Over the last several decades cashews have gotten a lot of love and attention here in the U.S. In fact, cashews are an ever growing 6-billion-dollar industry. However, since they cannot grow in the North American climate, many Americans don’t know much about this ‘nut’. If I asked you about how they grow, are harvested, or processed would you know? I will touch on classification, harvesting, drying, processing, an industry that needs great improvement in working conditions, and lastly nutritional benefits. Let’s take a look at this ancient food, over 500 years in the making.
Brought over from Brazil in the 16th century, the cashew tree, Anacardium occidentale L, was soon used in India to prevent soil erosion. What started as a mutual relationship in the beginning, became one sided, overtaking large parts of India. While its root system kept soil in place, the horizontally growing branches shaded land from rain. Despite this, the cashew industry has become big bucks as one of the highest priced processed nuts in today’s market.
Cashews are commonly exported from Vietnam, India, and several other smaller Asian countries. Believe it or not, cashews are not technically a nut but seeds. They also grow on trees that bear ‘cashew apples’, or a false fruit. The real prize is the cashew growing on the bottom of the apple, closely protected by a hard shell containing a toxic chemical just beneath. This is one of many reasons’ cashew production is time consuming and tedious. Cashews undergo a multistep process before appearing on our grocery store shelves. This includes farming, harvesting, separating the cashew from the false fruit, roasting, cooling, cracking open, peeling, sun drying, and sorting. The amount of labor that goes into processing cashews does not equate to the amount these workers are paid. In fact, 90% of women in this skilled labor industry are paid negligible wages.
The hardest part of harvesting the cashew is cracking it open and extracting the nut from the shell. The CNSL or ‘cashew nut shell liquid’, a toxic oil, oozes out from the shell. When this CNSL comes into contact with skin it causes burns, sores, and other health risks for these workers. Often left without masks and gloves these workers are exposed to unsafe working conditions, and expected to harvest an absurd amount of ‘nuts’ on a daily basis. There has been some investigation into this, but still only about 3% of cashews on the market today are certified Fair Trade.
While the cashew industry needs some improvement, there is a reason so many people enjoy these seeds. Cashews are not only creamy and a great substitute in SCD and vegan cooking, they also have a host of health benefits. Rich in fiber, plant protein, heart-healthy fats, and antioxidants, these ‘nuts’ are pretty powerful! Cashews also contain magnesium, copper, and manganese. These nutrients are important to support brain health and immunity.
They may even help reduce inflammation by containing two specific antioxidants called polyphenols and carotenoids. These antioxidants have been shown to help fight disease and reduce inflammation activity. As for heart health, cashews offer rich good fats and even may be able to help lower blood pressure, triglycerides, and cholesterol. Lastly, cashews are low in sugar, but rich in fiber. These benefits when combined may even help lower sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. Much more research is needed to confirm all these findings, but cashews have a promising lead in the ‘health foods’ category.
Hundreds of years old, this seed has been enjoyed by many all over the world. Culinary versatility, nutritional benefits, and a rich creamy texture, it’s easy to see why people have fallen in love with this heart-healthy food. However, over the development of a billion-dollar global industry, working hazards such as CNSL oil, have largely been ignored. Do your best to support Fair Trade when purchasing cashews. Remember the demand drives the market, let’s demand Fair trade. Next time you go to eat a cashew, remember to appreciate not only it’s nutritional benefits, but all the labor it took to end up in your supermarket.
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