Our government allows the use of deceptive packaging, and it needs to be stopped. Companies that promote health and nutrition like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market should take a stance against these practices, not turn the other cheek and monetarily benefit from it.

On September 1, 2007, the USDA put into effect the mandated pasteurization of ALL almonds grown in California, which make up over 99% of all domestically-grown almonds here in the United States. This law went into effect to protect companies from lawsuits, not to protect the American consumer. Because of a small string of salmonella outbreaks in 2001 and 2004, the almond growers of California asked the USDA for legal protection. The result? The banning of all raw almonds. No questions were asked. No scientific studies were done. Instead of looking into why the outbreaks took place, they simply banned all raw almonds – even if organically grown.

What does this mean for the American consumer? It means that most almonds will be treated with propylene oxide, or PPO. This is a harsh chemical known to cause tumors, skin irritations, and neurological side-effects. It's a known carcinogen that is now used to treat the almonds we eat. Organically-grown almonds are often steam-treated, which not only kills most of the nutrients found in the almond itself, but can turn the seed rancid. It also produces free radicals, or cancer-causing agents.

Both PPO and steam treatments end up being harmful to our health, which is why raw almonds are so important to have in our daily diets. If the USDA was on the consumers' side, they would implement harsher rules on the farmers, and look into why these salmonella outbreaks were happening in the first place. And why target organic farmers? These farmers use no chemicals at all, and were never part of the 2001 and 2004 salmonella outbreaks. Numerous court appeals have been filed since 2007, but every single one has been judicially overturned – even as recent as February 22, 2013. We must fight back! We live in a country of choice; why not provide the American consumer with the option to purchase pasteurized almonds OR raw almonds? Why ban ALL raw almonds?

To make matters worse, the USDA allows for the mislabeling of all almonds, so any retailer can add "raw" to the packaging without repercussion. This is a flat-out, bold-faced LIE. So why, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, do you not take a stance and do what's right?

In an e-mail response I received from Trader Joe's:

"The almonds are labeled as raw because the steam pasteurization of almonds is an industry standard and all almonds that have been steam pasteurized will be labeled in this manner..."

So instead of doing what's right, Trader Joe's will just follow the "industry standard?" I thought they would care more about their customers than that, but maybe not.

In an e-mail response I received from Whole Foods Market:

"We understand that some of our shoppers will feel that it is misleading to label as 'raw' almonds that have undergone flash pasteurization. We are in the process of reviewing the label claims made on our almond products, and we have posted signage at the point of sale of almonds from California sold as 'raw' stating that those almonds have undergone flash pasteurization."

That's a step in the right direction, Whole Foods, but you've known about this issue since 2007. This is a one-month fix at best. So why are you taking your time in removing such a simple, three-letter word from your labeling?

The only way around the "almond rule of 2007" is to buy imported almonds, but they are hard to find. Even Trader Joe's sells Italian almonds that are, in fact, heat treated to 170-190 degrees, essentially killing the nutrients found in its raw form. Almonds have so many health benefits – why kill them?

The single most important job of the USDA is to inform the American people of what they buy and what they put into their bodies. Please sign my petition so that we can make healthier, wiser decisions when buying foods like almonds – pasteurized OR raw. Thank you.