During this time of year when diet and exercise are a top priority, more and more people are grabbing a handful of walnuts. According to new research published in Food and Function, researchers from The University of Scranton in Scranton, Pa., compared the amount of powerful antioxidants called polyphenols in nine types of roasted and raw nuts and two types of peanut butter, in an attempt to "crack" the antioxidant code. The results? Walnuts are the valedictorian. Complete article

The Independent Handlers Coalition today released its official Subjective Forecast on the 2011 California Walnut Crop at 523,000 tons. This would represent a 4.4% increase from the 2010 crop of 501,000 tons. Handlers believe that growing conditions thus far have been nearly ideal, with moderate summertime temperatures.

Nut size will again be an issue for the industry as was the case last year, according to most handlers.

GoldRiver Orchards is the proud recipient of the Red Seal Pinnacle Award, given in recognition of exceptional performance in the area of plant sanitation and good manufacturing practices by the American Council for Food Safety and Quality (ACFSQ).

ACFSQ performs surprise audits on member facilities tri-annually. In order to achieve the Red Seal Pinnacle Award, a plant must achieve a top score of 1800 or better on all three of those audits in a given crop year.

This is GoldRiver’s second Pinnacle Award in a row. The award was presented on 20 July 2011 at Brookside Country Club in Stockton, California.

The Stockton Record recently ran a story on the California walnut industry, including quotes from Don Barton and photos of the GoldRiver operation.

The story gives a good overview of the industry's health and the very strong demand for California walnuts from China and other markets.

Here's a link to the story:

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101205/A_BIZ/12040305/-1/a_biz

The Independent Handlers Coalition, of which GoldRiver is a member, released its subjective forecast on the upcoming 2010 California walnut crop yesterday. The estimate is 473,000 tons. This is a 9% increase from the 2009 crop of 436,000 tons.

While the crop is expected to be larger than last year, the overall marketable tonnage is expected to be flat from last year. This is because the expected carry-in from 2009 to 2010 is estimated at only 22,000 tons–or about 4% of the marketable crop. If these estimates are accurate, the 2010 carry-in would be the lowest in percentage terms in the industry's history.

Growing conditions continue to be outstanding. After a cool spring, California has had a very moderate June and July. If the rest of the summer remains moderate, it will provide excellent light color for the walnut kernels this fall.

On 30 May 2010, GoldRiver Orchards received its third unannounced inspection from the American Council for Food Safety & Quality. This was the final audit for the current crop year, which ends August 31.

Once again, GoldRiver received an excellent rating. Because we received three excellent audit results out of three audits performed, GoldRiver is now recognized as a Red Seal facility.

The Red Seal is given only to food plants which receive excellent ratings in all three of the unannounced quality and food safety audits performed by the ACFSQ. A certificate will be received later this month and, once received, will be posted on GoldRiver's website.

GoldRiver Orchards received an excellent rating from the American Council for Food Safety & Quality for the second trimester in a row. In order to receive an excellent rating, a processor must achieve a minimum score of 1800.

This trimester, GoldRiver received a score of 1845, an increase from the 1800 score received last October.

The American Council for Food Safety & Quality conducts unannounced plant inspections on a three times per year basis for its members. GoldRiver Orchards joined the organization in August 2009.

GoldRiver Orchards today received an excellent rating from the American Council for Food Safety & Quality as a result of an unannounced plant audit conducted on October 28, 2009. GoldRiver voluntarily submits to unannounced plant audits three times annually from ACFSQ.

The audit covers areas including plant grounds and construction, waste disposal and restroom facilities, sanitation standards and pest control, personnel training, and adherence to HACCP and raw material and packaging standards and documentation.

At the conclusion of their inspection, ACFSQ gave GoldRiver a score of 1800 on a scale of 2000, which qualifies GoldRiver for an excellent rating.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has confirmed that the omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and ALA, can benefit eye and cognitive development in babies.

“DHA has a structural and functional role in the brain and retina and maternal DHA intake can contribute to the early development of the eye and normal cognitive development in the fetus and the brain-fed infant,” wrote Dr Juliane Kleiner, head of the DNA panel.

In regard to the need for supplementation she added: “…while DHA can be synthesised in the human body from its precursor essential fatty acid ALA to a certain extent, the human fetus appears to be largely dependent on placental transfer of DHA from the mother derived either from her diet, from synthesis or from stores in adipose tissue. The Panel also noted that most DHA is provided to the breast-fed infant via breast milk in which the DHA concentration is dependent both on maternal dietary intake and maternal DHA stores, while the contribution by
synthesis is low.”

Walnuts are an excellent and natural source of ALA Omega-3. The bottom line: pregnant moms can give their babies many benefits by eating walnuts during their pregnancy.

Loma Linda University research just published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compares the effects of walnuts and fatty fish (in this case, salmon) in the fight against heart disease. In healthy individuals, walnuts lower cholesterol more than fish, while fatty fish are superior for reducing triglycerides. Both eaten together can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

"The practical significance of the study is that eating an easy-to-incorporate amount of walnuts and fatty fish can cause meaningful decreases in blood cholesterol and triglycerides even in healthy individuals", says lead author Sujantha Rajaram, PhD, associate professor of nutrition at Loma Linda University School of Public Health.

Following the qualified health claim issued by the FDA, researchers found that incorporating about 1.5 ounces of walnuts (equal to about 3 tablespoons of chopped nuts) into the daily diet lowered serum total cholesterol by 5.4% and LDL cholesterol by 9.3%. In addition, eating two servings per week of fatty fish (about four ounces each) reduced triglyceride levels by 11.4% and increased HDL by 4%.

"Both plant and marine-derived omega-3 fats are cardioprotective, and since they seem to be effective for lowering different risk factors, it would be prudent to include both in the diet", says Dr. Joan Sabate, MD, PhD, and one of the authors of the study and chair of the department of nutrition.

To access the manuscript of the study, visit The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and use the reference 10.3945/ajcn.2009.26736S on the Internet.