated the relationship of nut (tree nut, peanut) and peanut butter intake with overall and cause-specific mortality. In the Netherlands Cohort Study, 120 852 men and women aged 55-69 years provided information on dietary and lifestyle habits in 1986. Mortality follow-up until 1996 consisted of linkage to Statistics Netherlands. Multivariate case-cohort analyses were based on 8823 deaths and 3202 subcohort members with complete data on nuts and potential confounders. We also conducted meta-analyses of our results with those published from other cohort studies. RESULTS: Total nut intake was related to lower overall and cause-specific mortality (cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular, respiratory, neurodegenerative diseases, other causes) in men and women. When comparing those consuming 0.1-<5, 5-<10 and 10+ g nuts/day with nonconsumers, multivariable hazard ratios for total mortality were 0.88, 0.74 and 0.77 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.66-0.89], respectively (Ptrend = 0.003). Cause-specific hazard ratios comparing 10+ vs 0 g/day varied from 0.56 for neurodegenerative to 0.83 for cardiovascular disease mortality. Restricted cubic splines showed nonlinear dose-response relationships with mortality. Peanuts and tree nuts were inversely related to mortality, whereas peanut butter was not. In meta-analyses, summary hazard ratios for highest vs lowest nut consumption were 0.85 for cancer, and 0.71 for respiratory mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Nut intake was related to lower overall and cause-specific mortality, with evidence for nonlinear dose-response relationships. Peanut butter was not related to mortality.

Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2015 May 1.

bENEFITS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET: INSIgHTS FROM THE pREDIMED STUDY. Martínez-González MA, Salas-Salvadó J, Estruch R, Corella D D, Fitó M, Ros E; PREDIMED INVESTIGATORS.

The PREDIMED (PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea) multicenter, randomized, primary prevention trial assessed the long-term effects of the Mediterranean diet (MeDiet) on clinical events of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We randomized 7447 men and women at high CVD risk into three diets: MeDiet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), MeDiet supplemented with nuts, and control diet (advice on a low-fat diet). No energy restriction and no special intervention on physical activity were applied. We observed 288 CVD events (a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke or CVD death) during a median time of 4.8 years; hazard ratios were 0.70 (95% CI, 0.53-0.91) for the MeDiet+EVOO

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and 0.70 (CI, 0.53-0.94) for the MeDiet+nuts compared to the control group. Respective hazard ratios for incident diabetes (273 cases) among 3541 non-diabetic participants were 0.60 (0.430.85) and 0.82 (0.61-1.10) for MeDiet+EVOO and MeDiet+nuts, respectively versus control. Significant improvements in classical and emerging CVD risk factors also supported a favorable effect of both MeDiets on blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, lipid profiles, lipoprotein particles, inflammation, oxidative stress, and carotid atherosclerosis. In nutrigenomic studies beneficial effects of the intervention with MedDiets showed interactions with several genetic variants (TCF7L2, APOA2, MLXIPL, LPL, FTO, M4CR, COX-2, GCKR and SERPINE1) with respect to intermediate and final phenotypes.

Thus, the PREDIMED trial provided strong evidence that a vegetable-based MeDiet rich in unsaturated fat and polyphenols can be a sustainable and ideal model for CVD prevention.

study suggests that pistachios (MD: -0.80; 95% CI: -1.43, -0.17; P = 0.01) and mixed nuts (MD: -1.19; 95% CI: -2.35, -0.03; P = 0.04) have a significant reducing effect on DBP. We found no significant changes in DBP after the consumption of other nuts. CONCLUSIONS: Total nut consumption lowered SBP in participants without type 2 diabetes. Pistachios seemed to have the strongest effect on reducing SBP and DBP. Mixed nuts also reduced DBP.

Nutrition 2015; May;31(5); 678-85.

EFFECT OF pISTACHIO NUT CONSUMpTION ON ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION AND ARTERIAL STIFFNESS. Kasliwal RR, Bansal M, Mehrotra R, Yeptho KP, Trehan N.

Am J Clin Nutr 2015.

THE EFFECT OF TREE NUT, pEANUT, AND SOY NUT CONSUMpTION ON bLOOD pRESSURE: A SYSTEMATIC REvIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIzED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS. Mohammadifard N, Salehi-Abarghouei A, Salas-Salvadó J, Guasch-Ferré M, Humphries K, Sarrafzadegan N.

BACKGROUND: Although several studies have assessed the effects of nut consumption (tree nuts, peanuts, and soy nuts) on blood pressure (BP), the results are conflicting. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to estimate the effect of nut consumption on BP. DESIGN: The databases MEDLINE, SCOPUS, ISI Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched for RCTs carried out between 1958 and October 2013 that reported the effect of consuming single or mixed nuts (including walnuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, peanuts, and soy nuts) on systolic BP (SBP) or diastolic BP (DBP) as primary or secondary outcomes in adult populations aged ≥18 y. Relevant articles were identified by screening the abstracts and titles and the full text. Studies that evaluated the effects for <2 wk or in which the control group ingested different healthy oils were excluded.

Mean ± SD changes in SBP and DBP in each treatment group were recorded for meta-analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-one RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Our findings suggest that nut consumption leads to a significant reduction in SBP in participants without type 2 diabetes [mean difference (MD): -1.29; 95% CI: -2.35, -0.22; P = 0.02] but not in the total population. Subgroup analyses of different nut types suggest that pistachios, but not other nuts, significantly reduce SBP (MD: -1.82; 95% CI: -2.97, -0.67; P = 0.002). Our

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OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of regular consumption of pistachio nuts on glycemic, lipid, and oxidative stress parameters. The aim of this study was to determine its effect on vascular health, which has not been adequately studied so far. METHODS: In this open label, randomized parallelgroup study, 60 adults with mild dyslipidemia were randomized to lifestyle modification (LSM) alone or LSM with consumption of 80 g (in-shell) pistachios (equivalent to 40 g or 1.5 oz shelled pistachios) daily for 3 mo. Biochemical parameters, brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation (BAFMD), and carotid-femoral and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (cfPWV and baPWV, respectively) were measured before and after the intervention.

RESULTS: At 3 mo, there was no change in any of the clinical or biochemical parameters in the LSM group. However, the patients in the pistachio group had a significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; 35.7 ± 8.8 mg/dL versus 37.8 ± 10.1 mg/dL; P = 0.04) and a reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (137.2 ± 32.6 mg/dL versus 127.6 ± 34.0 mg/dL; P = 0.02), total cholesterol (TC)-to-HDL-C ratio (5.8 ± 1.3 mg/dL versus 5.3 ± 1.1 mg/dL; P = 0.001), and fasting blood sugar (88.8 ± 7.1 mg/dL versus 86.6 ± 6.3 mg/dL; P = 0.05). Additionally, whereas LSM alone was associated with no improvement in BAFMD or PWV, individuals in the pistachio group had significant reduction in left baPWV (1261.7 ± 187.5 cm/sec versus 1192.4 ± 152.5 cm/sec; P = 0.02) and statistically nonsignificant improvement in most other parameters, including BAFMD. As a result, at 3 mo the patients in the pistachio group had lower cfPWV (770.9 ± 96.5 cm/sec versus 846.4 ± 162.0 cm/sec; P = 0.08), lower left baPWV (1192.4 ± 152.5 cm/sec versus 1326.3 ± 253.7 cm/ sec; P = 0.05), and lower average baPWV (1208.2 ± 118.4 cm/ sec versus 1295.8 ± 194.1 cm/sec; P = 0.08) compared with the LSM group. Two-way analysis of variance revealed significant

INC WORLD FORUM FOR NUTRITION RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATION

treatment effect of pistachio consumption on cfPWV, left baPWV, average baPWV, and BAFMD (P = 0.037, 0.01, 0.07, and 0.046, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates that regular consumption of pistachio nuts not only improves glycemic and lipid parameters, but also results in improvements in vascular stiffness and endothelial function. Importantly, these improvements were seen in apparently healthy individuals and with a diet (including pistachios) and exercise regimen that every adult individual is expected to follow.

diet. Our results indicate that changes in the miRNA expression profiles likely affect target gene transcripts involved in pathways of anti-inflammation, antivascularization, antiproliferation and apoptosis. We also demonstrate the incorporation of protective fatty acids into colonic epithelium of walnut-fed mice, which may independently alter miRNA expression profiles itself. Future studies of the mechanism of widespread miRNA regulation by walnut consumption are needed to offer potential prognostic and therapeutic targets.

J Nutr Biochem. 2015 Apr 1.

DIETARY WALNUT SUppRESSION OF COLORECTAL CANCER IN MICE: MEDIATION bY MIRNA pATTERNS AND FATTY ACID INCORpORATION. Tsoukas MA, Ko BJ, Witte TR, Dincer F, Hardman WE, Mantzoros CS.

J Food Sci 2015; 80(3); M635-M641.

FUNCTIONAL pROpERTIES OF pEANUT FRACTIONS ON THE gROWTH OF pRObIOTICS AND FOODbORNE bACTERIAL pATHOgENS. Peng, M, Bitsko, E, & Biswas, D.

Colorectal cancer, unlike many other malignancies, may be preventable. Recent studies have demonstrated an inverse association between nut consumption and incidence of colon cancer; however, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. An emerging concept suggests that microribonucleic acids (miRNAs) may help explain the relationship between walnut consumption and decreased colorectal neoplasia risk. Seven days after HT-29 colon cancer cell injection, mice were randomized to either control or walnut diets for 25days of diet treatment. Thirty samples of tumor and of omental adipose were analyzed to determine changes in lipid composition in each dietary group. In the tumors of the walnut-containing diet, we found significant increases in ⊞-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, docosahexaenoic and total omega-3 acids, and a decrease in arachidonic acid, as compared to the control diet. Final tumor size measured at sacrifice was negatively associated with percentage of total omega-3 fatty acid composition (r=-0.641, P=.001). MicroRNA expression analysis of colorectal tumor tissue revealed decreased expression of miRNAs 1903, 467c and 3068 (P<.05) and increased expression of miRNA 297a* (P=.0059) in the walnut-treated group as compared to control

Various compounds found in peanut (Arachis hypogaea) have been shown to provide multiple benefits to human health and may influence the growth of a broad range of gut bacteria. In this study, we investigated the effects of peanut white kernel and peanut skin on 3 strains of Lactobacillus and 3 major foodborne enteric bacterial pathogens. Significant (P < 0.05) growth stimulation of Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus was observed in the presence of 0.5% peanut flour (PF) made from peanut white kernel, whereas 0.5% peanut skin extract (PSE) exerted the inhibitory effect on the growth of these beneficial microbes. We also found that within 72 h, PF inhibited growth of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EHEC), while PSE significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited Listeria monocytogenes but promoted the growth of both EHEC and Salmonella Typhimurium. The cell adhesion and invasion abilities of 3 pathogens to the host cells were also significantly (P < 0.05) reduced by 0.5% PF and 0.5% PSE. These results suggest that peanut white kernel might assist in improving human gut flora as well as reducing EHEC, whereas the beneficial effects of peanut skins require further research and investigation.

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SPECIAL REPORT

CHILEAN NUTS/DRIED FRUIT SALES EXCEED $800 MILLION IN EXPORTS The 2014 season for Chilean nuts and dehydrated fruit exports drew to a successful close thanks to the increase in export volume, the rise of the dollar, favorable weather conditions and extensive promotional work overseas, especially in Asia. On average, the industry – including prunes, walnuts, almonds, raisins and hazelnuts – grew by 19% and invoiced USD 810 million dollars. Exports for this sector are expected to reach USD 1 billion this year, making the industry one of the most important food exports in Chile.

"The work done in 2014 was very pleasing in terms of promotional work in key markets like China, South Korea, the UK and Mexico. The perspectives for this year are high export volumes, despite the difficult situation of the world’s economy, especially because of the devaluation of the Euro and other market conditions”, explains Andrés Rodríguez, chairman of the Chilean Walnut Commission (ChWC) and Executive Vice-President of Chile Prunes.

Chilean Walnuts: Focusing on Asia and the Middle-East Shelled and unshelled walnuts reach over 40 markets, and in 2014, nearly 50 thousand tons were exported, with sales totaling US$ 320 million, positioning Chile as the world’s sixth largest producer and the leading exporter of the southern hemisphere (and third overall).

“We expect our country to become the number two exporter and then set our sights on the number one spot” says Andrés Rodríguez. According to exported volume, the main markets are Turkey, with 11 thousand tons and 32% growth; Brazil, with 6,500 tons and 8% growth; Germany, with 5,500 tons and 27% growth; and South Korea, with nearly 3,500 tons and 25% growth. One of the fastest growing markets is Asia, where in 2014, strong promotional activities were carried out in China and Korea, including sales points actions, seminars targeting importers and bakeries, advertising in specialized media and presence in tradeshows, among other activities. In addition, we witnessed two major milestones: the opening of the Chinese market for Chilean shelled walnuts and the entry protocol for India.

Prunes: Strong Growth in the United States, Mexico and Brazil Prunes proved to be a very dynamic product, growing by 55% during 2014, including 64,500 exported tons and sales worth USD 233 million.

This positions Chile as the world’s number one prune exporter, with shipments to 73 countries. The best performing markets for this product were the United States, with a 784% growth and 6,500 tons; Mexico, with 6,600 tons and Brazil, with a 127% growth and nearly 5,500 tons. In Asia, the Hong Kong and Taiwan markets are showing dynamic growth, consolidating the importance of Asia for Chile’s export shipments. “In today’s worldwide scenario of low prune availability, Chile is positioning itself with reliable and steadily growing volumes, and we’re optimistic about our exports this year despite the unfavorable global economic situation”, states Andrés Rodríguez.

"The work done in 2014 was pleasing in terms of promotional work in key markets like China, South Korea, the UK and Mexico."

Promising Forecasts for 2015 Harvesting has begun for the 2015 season with some promising forecasts for the sector. Walnut harvests came 5 to 7 days earlier than last season, mainly due to high temperatures and an increase in moisture produced by the rain that fell in February. Production will maintain its upward trend, with expected production volumes set to surpass 62,000 tons, 26% more than 2014.

Regarding prunes harvests, estimations are forecasting a volume increase, adding up to nearly 77 thousand tons, according to estimates from Chile Prunes. It is worth remembering that last year’s harvest forecast (2014) was nearly 66 thousand tons.

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

an_RamonLlop.indd 1

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FSMA: THE BEGINNING CHALLENGES The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is changing the culture of the food safety system in the United States. FSMA shifts the focus of the FDA to ensuring food safety through prevention of microbial contamination rather than just reacting to the problem after it has already occurred. With new changes in food safety regulations also come new compliance challenges for the food industry. Growers, producers, harvesters and processors need to fully comprehend the rules in order to overcome the challenges associated with FSMA. The Food Safety Modernization Act will require a multitude of standards to be met and procedures to be followed in order to comply with the law, below are a few noteworthy comments to help you in your journey to FSMA compliance.

UNDERSTANDING FSMA One of the first challenges that companies will face when diving into FSMA is understanding the law and the rules which will implement it.

These include preventive controls specific requirements for imported foods, food safety inspections, the sanitary transportation of foods and compliance timelines. Establishing where each rule fits, and which rules apply to food facilities can be overwhelming at first. Doing a gap analysis is a good idea for this first challenge, as it will let a company know their current standing and what future steps to take. FDA will begin releasing the final rules this August, so readiness assessments by food companies should begin immediately, if they are not already underway. DFA of California is working to make this transition easier for the food industry by pursuing FDA-approved training on the Produce Safety and Preventive Controls Rules. This will allow DFA to offer public and onsite training, as well as consultation services, for companies needing guidance-look for these classes in the coming year!

SWITCHING TO HARPC AND DISSECTING THE SUPPLY CHAIN The Hazard Analysis and Risk Based Preventative Controls (HARPC) are in section 103 of FSMA. Food facilities that fall under FSMA also have to implement HARPC. The purpose behind the Preventive Controls Rule is to think about prevention rather than reaction. Although similar, HARPC extends beyond the 7 steps of HACCP. Since we cannot measure a hazard or risk, transitioning to a HARPC mindset will be tricky, so again the first step here is understanding what goes into HARPC. Food facilities will need to do an analysis of their suppliers, which requires awareness of products and ingredients received from suppliers and their level of risk. This is a challenge when you have to do a hazard

analysis for every ingredient used, and know the controls implemented by the supplier. Dissecting the food supply chain with large facilities that have hundreds of suppliers and ingredients will be one of the first challenges with FSMA compliance. According to Melanie Neumann, the Executive Vice President of the Acheson Group, companies need to start categorizing their suppliers based on risk. Once this is done, companies can focus on high risk suppliers and require more from them to ensure their products and facilities are safe. Completing a hazard analysis for these products and ensuring the necessary preventive controls are in place will be key to eliminating these risks from the supply chain.

RECORD KEEPING Even with record keeping there is no one-size-fits-all solution; what works for one company may not be efficient for another company.

Implementing FSMA is going to require a huge amount of documentation.

Figuring out an efficient way to track and trace records will be necessary for a smooth transition. Creating the necessary documentation will not be as great a challenge as making it easily available to regulators when they request it. FDA will need access to food safety plans and records, so it is important for a company to look at technology to automate their documentation process and make it easily searchable. Now is the time for companies to develop an efficient document retrieval system; the sooner food facilities start the more cost effective it will be for them in the long run.

Stay up-to-date on the final Food Safety Modernization Act rules with DFA. Updates and notifications will be released once the final rules are published. If you would like to be included in the updates sent out by DFA, please visit www.dfaofca.com for the latest information or email foodsafety@dfaofca.com.

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

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ALMOND INDUSTRY REBOUNDS FROM DROUGHT AND MEDIA SCRUTINY ONE RESULT OF THE SUCCESS AND SIZE OF THE CALIFORNIA ALMOND INDUSTRY IS THAT ITS WATER USE HAS COME UNDER INCREASING MEDIA ATTENTION.

of other trees: The amount of water to grow an almond tree is similar to the amount used to grow many other fruit and nut trees. The economic impacts of the almond industry and water efficiency steps almond growers are taking is also received positively.

Often, what has been reported by the media is incomplete or inaccurate.

As an example, several months ago a well-known journalist said almonds use 10% of all of California’s water. He later retracted that statement (the correct figure is 9% of California’s agricultural water, not total water), yet it still persists in the media.

Factsheets and quick-share graphics on water and almonds are available on Almonds.com/Blog and Almonds.com/Water. The Almonds and

The Almond Board of California has a dedicated team working on behalf of all almond growers and processors to help ensure accurate information is reported. This is accomplished reactively by correcting misinformation through letters to the editor, direct follow-up with reporters and journalists, comment section postings, and more.

Proactive media outreach aims to provide correct information before inaccuracies can be reported. This strategy includes meeting directly with reporters, conducting orchard tours, and offering expert interviews.

Resulting media coverage has delivered accurate, positive messages on almond growers’ water efficiency progress to date and continuing research, as well as on the substantial economic value of almonds in California.

The number of stories about almonds and the drought has dropped 50 percent from April, and balanced stories now appear regularly. The most covered topics are the amount of water it takes to grow an almond and the use of groundwater. Almond Board’s experience show that the best way to explain the amount of water almonds use is within the context

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The almond industry will continue to embrace the state’s greatest strength, diversity, form alliances and continue to work together with water and environmental experts, regulators, and policy makers on water policy that works for both those that grow food and those that eat it.

Water 101 factsheet breaks down the facts about California Almonds, agriculture and water use. There are quick-share graphics on irrigation methods, almond’s portion of ag water and developed water and a graphic on the three products produced from almond trees.

While the immense scrutiny of almonds and water use during drought has slowed, this scrutiny is not going away any time soon. With this situation, there is also opportunity. The almond industry will continue to embrace the state’s greatest strength, diversity, form alliances and continue to work together with water and environmental experts, regulators, and policy makers on water policy that works for both those that grow food and those that eat it.

ALMONDS UNLEASH THE POWER OF CHOCOLATE DEMAND FOR CHOCOLATE IS CONTINUING TO RISE GLOBALLY, WITH ALMONDS THE FASTEST GROWING INGREDIENT AMONGST NUTS.

Chocolate owes its prized aroma and flavour to a legion of volatile and non-volatile compounds both inherent in cocoa and formed during the manufacturing process.

The indulgent image of chocolate products with almonds, including The use of nuts featured in 36% of the global chocolate confectionery traditional chocolate-coated almond lines and chocolate blocks and launches recorded by Innova Market Insights in 2014. Within that, bars has been boosted with the use of premium dark, milk and white almonds were one of the most popular nut types, used in over one-third chocolate and additional ingredients, including other nuts and a wide of chocolate launches containing nuts, equivalent to 13% of chocolate variety of fruits. A review of new product activity recorded by Innova launches overall. In addition, according to the latest Global Chocolate Consumer Report from Sterling Rice Group, consumers eat chocolate 10 times per month on average, and 70% of consumers globally prefer Almonds are a quality ingredient, adding to the allure of the chocolate and almond experience, with a craveable crunch that adds excitement chocolate that contains nuts, believing it makes to chocolate. No other nut delivers such inspiring versatility as the chocolate crunchier, more nutritious and almonds have more forms than any other tree nut, and this versatility more filling1. adds to the premium qualities that almonds bring to chocolate. The Of the nut options, almonds have held the top flavour and texture possibilities provide more opportunities to delight position for inclusion in new products for seven consumers with appealing, familiar yet exciting chocolate experiences. consecutive years and new almond confectionery Think the crunch of whole almonds to the smooth satisfying experience has increased 48% in the last five years from of almond butter - pure deliciousness!

2009 to 20132. Globally, almonds are rated the best nut for taste, nutrition, crunch and satiety, Market Insights shows that nuts in general and fruits such as raspberries, and respondents are more likely to purchase almonds than any other cranberries and blueberries are all now popular accompaniments to type of nut. A recent New Global Chocolate Introductions Study from almonds in chocolate confectionery. The use of additional flavourings Innova Market Insights also highlighted that global chocolate almond has also become more popular and diverse, with new dimensions added introductions have increased faster than any other category, at 18% with ingredients such as honey, cinnamon, vanilla and even chili. ultimately, over a third of all new global chocolate introductions include Almonds similarly offer a variety of flavours. While they start out nuts, and about 40% of these include almonds3. delectably sweet right from the tree, they develop a complex signature Confectionery is the lead category for almond introductions, with a 30% taste depending on the method of preparation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; raw, roasted, toasted, share of global almond introductions in 2013. Nuts are included in over blanched or fried. According to the Global Consumer Chocolate Study, half of all chocolate products and almonds specifically account for 54% 85% of consumers who chose almonds in their ideal chocolate bar of chocolate and nut products, accounting for a whopping 31% of the stated it would be worth the additional cost.5 total market! Reflecting this, 8 of the top 10 global chocolate brands (in 1 Global Chocolate Consumer Report, Sterling Rice Group, 2014 2 retail value) now have almond versions of their products4. The taste of New Global Chocolate Introductions Study, Innova Market Insights 2014 3 New Global Chocolate Introductions Study, Innova Market Insights 2014 chocolate is affected not only by the choice of milk or dark chocolate, 4 Euromonitor International, 2013 and how it was made, but also by the elements consumed with it.

5 Global Chocolate Consumer Report, Sterling Rice Group, 2014 July 2015 | The Cracker

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APG CONTINUES TO BUILD WORLD WIDE DEMAND REACHING OUT TO HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, INFLUENTIAL CHEFS, JOURNALISTS AND CONSUMERS AROUND THE GLOBE Sports Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition Symposium APG participated at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Sports Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition Symposium (AND SCAN) in Colorado Springs, May 1-3. APG exhibited at the event and sponsored an evidence-based presentation: Beans, Seeds, Grains and Nuts: Does a PlantBased Protein Diet Offer Performance and Health Advantages for Athletes?

Liz Applegate, PhD, Director of Sports Nutrition, University of California at Davis, and a nutrition columnist for Runner’s World Magazine, presented the session. APG sample packs and samples of sport bars made with American pistachios were distributed to the sport nutritionists who visited APG’s booth.

SCAN is the largest dietetic practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Members are registered dietitians with nutrition expertise in the areas of sports, physical activity, cardiovascular health, wellness, and the prevention and treatment of eating disorders.

Identità Golose What happens when a talented “multitasking chef” meets one of the most flavorful and versatile ingredients of the international cuisine? APG Italian chef ambassador, Stefania Corrado, painted the prestigious Italian food event, Identità Golose, a delicious pistachio green with three cooking demonstrations spotlighting pistachios’ gastronomic versatility. Held from February 8-10, over 16,000 consumers, journalists and food bloggers attended the event.

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#Outofshell Recipe Contest APG and Laurel Evans of “Un’Americana in cucina” cooking blog teamed up for a recipe contest in Italy. Pistachio fans and followers shared their best sweet and savory pistachio recipes on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using the hashtags #fuoridiguscio (out of shell) and #PistachioPower. Videos showing how Laurel creates beautiful dishes with pistachios, such as an angel food cake and guacamole, were posted on APG’s Facebook page to provide inspiration to the contest participants.

About Laurel Evans Laurel Evans is “Un’americana” who lives, loves and cooks in Italy. Author, television personality, professional blogger and cooking instructor, Laurel is a seventh-generation Texan, who was raised on a traditional Texas family ranch. When she was 17 years old, she decided she wanted to learn more about her country, so she hitchhiked across the United States. Then in 2004, she expanded her travels to Europe, settling in Milan where she lived and worked at the Italian Kitchen. It is through her travels in Europe, and her employment at the Italian Kitchen that she realized how poorly U.S. foods were imitated overseas, and so her eternal quest is to convince Italians that there’s more to American food than greasy burgers and mushy fries.

Germany’s Leading Fitness Organizations Host Facebook Contest In celebration of Easter, APG teamed up with EatSmarter, Aktiv Laufen, Active Woman, and Achim Achilles’ Be-Outdoor blog for an APG Facebook Easter contest. In order to participant, fans were asked to finish the sentence: “It is spring, now I can finally… “ More than 800 pistachio lovers participated for seven baskets filled with pistachios, a Feel Good Food recipe book (more information next page) pistachio chocolate, and an Easter candle set. As a result of the cooperative effort, APG’s message reached over 230,000 Facebook fans.

WORLD INDUSTRY NEWS Feel Good Food - 5 Simple Steps for a Healthy Diet Well-known food journalists Dörte Wilke, head of food at the sports magazine Fit for Fun, and Jesko Wilke, recommend American pistachios as a healthy food in their book, Feel Good Food. Filled with healthy, nutritious and delicious foods, such as pistachios, this anti-diet book offers sensible advice on how to lose weight, without starving.

APG Media Event in Germany Combines Pistachio Power with Somatic Intelligence APG invited influential journalists from Germany’s leading culinary and lifestyle media to a press event with Chef Roberto Venturino of Star Kitchen, Hamburg, and author and health scientist, Thomas Frankenbach. The event took place on May 6 in Hamburg at Starkuche, Germany’s wellknown historical cooking studio complete with famous chefs, high-end kitchen and areas for viewing the artisans at work.

Together with Chef Roberto Venturino the guests created a culinary feast of sweet and savory dishes for the media to sample. Before the dishes were savored, author and health scientist Thomas Frankenbach, spoke about the nutritional benefits of pistachios and somatic intelligence (resilience, pressure and stress, awareness, energy, wellbeing, and bodymind intelligence). Thirty journalists attended representing Germany’s leading online and print publications, websites and food blogs.

APG Wins MAGGIE® Awards for Best Social Media Campaign Organized by the Western Publishing Association (WPA), the 64th annual MAGGIE® awards program, held May 1 in Los Angeles, recognized excellence in print, digital, web and social media. Considered to be

the most prestigious award in the publishing industry, the 2015 MAGGIEs draws from the 24 states west of the Mississippi River and honors the “Best of the West.”

APG won Best Social Media Community, which means our social media program was recognized for building a social community that encourages direct fan and follower interaction with our ambassadors, such as Mark Cavendish or Jeremy Jones. In 2014, APG expanded its integrated social media strategy among multiple social channels with the goal of raising awareness of American Pistachio Growers around the world, not only in scale but also in engagement, resulting in a 20 percent increase in engagement last year.

The Maggie Awards gala is the most prestigious publishing event in the West.

Publishing professionals from 24 states gathered to honor excellence in print and electronic publishing in over 100 editorial, design, promotional and event categories.

U.S. Pistachio Crop Outlook The continued water drought in the Western United States continues to be on everyone’s mind. The availability and cost of water will have an impact on the number of pounds produced by the industry in 2015 and will potentially impact the number of new acres planted in 2015.

While a range of 450 - 650 million pounds (204.545 – 295.455 metric tons) was orally presented at the recently completed INC World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress in Antalya, Turkey, the official number presented during the Pistachio Panel was 547.8 million pounds (249.000 metric tons, Mike Hohmann, Paramount Farms).

However, many within the U.S. industry believe the crop will not be any larger than the crop produced in 2014 of 519 million pounds (235.909 metric tons). Lack of winter chilling hours resulting in poor bloom during the spring and the continuing water drought experienced by all growers has, and will have an effect, on the final crop amount harvested.

Obviously, the U.S. pistachio industry will know in a few months what the crop size will be.

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World Industry News

NUCIS ITALIA AT RIMINI WELLNESS EVENT Nucis Italia has participated in the biggest fitness event, held in Rimini from 28–31 May 2015, with the project “Nuts are Wellbeing” in the section dedicated to healthy eating.

Every year for the last ten proceedings in the city of Rimini – regional capital of fun and holidays – the Italian town hosts the “Rimini Wellness” fair, the world’s biggest fitness meeting. The event gathered over 260.000 enthusiasts for four days of movement and dynamic living dedicated to healthy eating.

This is a unique occasion for those who regularly practice sports and follow health trends to learn about body care and nutrition. In the last two years, attention to nutritional values, related to nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, has dramatically taken center stage in this event, raising the interest level of all participants and extending enthusiasm throughout the various pavilions. Huge crowds of sportspeople don their shorts and tank tops, testing the latest sports equipment and visit exhibits that offer healthy, light and natural foods for light but nourishing food.

For the first time, Nucis Italia participated in Rimini Wellness, setting up a small exhibit in an area dedicated to healthy eating where other companies that produce fresh fruit and vegetables also participated in tastings and cooking shows throughout the day.

The goal was to introduce the sports crowd to the nutritional and energetic qualities of nuts and dried fruit, and suggest them as healthy snacks to consume before and/or after physical activities.

So, different postcards dedicated to the various fruits were produced, each complete with information about the nutritional properties of each fruit, and their daily portion size for healthy snacking.

Every postcard featured a scratch game allowing fans to be eligible for a chance to win a 30g bag of mixed nuts or a colorful and useful tin box that holds the daily dose of 30g of favorite nuts. Over four days of the fair, 10.000 postcards were distributed from the Nucis Corner, corresponding to about 9.000 bags of mixed nuts and 1.000 tin boxes.

Many fans provided Nucis Italia hostesses with their e-mail address for follow up about promotions. This includes a Facebook page where every day advice and suggestions about nut nutrition boasts 30.000 fans and an average of 7.500 people reached daily with new information.

Two Nucis Hostesses attended the event to distribute colorful Nucis postcards, informative folders and recipe books from the 16 crowded pavilions at the fair, establishing many new consumers of dried fruit and nuts. They answered questions about the goodness of all tree nuts, including pistachios, walnuts and cashew nuts. Portion size, energy functions, satiety and how to consume nuts without gaining weight for active sports enthusiasts were among the topics.

But there is more: nuts are also rich in some minerals (magnesium and potassium, for example) that contribute to the efficiency of muscles, and in vitamins (those of the B group like B1, B6 and PP), which optimize the energy development in muscular work. They also contain a good quantity of proteins, source of amino acids that help rebuild the muscle tissues after a workout like a long walk or run or an energetic bicycle ride.

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In fact, 30 grams of nuts provide about 180 calories; if eaten about 30 minutes before exercise, they not only do not erode the glycogen contained in muscles, but provide the energy necessary for maintaining muscular activities. And if consumed by the handful after a workout, a gradual and regular energetic recovery is possible.

This is why, when planning to exercise after a day of work, having a snack of nuts and dried fruit is the perfect choice! These simple suggestions, supported by informative materials provided by Nucis Italia with its Nuts are Wellbeing project, were well received by all participants.

Nucis Hostesses also gathered requests and suggestions among the visitors of the fair, who showed interest in finding single-dose bags on sale in stores like the ones distributed by Nucis versus just receiving a nutrition bar. Healthy recipes using fresh fruit and vegetables and nuts and dried fruit and live cooking demonstrations by chefs who discussed the recipes and healthy eating habits for meals and snacking without over-indulging were ongoing during the four-day fair.

Participating in a national event attended by sports enthusiasts who are looking for healthy snacking alternatives is a winning activity for Nucis Italia! It not only serves as a successful educational framework

for increasing consumption of dried fruit and nuts, but it provides ongoing contact with a growing population of sports fans who crave new information for staying healthy.

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EXPORT UPDATE CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN PARTNERSHIP IN S. KOREA California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) currently operates 6 outlets in Korea with its healthy, clean California image. The California Walnut Commission worked with the CPK to develop new recipes with California walnuts, and then launch them in its restaurants. As result, 5 menus have been launched including items such as Pepper Pesto Alio Olio (olive oil based pasta with walnut pieces), Gorgonzola Walnut Chicken Pasta, Walnut Pesto Chicken Pizza, Honey Cranberry Walnut Gorgonzola Pizza, and Waldorf Chicken Salad. Point of sale materials such as large posters, menu lists, and table tents showing the new menus were produced, and displayed in the restaurants. Between April 1st and April 30th, a complimentary walnut macaroon dessert was provided to customers who ordered from the walnut menu. The walnut menus were available through May 30th. CPK also conducted social media marketing on its Facebook page to promote the new walnut menus. While the Waldorf Salad was already a staple on the CPK menu, two other exclusive walnut items from the menu gained permanent placement: the Pepper Pesto Alio Olio (olive oil based pasta with walnut pieces) and the Honey Cranberry Walnut Gorgonzola Pizza.

CALIFORNIA WALNUT EXPERIENCE IN SPAIN On May 27th the CWC held a first of its kind event, the California Walnuts Experience in Barcelona, Spain. More than 400 visitors, including consumers, foodies, journalists, bloggers, adults and children, were given the opportunity to live the concept of a California Walnuts’ lifestyle through an experiential marketing event. Also in attendance were the California Walnut Ambassadors – celebrities who represent different areas such as cooking, fitness, and nutrition, and who showcase walnuts in their subject of expertise. After a special opening conducted by the California Walnut Chef Ambassador Diego Guerrero, attendees participated in nutritional workshops, gastronomic cooking shows, fitness classes and other activities related to health and prevention, conducted by the California Walnut Ambassadors. Local partners participated and provided assistance by performing diabetes risk tests for attendees. Throughout the day, tastings of walnut-based cocktails from the special California Walnuts Cocktail Collection made

by Javier de las Muelas were offered. It was the perfect activity to end the CW Experience. Moreover, the hashtag #NuecesExperience was created through which more than 300 fans and attendees had the opportunity to share details, experiences and pictures of the event on social networks. Coverage of the event has been significant with mentions in such publications as the daily newspaper El Pais, the National Press Agency, and the cooking magazine Recetas Tradicionales.

EDUCATIONAL TRADE SEMINARS IN TURKEY For the first time, the California Walnut Commission conducted a seminar and workshop for major bakeries and pastry brands in Istanbul, Turkey. “Turkey is a relatively new market for the CWC, and the response for this first seminar was wonderful,” said Michelle McNeil, Senior Marketing Director, International. Some 50 professional bakers were educated on the various possibilities for using walnuts as a healthy, yet very tasty, ingredient in bread and pastries. Valuable information about California walnuts was shared with bakers. New breads baked with walnuts was presented to participants by Celebrity Chef Fikret. “Haci Bekir” presented for the first time its popular “Lokum” prepared with California walnuts. To conclude the seminar, the participants were invited to bake and taste walnut bread. Attendees were enthusiastic to incorporate walnuts in new formularies.

‘CALIFORNIA WALNUTS NUTRITION AND HEALTH’ HANDBOOK LAUNCH The California Walnut Commission recently launched a new handbook for health professionals in India. The launch was conducted during a press event at DIABCON- one of the largest Diabetes Conventions in India. This event was chosen for the launch as it brings together health professionals specializing in cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well as dieticians. The handbook was designed for patient education by these practitioners.

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Dr. H.K. Chopra President, Cardiological Society of India, President, World Heart Academy & World Wellness Foundation & American Heart Association Country Head addressed the media with a talk on California walnuts and health, and Geetu Amarnani, Nutritionist and Lifestyle consultant made a brief presentation on nutritional information and health benefits of California walnuts. Mr. Scott Sindelar, Minister Counselor for Agricultural Affairs, US Embassy was on site to support the CWC’s efforts. The highlight of the press meet was a special gift box with California Walnuts Nutrition and Health book and a sample of California walnuts. The gift boxes were distributed to the attendees after the launch.

EXAM SEASON CAMPAIGN GOES VIRAL IN CHINA In China, walnuts have long been associated with brain health due to their unique shape. It is also traditional for parents to give their children “brain boosting” gifts during exam season. During the 2015 exam season the CWC took these two Chinese traditions and combined them to create a campaign designed specifically to target parents and students.

Exam season can make students and their parents feel tense and pressured. To combat this and to educate about California walnuts’ cognitive health benefits, the CWC created a light-hearted campaign to help the students and parents relieve the stress. The campaign includes a music video, web banners, and recipes.

The viral video with the theme “brain booster” launched the campaign and was released over the Chinese Youku (Youtube) video site and other social media in early May. The video focused on how California walnuts can give your brain a boost and plus students can dance along with the girls in the video during down time for relaxation. The video’s tone is meant to be inspirational and positive by helping students with stress relief. By the end of May, it generated over 1.1 million views with more than 100 positive comments on Youku.

To further build on the campaign and expand on the atmosphere of exam season, a themed design was created for the CWC website and the CWC’s Weibo (Chinese Facebook) presence. The design featured the CWC’s newest mascot Wallie with education themed elements such as a blackboard background with the headline of “Brain Power Booster.”

To view the video, visit: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTUwMjQzNzM2.htm

DOMESTIC UPDATE NEW PLANT-BASED TOOLKIT The California Walnut Board launched a new plant-based eating toolkit in March, which was added to the walnuts.org website and is now available as a downloadable PDF. The toolkit is an exciting resource aimed at educating both consumers and health professionals interested in learning more about plant-based eating, of which nuts play an important role. The kit not only explains the basics of this healthy method of eating; it also explores the diet’s nutritional value, simplicity of adoption, and debunks common myths (no, you don’t have to give up meat entirely!)

Components of the toolkit include: Plant-Based Eating Tips & Tricks, a simple list of ways that consumers can shift their diet to include more fruits, walnuts and vegetables; The Plant-Based Recipe Collection, highlighting nourishing dishes such as a Spring Linguine with Spinach, Peas and Walnuts; and an inspiring Plant-Based Shopping List. For more information visit www.walnuts.org/health-and-walnuts/ the-plant-based-eating-toolkit.

NEW HARVARD RESEARCH FINDS WALNUTS MAY HELP SLOW COLON CANCER GROWTH A new animal study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, led by Dr. Christos Mantzoros, indicates that a diet containing walnuts may slow colorectal tumor growth by causing beneficial changes in cancer genes. This is the first study that evaluates whether walnut consumption can cause changes to micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNA), the nucleotides that are involved in altering gene expression. As this study was conducted on animals, results cannot yet be implied for humans. An article detailing these findings, “Dietary Walnut Suppression of Colorectal Cancer in mice: mediation by miRNA patterns and fatty acid incorporation” has been published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. This study was supported from a grant by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the California Walnut Commission.

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WORLD INDUSTRY NEWS

SPECIAL TO THE CRACKER CASE STUDY: “FOOL YOURSELF FULL” PISTACHIO HEALTH INSTITUTE SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN Pistachio Health Institute Harnesses Power of Social Media to Educate, Engage Consumers JUNE 2015 Today, social media is being seen as an effective method to reach, engage The campaign helped educate calorie-conscious snackers that when it and influence consumers who are increasingly spending more time comes to enjoying a deliciously healthy snack and managing calories, online. After all, digital media is shaping the way we shop as more and it’s not just about what you eat that can make you feel more satisfied— more consumers turn to social media to research product news and it’s how you eat, too. reviews before purchasing. By engaging with consumers directly on popular social media platforms such as Facebook (with more than 890 million daily global users), the Pistachio Health Institute (PHI) aims to About pistachiohealthinstitute.org nurture a community of healthy snack ambassadors who share their PistachioHealthInstitute.org is the leading online source of information love of pistachios. on the health and nutrition benefits of pistachios for both consumers Recognizing the power of social media, PHI conducted a spring social and health professionals. It houses a comprehensive research library, media campaign to highlight positive messages around the mindful with research updates and information from leading experts in the benefits of pistachios by encouraging snackers to play a “prank” on field of health and nutrition, including the Health Nut blog, Ask Our their appetite. Leveraging the April Fools’ holiday – traditionally a time Expert section, and educational materials. The Institute is committed for tricks – PHI’s social media campaign centered on the “Pistachio to advancing the understanding of the health benefits of pistachios, and Principle,” a mindful snacking concept which illustrates how snackers continues to invest and support research at leading institutions around can “fool” themselves full - without feelings of deprivation. The Principle the world. “Like” Pistachio Health Institute on Facebook and follow @ supports that consumption of in‐shell pistachios may help slow eating PistachioHealth on Twitter. For more information about the health when compared to shelled pistachios because the left-over shells may benefits of pistachios, please visit www.PistachioHealthInstitute.org. offer an important visual cue about the amount consumed; thereby K. Kennedy-Hagan, J.E. Painter, C. Honselman, A. Halvorson, K. Rhodes, K. Skwir. potentially reducing calorie intake.1,2 “The Effect of Pistachio Shells as a Visual Cue in Reducing Caloric Consumption.”

During the month of April, online Appetite. 2011, 57(2): 418-420. visitors were encouraged to visit the 1. Honselman, C.S., Painter, J.E., Kennedy-Hagan, K.J., Halvorson, A., Rhodes, K., PHI Facebook page and enter the Brooks, T.L., & Skwir, K. “In-shell pistachio nuts reduce caloric intake compared to “Fool Yourself Full” sweepstakes for shelled nuts.” Appetite. 2011, 57(2):414-417. a chance to win a year’s supply of pistachios and unique pistachio bowl.

To spread the word and generate excitement, PHI partnered with 30 popular health and lifestyle bloggers, who delivered campaign messages and drove consumer engagement by creating online posts emphasizing the Pistachio Principle, highlighting in-shell pistachios, portion control and clever ways to snack – and drive traffic to PHI’s “Fool Yourself Full” Facebook sweepstakes.

The social media campaign was a success – nearly 40,000 consumers submitted entries during the 30 day period, and more than 1200 “Likes” were generated on Facebook. The PHI Facebook fan base grew by seven percent – with more than 13,000 fans at campaign end. Moreover, all results with generated organicallywithout sponsored endorsements, cash incentive or paid advertisements.

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WORKPLACE HEALTH PROMOTION BY NUCIS It is becoming more common for big companies to care about its employeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health; to address this trend, Nucis motivates companies to invest in lectures and events for employees.

By implementing a culture of health care, productivity and efficiency has a chance to improve healthy alternatives for employees. Healthy employees have a positive effect on productivity and company culture. Besides having the skill to cope with mental stress, a healthy and balanced diet that provides the body with valuable nutrients is crucial.

Nuts offer plenty of minerals, vitamins, proteins and heart-healthy fats. They can be called a nutritional powerhouse. That is communicated in company events by nutrition experts. In addition to targeted employees, chefs/ caterers who oversee cantinas are also important. Both groups look for easy and practical ideas for workplace meals.

Besides basic information about nutrition, recipes are provided to the participating groups who can learn, for example, how easy it is to prepare a salad by adding nuts to it. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take much time but the benefits for health are plentiful.

In many companies there are also vending machines with sweet and savory snacks. Equipping vending machines with nut portions in 30g packages offers an alternative to sweets and the chance to choose a healthy snack that generates long lasting satiety.

DISINFECTION. INSECT ELIMINATION AT ALL STAGES. PASTEURIZATION. CHEMICAL FREE. CONTINUOUS PROCESS IN INDUSTRIAL LINE.

w w w. R F B i o c i d i c s . c o m July 2015 | The Cracker

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WORLD INDUSTRY NEWS

NUTS FOR LIFE’S MAD MEDIA MONTH

By Lisa Yates Program Manager and Dietitian, Nuts for Life, Sydney Australia

Australia’s Nuts for Life program had a mad media month in May with two key media activities undertaken.

At the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) 32nd National Conference, May 13-16 in Perth, Nuts for Life supported the travel of Prof Richard Mattes from Purdue Unversity USA where he was a key note speaker on the health benefits of nuts for diabetes and weight management. He also provided a conference workshop and prior to leaving Australia presented his work at the University of Wollongong - south of Sydney.

Working with the DAA communications team we developed a joint media release on Prof Mattes’ work as well as an infographic to explain how nuts helps with weight management. http://www.nutsforlife.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/International-expert-presentsstrong-evidence-challenging-misconceptions-about-nuts-and-weightFINAL.pdf

Australian Dietitians use social media particular twitter and blogging as sources of continuing professional development, especially for those unable to attend the conference, so it was gratifying to see during Prof Mattes’ presentation there were 284 tweets generated and re-tweeted with a potential reach of 568,226 impressions. Nuts for Life was the Top 6 tweeter at the conference.

Prof Mattes was kind enough to grant media interviews and we were delighted to see an article “Nuts get tick from Dietitians” in the major metropolitain newspaper The West Australian which also appeared online

Prof Mattes was interviewed by a few radio stations as well as Channel 7 Perth TV news however the Australian Federal Budget was launched the same day gazumping any health stories so it did not appear.

Two weeks later Nuts for Life launched our Nut Heart Health report on May 25 In 2014 Nuts for Life commissioned Landmark Nutrition, a nutrition research consulting agency, along with Prof Linda Tapsell AM* University of Wollongong to undertake a systematic literature review (SLR) of all the research for nuts, heart disease and weight. After reviewing some 100 studies the review found that regular nut consumption, as part of a healthy diet, contributes to heart health without causing weight gain.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/lifestyle/a/27875490/nuts-get-tick-from-dietitians/

This SLR was summarised into the 16 page Nut Heart Health Report

http://health.thewest.com.au/news/1995/nuts-get-tick-from-dieticians

www.nutsforlife.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Nuts-for-life_Heart-report-2015.pdf

The Australian Associated Press post about Prof Mattes’ research was also syndicated nationally online to all nine of the major metropolatin newspapers online around the country.

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and launched at an event for 18 dietitian bloggers and magazine reporters at the NSW Art Gallery with Prof Linda Tapsell AM presenting and where a range of sweet and savoury nut canapes were provided.

WORLD INDUSTRY NEWS

Media kits included a media release on the report but also a quick review of other recently published research studies on nuts. We provided suggested tweets and facebook posts using another infographic on the heart health benefits of nuts. www.nutsforlife.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/news-release-new-australianresearch-confirms-links-between-nuts-consumption-and-heart-health-.pdf

Prof Tapsell pre-recorded a radio news release which was picked up by over 120 radio stations nationally and the story was covered by TV Channel 9 National news syndicated to 37 TV stations including all capital cities: Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Darwin.

Tracking our #nuts4hearts hashtag on social media we found: • 56 Tweets • 21 Instagram posts • 21 Facebook posts • 1 LinkedIn article • 1 podcast Based on these May media activities Nuts for Life’s Klout Score (an score of online influence) rose to 61 in May from 58 in April.

This concentrated burst of media activity ensured our two key messages of nuts for heart health and weight management were repeated over several communication channels at once and we hope it has translated into increased nut sales for the Australian Tree Nut Industry.

We were also delighted to see Channel Ten’s “Have you been paying attention?” comedy news quiz TV show included the question – Q: “A regular diet of nuts reduces the risk of ....what?” A: Heart disease http://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/have-youbeen-paying-attention/2015/6/1 (time stamp: 38:40).

To date we have seen a total of 272 media clips with a potential reach of 4.1 million: • Radio: 127 clips • Tv News: 37 clips • Print newspapers: Body and Soul national liftout in all major metrolpoiltan Sunday newspapers • 7 online blog posts

Telephone: 520-791-2852 www.greenvalleypecan.com sales@greenvalleypecan.com

For more information on Green Valley Pecans please contact your representative: Keith Roberts Partnership 44-1702-808211 (Keith Roberts) krp@talktalkbusiness.net 44-7736-617317 (Anna Roberts) anna@krpnuts.co.uk Gemperli - Switzerland 41-44-368-2020 (Main Telephone) info@gemperli.com Jas Trading - The Netherlands 31-20-643-6412 (Main Telephone) info@jastrading.com Max Kiene - Germany 49-40-309-6550 (Main Telephone) u.matthies@maxkiene.de

CALDIC - Denmark A/S 45-44-53-56-53 (Main Telephone) b.hansen@caldic.dk Voice Vale - France, S.A.R.L. 33-1-4050-2480 (Main Telephone) philippe.truffier@voicevale-fr.com Tonto Corporation - Japan 81-3-4360-5336 (Main Telephone) kjtagawa@tantocp.com CALDIC - Sweden AB 46-40-698-11-00 (Main Telephone) info@caldic.se FoodSource, Inc. - Middle East 001-630-887-8599 (Main Telephone) sales@foodsource.us

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Detailed information will be sent and posted to: www.nutfruit.org July 2015 | The Cracker

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NUTRITION RESEARCH & EDUCATION FOUNDATION NEWS

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

By Maureen Ternus, Executive Director M.S., R.D. INC NREF New tree nut research continues to Executive Director build on the body of evidence showing nuts can and should be a part of a healthy diet. INC NREF has just had its 16th paper published online in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (see sidebar 1). This latest study shows that women who consumed a one-ounce serving of nuts, two or more times per week, had a 13% lower risk of colorectal cancer than women who did not consume nuts. While this reduction was not statistically significant, it is certainly heading in the right direction and is similar to findings in previous studies.

TREE NUT CONSUMPTION AND RISK OF COLORECTAL CANCER IN WOMEN MOST COMPREHENSIVE STUDY TO DATE ON NUT CONSUMPTION AND COLORECTAL CANCER IN WOMEN IN THE EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION Davis, CA, May 7, 2015 – In a large prospective study published online in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition*, researchers looked at the association between nut consumption and risk of colorectal cancer among 75,680 women in the Nurses’ Health Study, with no previous history of cancer.

Women who consumed a one-ounce serving of nuts, including tree nuts (such as almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts), two or more times per week had a 13% lower risk of colorectal cancer compared to those who rarely consumed nuts. “While this association was not statistically significant,” stated lead researcher, Ying Bao, MD, ScD, from the Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, “a possible inverse association was suggested and this has been observed in previous prospective studies as well.”

The current study is the most comprehensive study to date looking at long-term nut consumption and colorectal cancer risk and the one with the longest follow-up of 30 years. Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in women and the third most common cancer in men worldwide. Risk of colorectal cancer is higher among individuals with excess body weight, and type 2 diabetes. Interestingly, women in this study who consumed the most nuts tended to be leaner. According to Dr. Bao, “Since nuts have been associated with less weight gain and a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, increasing nut consumption may result in reduced risk of developing colorectal cancer.”

Previous research has shown that women in this same cohort, who consumed a one-ounce serving of nuts two or more times per week, had a significantly reduced risk of pancreatic cancer compared

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to those who largely abstained from nuts**. “These findings are very encouraging,” stated Maureen Ternus, M.S., R.D., Executive Director of the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation (INC NREF). “While we’ve known for years that 1.5 ounces (or 1/3 cup) of nuts per day can help reduce the risk of heart disease, more and more research is showing the potential beneficial effect of nut consumption on other chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer.” *Yang, M., F.B. Hu, E.L. Giovannucci, M.J. Stampfer, W.C. Willett, C.S. Fuchs, K. Wu, Y. Bao, 2015. Nut consumption and risk of colorectal cancer in women. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2015.66. **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.

NUTRITION RESEARCH & EDUCATION FOUNDATION NEWS

EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY MEETING March 28-31, 2015 | Boston, MA More new research was recently highlighted at the Experimental Biology Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts in March, 2015. Over 19 abstracts on nut research were presented either orally or as posters (see below). The abstracts represented mixed nuts, as well as almonds, macadamias, pistachios and walnuts in particular.

MIXED NUTS ASSOCIATION OF NUT CONSUMPTION AND LUNG CANCER RISK IN A LARGE POPULATIONBASED CASE-CONTROL STUDY J.T. Lee, T.K. Lam, D. Consonni, A.C. Pesatori, P.A. Bertazzi and M.T. Landi. NCI, NIH and Univ. of Milan.

ALMONDS EFFECT OF ALMOND CONSUMPTION ON THE NEURAL RESPONSE IN THE LEFT INSULA R. D. Sayer, J. Dhillon, G. G. Tamer, Jr., W. W. Campbell, R. D. Mattes; Dept of Nutr Sci, Purdue Univ, West Lafayette, IN, USA; Dept of Electrical and Computer Eng, Purdue Univ, West Lafayette, IN, USA Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies evaluating consummatory responses in the brain’s taste and reward centers have been limited to liquid or semiliquid substances. The purpose of this study was to utilize fMRI to measure a consummatory response to solid foods in the left insula, which includes the primary taste cortex. Thirteen (12 female/1male) overweight/obese subjects (30.8 ± 1.4 kg/m2) aged 36 ± 3.5 y completed 2 fMRI sessions before (pre) and 2 after a 12-wk weight loss intervention including 42g almonds daily (post). During each fMRI session, left insula activity was measured while subjects consumed either almonds or a eucaloric baked product (control). Palatability ratings were collected to evaluate the correlation between palatability and left insula activity. Palatability ratings were higher for almonds (78 ± 3 mm pre, 76 ± 7 mm post) compared to control (40 ± 6 mm pre, 48 ± 8 mm post) but ratings did not change following weight loss. Consumption of almonds and control caused significant activation in the left insula. Left insula activity was not different at pre vs. post-weight loss while eating almonds. Alternatively, left insula activity was decreased while eating control postweight loss. There was a significant positive correlation between palatability rating and left insula activity for almonds but not for control.

These data demonstrate the feasibility of measuring a consummatory response with fMRI while eating a solid food and suggest that the insula response was correlated with palatability ratings.

INTEGRATION OF A NEW FOOD INTO DAILY FOOD SYSTEMS: A STORY OF ALMOND IN SOUTH KOREA S.-K. Lee, S. Y. Nam, K. W. Kim, M. K. Kim; Food & Nutr, Inha Univ, Incheon, Republic of Korea; Food & Nutr, Seoul Women's Univ, Seoul, Republic of Korea; National Cancer Center, Republic of Korea It has been suggested that new foods get adapted and diffused more early by the young, if the new food is not a core food with a high replacibility.

This study examined whether the similar trend existed when almond, a new food, was introduced to food environments in South Korea, using 1998-2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Almond consumer was defined as individuals with any amount of almond consumption on the day of 24-hr recall. Almond consumption increased (0.2% in 1998 to 6.3% in 2012), although the consumption amount remained low (6.06+1.24g/d in 1998 to 6.59+0.73g/d in 2012). Women, middle-age groups, better educated, higher income, and occupation was significantly associated with almond consumption.

Among adult almond consumers, 64.3% reported having almond during meal times, while 33.7% as snack. Only 23.8% consumers had almond as a sole food, while 74.9% reported having almond mixed in a dish. Three consumption types were: 1) almond in baked goods, 2) almond replacing other nuts in traditional Korean dishes, and 3) almond alone. More almond consumers tended to meet EER or EAR (RI) of energy/major nutrients than non-consumers, excluding almond contributions. In conclusion, while the level of almond integration in South Korea remained low, almond seemed to be picked up by individuals with higher SES and relatively good diet quality. Almond was not integrated as a core food, but started to replace existing similar foods. Therefore, new foods that are peripheral foods with replicability would better integrated in South Korea.

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NUTRITION RESEARCH & EDUCATION FOUNDATION NEWS EFFECT OF ALMONDS ON GLUCOREGULATION AND CVD RISK FACTORS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES C-M Chen, J-F Liu, C-L Huang, A-T Hsirh, S-F Weng, S-C Li, T-Y Chao, C-YO Chen; Dept Food Sci, Nutr, & Nutraceutical Biotech, Shih-Chien Univ, Taiwan; Dept Nutr & Health Sci, Chang Gung Univ of Sci and Tech, Taiwan; Div. Endocrinology & Metabolism, Taipei Medical Univ Hospital, Taiwan; Dept Internal Medicine, Taipei Medical Univ-Shuang Ho Hosp, Taiwan; School of Nutr & Health Sci, Taipei Medical Univ, Taiwan; JM USDA HNRCA, Tufts Univ, Boston, MA, USA

Our previous 4-wk study showed that almond consumption improved glycemic control and cholesterols and ameliorated oxidative stress and inflammation in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). This randomized, cross-over, placebo controlled feeding trial further examined health benefits of the consumption of ~60 g/d almonds (Alm) in control diet (Con) for 3 months on glucoregulation and CVD risk factors, as compared to Con. Among the 33 patients who completed the trial, the diets did not have a different impact on cholesterols, glycemic control, inflammation, endothelial function, and oxidative stress. Of the 33 patients, 21 complied with the treatments based on the data of 12% increase in plasma α-tocopherol. Among 17 of these 21 patients with the baseline HbA1c ≤8, Alm decreased post- interventional fasting HbA1c and glucose by 4 & 11% as compared to Con, respectively. Similarly, in a glucose tolerance test, Alm lessened postprandial glucose increase at 30, 60, and 90 min and area under the glucose curve by 7, 7, 6, and 6% compared to Con, respectively. HOMA-IR tended to be reduced by 21% by Alm compared to Con, and serum Mg was increased by 5%. Blood cholesterols were not decreased by Alm, probably due to well controlled TC and LDL-C. In conclusion, almond consumption is beneficial for glycemic control in patients with T2D.

DIET QUALITY IMPROVES FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN WHEN ALMONDS ARE INCORPORATED INTO THEIR DIETS: A RANDOMIZED CROSSOVER STUDY A. M. Burns, M. A. Zitt, C. C. Rowe, W. J. Dahl, B. Langkamp-Henken Food; Sci. & Human Nutr Dept, Univ of Florida, Gainesville FL, USA

Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend the consumption of unsalted nuts. This study evaluated diet quality and the feasibility of incorporating almonds into the diet of 29 parent (34.9 ± 2.9 y) and child (4.5 ± 1.1 y) pairs. Parents and children consumed 1.5 oz and 0.5 oz, respectively, of almonds and/or almond butter for 3 wk followed by a 4-wk washout. Parents and children abstained from almonds during the control period. One dietary recall (ASA24) was completed during each week of the intervention and control periods, and the average energy intake and Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI) score were calculated. HEI assesses diet quality based on 12 components yielding a maximum score of 100 with national averages of 53.5 for adults and 49.8 for children. During the almond intervention total HEI score increased from 53.7 ± 1.8 to 61.4 ± 1.4 (parents) and 53.7 ± 2.6 to 61.4 ± 2.2 (children). Parent and child component scores increased for fatty acids, total protein, and seafood and plant protein and decreased for empty calories. Component scores for parents also decreased in whole fruit and sodium; however, energy intake did not change. This suggests that the almonds may have replaced fruit or salty empty-calorie foods in the diet. Each day parents and children reported how challenging it was to eat almonds. Only minor challenges were reported unless the parents or children were sick or did not like the taste of the almonds or its butter. Almonds are easily incorporated into the family diet and improve overall diet quality.

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NUTRITION RESEARCH & EDUCATION FOUNDATION NEWS THE EFFECT OF ALMOND CONSUMPTION ON POSTPRANDIAL METABOLIC RESPONSE IN HIGH-RISK PREGNANT WOMEN M. N. R. Lesser, L. Sawrey-Kubicek, K. Mauldin, J. C. King Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA USA

SPONSORED SATELLITE PROGRAM: AMERICAN PISTACHIO GROWERS AND SUN-MAID GROWERS OF CALIFORNIA PAIRING NUTS AND DRIED FRUIT

The prevalence of metabolic disorders during pregnancy has increased FOR CARDIOMETABOLIC HEALTH concurrently with the rise in maternal obesity. Obese pregnant women are Moderated by: Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, Pennsylvania State more prone to chronic metabolic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular University, PA and Dr. Arianna Carughi, Sun-Maid Growers disease, following pregnancy. Also, their babies are at greater risk for obesity of California, CA and metabolic disorders later in life. Almonds provide a healthy source of dietary fat and carbohydrates. A number of clinical trials have also shown The contribution of tree nuts and dried fruit intake to nutrient that almonds reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, and they promote intake and dietary quality: Dr. Victor Fulgoni III, Nutrition vascular health and glycemic control. A cross-over, randomized control trial Impact, Battle Creek MI examining the metabolic response to 2 oz of almond consumption versus The beneficial effects of pistachio intake on insulin resistance dairy fat consumption in two standardized, isocaloric, equal macronutrient and metabolic risk factors: Dr. Mònica Bulló, Rovira I Virgili composition test meals was done in 18 overweight/obese (pre-pregnancy BMI University, Spain = 25-40) women during 30-36 weeks of gestation. Circulating concentrations of glucose, triglycerides, insulin, glucagon, and GLP-1 were measured in the The effect of raisin intake by humans on glycemia and insulenimia fasting state and during a 5-hour postprandial period. Hormones involved and cardiovascular risk factors. Dr. Cyril Kendall, University of in appetite, glucose and lipid metabolism (leptin, ghrelin, and c-peptide) Toronto, Canada were also measured. Replacing cream cheese with almonds in an isocaloric, equivalent fat and carbohydrate meal had a minimal effect on postprandial For more information on any INC NREF project, contact lipids, glucose, and hormones. This suggests that the positive metabolic effects Maureen Ternus at maureen.ternus@gmail.com. of almonds in previous feeding studies were likely related to shifts in the energy and macronutrient content of the overall diet in association with consuming EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY MEETING INFORMATION CONTINUED IN THE CRACKER, NOVEMBER 2015 almonds as a fiber-rich, fat source.

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EATING NUTS MAY HELP COMBAT METABOLIC SYNDROME IN TEENAGERS Modest intake of nuts may be associated with lower odds of developing metabolic syndrome in adolescents, according to a new study being presented at ENDO 2015. Adolescents who ate at least 12.9 grams of nuts per day, which is the equivalent of eating a small handful three times per week, had less than half the odds of developing metabolic syndrome, according to Roy Kim, MD, MPH, lead study investigator and assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Children's Health in Dallas.

Further, metabolic syndrome risk decreased with each additional gram of nut intake per day, but only up to 50 grams per day, which is equal to about 1.8 ounces. At that point, the benefit tapered off. Dr. Kim theorized that, at higher intakes, any benefits may have been offset due to high calorie counts. Tree nuts contain fiber, heart-healthy unsaturated fats and other nutrients, but are relatively high in calories.

For the study, Dr. Kim and colleagues analyzed data on 2,233 U.S. adolescents aged 12 to 19 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2003 and 2010.

Results revealed that only 8.9% of teenagers consumed 12.9 grams or more of tree nuts or peanuts per day. White teens appeared to consume

Unfortunately, the study showed that more than 75% of all teens reported eating no nuts at all. twice as many nuts as Latino or black teens, according to the data, with white teens consuming an average of 0.22 ounces per day compared with 0.11 ounces for other ethnic groups. Unfortunately, the study also showed that more than 75% of all teens reported eating no nuts at all.

“We were really surprised how many teenagers ate no nuts at all,” Dr. Kim said.

These results suggest that prospective studies are warranted, according to Dr. Kim, but until those studies are completed, increased nut consumption among adolescents should be promoted to help improve metabolic health among adolescents. A relationship between eating nuts and improved metabolic health previously has been shown in adults. However, this is the first study of its kind to demonstrate this relationship in adolescents. “The main message is that as in adults, nut intake in adolescents is associated with health benefits and a lower risk for cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Kim. “Just making a simple dietary change could have a significant impact.”

The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 7.4% in this study.

Metabolic syndrome was defined according to published pediatric criteria and children aged 10 years or older receive a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome if they have any three of five features: abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides, low HDL, hypertension and high blood sugar. Dr. Kim said the benefits from eating nuts appear to be due to the fiber, nutrients, oils and other compounds in nuts, and parents need to make sure nuts are a regular part of an adolescent's diet.

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NUTRITION RESEARCH UPDATE

VITAMIN E VITAL TO BUILDING MUSCLES AND REPAIRING CELLS WHILE BODY BUILDERS HAVE LONG SAID THAT VITAMIN E HELPS BUILD STRONG MUSCLES, THE MECHANISM BY WHICH IT MAY BRING SUCH BENEFITS HAS BEEN UNKNOWN – UNTIL NOW Writing in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, researchers have shown that vitamin E is essential in the repair of the plasma membranes of cells – meaning that without an adequate supply of the vitamin cells cannot repair properly after damage.

That could be a big problem for many cells, such as muscle cells, which get membrane tears just from being used, said the researchers behind the study – led by Dr Paul L. McNeil at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University.

Low vitamin E levels in the elderly contributes to frailty, muscle weakness, and being more unsteady The association between vitamin E and healthy muscles is well-­ established; for example, mammals and birds deprived of the vitamin experience muscle-­wasting disease, which is in some cases lethal.

Indeed, a poor diet resulting in low vitamin E levels in the elderly is suggested to contribute to frailty, muscle weakness, and being more unsteady. As a result, and because of the vitamin's well-­established role as a powerful antioxidant, it is commonly used in anti-­aging products.

However, exactly how vitamin E protects muscle, as well as other cell types, had been unknown until the new findings.

In their study, the US-­based researchers fed rats either normal rodent chow, chow where vitamin E had been removed or vitamin E-­deficient

chow where the vitamin was supplemented. First, there was a period of training to ascertain the rats' innate ability to run downhill on a treadmill – which is a challenging move for muscles, and is known as eccentric contraction. This exercise helps lengthen muscles and can produce the most soreness in athletes because of the high mechanical stress as the muscle contracts and lengthens simultaneously.

In their study, McNeil found vitamin E-­deficient rats were generally deficient in their running ability compared with controls, and made significantly more ‘rest’ visits to a grid area -­despite the fact that they received a mild electric shock when they stood there. The team also administered a dye that could not permeate an intact plasma membrane, and found it easily penetrated the muscle cells of vitamin E-­deficient rats, but not other rats.

McNeil noted that a healthy cell makes a patch within a minute and has completely restored the cell membrane within a few minutes. Further examination of the quadriceps muscle fibres under a microscope showed rats fed normal chow or chow where vitamin E had been restored were essentially the same, meanwhile the muscle fibres in rats fed vitamin E-­deficient chow were smaller and inflamed.

McNeil's finding that vitamin E is essential to rapid cell membrane repair, and ultimately cell survival, likely holds up across different cell types because, in culture at least, when the scientists have treated a number of different cells types with vitamin E, they documented similar enhanced cell membrane repair.

NUTS AMONG FOODS HELPS KEEP OFF POUNDS A new look at what kinds of foods might help people keep their weight in check as they age found that not all calories are created equal and some foods are not as bad for the middle-aged waistline as many believe.

While men and women who ate lots of nuts, peanut butter, fish, yogurt and low-fat cheese tended to lose weight, other foods commonly seen as "unhealthy" -- such as eggs, full-fat cheese and whole milk -- did not seem to make a difference in weight. On the other hand, sugary drinks and refined or starchy carbohydrates -- including white bread, potatoes and white rice -- had the opposite effect.

"The idea that the human body is just a bucket for calories is too simplistic. It's not just a matter of thinking about calories, or fat. What's the quality of the foods we are eating? And how do we define quality?" said senior researcher Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, of Tufts University and the Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston.

In general, the researchers reported, adults gained more weight as the "glycemic load" in their diets rose.

Glycemic load measures both the amount of carbohydrates in the diet, and the quality of those carbohydrates, said Mozaffarian.

In this study, every 50-unit increase in a person's daily glycemic load -- the equivalent of two bagels -- was tied to an extra pound gained over four years.

Certain foods -- like eggs and cheese -- were connected to weight gain only if people also boosted their intake of refined or starchy carbs. Red and processed meats, meanwhile, were also tied to weight gain. Again, though, some of the harm was reduced if a person's glycemic load was kept in check.

The findings, reported online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, are based on 24 years of diet information from nearly 121,000 U.S. health professionals. At the outset, all were healthy and normal-weight, on average. Over time, the study found, people's weight crept up -- as it tends to with age -- but the odds differed depending on the typical quality of their protein and carbs. That was the case even when the researchers accounted for other lifestyle factors, including overall calorie intake. A spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Instead, Wright advised, choose healthy carbs, including vegetables, fruits and fiber-rich grains; proteins like fish, chicken and nuts; and "good" fats such as those in vegetable oils and fatty fish.

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NUTRITION RESEARCH UPDATE

LONG-TERM INTAKE OF NUTS RELATING TO COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN OLDER WOMEN The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging© Volume 18, Number 5, 2014 J. O’Brien, O. Okereke; DevOre, B; Osner, M. Breteler; F. Grodstein, Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine; Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical school, Boston, MA. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Department of Psychiatry, Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Bonn, Germany. Corresponding author: Jacqueline O’Brien; Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Channing Division of Network Medicine, Boston MA Abstract Objective: Nuts contain nutrients that may benefit brain health; thus, we examined long-term intake of nuts in relation to cognition in older women. Design: Population-based prospective cohort study.

Setting: Academic research using data from the Nurses’ Health study.

Participants: Nut intake was assessed in a food frequency questionnaire beginning in1980, and approximately every four years thereafter. Between 1995-2001, 16,010 women age 70 or older (mean age = 74 years) without a history of stroke were administered 4 repeated telephone-based cognitive interviews over 6 years. Our final sample included 15,467 women who completed an initial cognitive interview and had complete information on nut intake.

EATING PEANUTS REGULARLY ASSOCIATED WITH FEWER DEATHS Eating peanuts may be a simple way to increase longevity, even for high risk populations.

A new study of over 200,000 people shows that peanut-eaters decreased total deaths by 21% and reduced cardiovascular deaths by 38%. The study was released in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine (JAMA Internal Medicine) and was conducted at Vanderbilt University and the Shanghai Cancer Institute.

It is the first study to demonstrate that all races – black, white and Asian- who are predominantly from lower socio-economic, high risk groups could benefit from eating peanuts and peanut butter. Other major studies that have linked peanut and nut consumption with lower mortality focused mainly on higher income, white populations. The link between peanuts and decreased mortality was seen across all ethnicities, for men and women, income status, and even for individuals with a high prevalence of metabolic disorders.

Three large groups were evaluated. In the US, about 72,000 people from twelve southeastern states participated in the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS). They ranged from 40-79 years old, two-thirds were AfricanAmerican, and participants were primarily from low-income communities.

Over 75% of the group was overweight or obese and over 76% had metabolic conditions increasing their health risks. The other two groups included about 134,000 people from the Shanghai Woman's Health Study and the Shanghai Men's Health Study. They ranged from 40-74 years old.

Main Outcome Measures: The telephone interview for Cognitive status (tics), a global score averaging the results of all tests (tics, immediate and delayed verbal recall, category fluency, and attention), and a verbal memory score averaging the results of tests of verbal recall.

Peanuts were the primary nuts consumed in the study. They comprised over 50% of the nuts eaten by the SCCS group in the US and only peanuts were assessed in the Shanghai groups, since that is the predominant nut consumed. Participants recorded how frequently they consumed the peanuts, nuts or peanut butter ranging from never to daily.

Results: In multivariable-adjusted linear regression models, higher long-term total nut intake was associated with better average cognitive status for all cognitive outcomes. For the global composite score combining all tests, women consuming at least 5 servings of nuts/week had higher scores than nonconsumers. This mean difference of 0.08 is equivalent to the mean difference we find between women 2 years apart in age. long-term intake of nuts was not associated with rates of cognitive decline.

"Increasing peanut consumption may provide a potentially cost-efficient approach to improving cardiovascular health," said senior author Xio-Ou Shu, MD, PhD, associate director for Global Health at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and professor of Medicine in the Department of Epidemiology.

Conclusions: Higher nut intake may be related to better overall cognition at older ages, and could be an easilymodifiable public health intervention.

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The paper concludes that the "findings highlight a substantive public health impact of peanut consumption in lowering Cardiovascular Disease mortality given the affordability of peanuts to individuals from all SES backgrounds."

The study was funded by the US National Cancer Institute. For further information on peanuts and health visit peanut-institute.org or peanutpower.org. The Peanut Institute in a non-profit organization that supports nutrition research and educational programs on the role of peanuts in healthy lifestyles.

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NUTRITION RESEARCH UPDATE

COCOA FLAVANOL STUDY LOOKING AT HEART, COGNITIVE HEALTH RECRUITMENT Cocoa flavanols are an ingredient that has been poised at the edge of the runway for a few years. A new large-­scale, long-­term study into their cardiovascular and cognitive function benefits that is entering its recruitment phase may help provide the research backing to bring that takeoff roll closer to reality. The public-­private partnership study,

The future of cocoa flavanols is in the supplement realm, whether as a powdered or in a pill form. first announced last year, was highlighted in a presentation given by principal researcher Dr JoAnn Manson MD at the Future of Food Summit in Washington, DC. The study is a collaboration of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the Harvard Medical School and Mars Inc., which is providing infrastructure help including the test material. The study, which also includes the National Institutes of Health and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, will recruit 12,000 women ages 60 and up and 6,000 men 65 and up. It will follow this cohort for four years of treatment and five years overall said Manson, who is the chief of the division of

Preventive Medicine at BWH. The promising results of earlier trials provided a basis for concluding a bigger trial was called for, she said.

Manson said there have also been smaller, mechanistic studies looking at cocoa flavanols’ relation to cognitive function. An earlier Mars study found that high cocoa flavanol consumption may help improve cognitive function, possibly though changes in insulin sensitivity. The upcoming large-­scale study will look at these effects, too, including memory, decision-­making skills, mood, and cognitive performance, Manson said, but won’t include the full cohort.

The new study will use a 600 mg daily dose, divided between two capsules.

As to how this might translate into marketplace recommendations in the future, Manson said she believes the future of cocoa flavanols is squarely in the supplement realm, whether as a powdered add on for yogurt or other foods or in a straight pill form. Chocolate is a confection, and not all processing schemes preserve the flavanol content, she said. (Both Mars and Barry Callebaut tout processing methods that do.) Even with raw material that still contains the native flavanol content, a consumer would have to eat 5,000 calories or more worth of chocolate a day to get an effective dose, she said. . Results from the trial are expected some time after 2020.

NUT CONSUMPTION FOR VASCULAR HEALTH AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION Jayne A. Barbour, Peter R. C. Howe, Jonathan D. Buckley, Janet Bryan and Alison M. Coates: Nutrition Physiology Research Centre, Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia; Clinical Nutrition Research Centre, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia

Nuts are rich in many nutrients that can benefit multiple cardiometabolic functions, including arterial compliance, blood pressure, inflammation, glucoregulation and endothelial vasodilatation. Impaired vasodilatation may contribute to impaired cognitive performance due to poor cerebral perfusion. The present narrative review examines associations between nut consumption, vascular health and cognitive function. It includes

a systematic search which identified seventy-one epidemiological or intervention studies in which effects of chronic nut consumption on blood pressure, glucoregulation, endothelial vasodilator function, arterial compliance, inflammatory biomarkers and cognitive performance were evaluated. Weighted mean changes were estimated where data were available; they indicate that nut consumption reduces blood pressure and improves glucoregulation, endothelial vasodilator function and inflammation, while a limited number of studies suggest that nut consumption may also improve cognitive performance. Further clinical trials are warranted to explore relationships between nut consumption, endothelial function and cognitive function.

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