found this on alyssa's site this morning...

[www.rawfoodtalk.com]

Yes We Can Overturn the Mandated "Pasteurization" of Raw Almonds
Your support is needed to win the lawsuit against the USDA

Won't you please help us win this fight? Most of The Cornucopia Institute's members are farmers. Our organization is standing with our almond farmer friends. Please stand with us and help support this fight. D&S Ranches in Selma California strongly supports this effort ! Together, with your help, we can again begin supplying you with the Freshest Raw Un-pasteurized Almonds on earth. We want to provide them to you, You want to be able to legally buy them, and the only thing standing in our way is the USDA and the California Almond Board.

The Cornucopia Institute has been fighting to protect access to truly raw American almonds. When the USDA announced their intention to gas almonds with a toxic fumigant or steam-heat the raw nuts; and still call them raw; they began working with almond farmers, consumers and retailers to block this misguided food safety measure.

This work has now led to a lawsuit which, at this moment, is officially filed in the Washington D.C. District Federal Court. This Lawsuit challenges the raw almond treatment mandate. You, as a citizen of this great free country, have a critical interest in seeing this lawsuit to its final successful conclusion !

We need your help and support to cover the cost of this lawsuit!

Going to court was not our first choice. Cornucopia initially offered a compromise plan to the USDA that would have protected family farmers growing raw almonds for consumers and the consumer's right to choose unadulterated food in the marketplace. That plan was rejected earlier this year by the USDA.

Now we are seeking legal relief and justice. On September 9, that lawsuit was filed in the Washington, D.C. federal court. Cornucopia's team of legal advisors has been carefully investigating the grounds for overturning the almond treatment mandate.

Under federal law, only farmers and almond nut handlers have legal standing to sue the USDA on this matter. Fifteen almond farmers and handlers have stepped forward to file this suit. These individuals have been watching their farming and business operations disintegrate under the dictates and prohibitions of the treatment mandate. And they are not alone. Cornucopia has talked with other almond farmers and handlers suffering in similar ways.

One farmer and lawsuit participant said: "The entire natural raw almonds segment of our industry has been put out of business with one swipe of the pen by the Almond Board .... it is a financial disaster (for farmers), and it is a disaster for the consumers that are now denied, for no good reason, a healthy whole natural raw food that they have eaten with confidence and enjoyment and benefit for decades."

Legal battles, as I am sure you understand, are a pricey proposition. Justice is not cheap. The Cornucopia Institute has assured the almond farmer and handler plaintiffs that we will raise the money to pay for the costs of winning this battle. This is a battle that can be won. Our legal team has crafted a strong case, one that exposes the USDA's lack of authority to invoke the treatment rule and their bungling of how it was mandated.

Won't you please help us win this fight? Please stand with us and help support this fight.

Ready to Donate?

You can make a secure, tax-deductible donation online at:
www.Cornucopia.org

Please note in the message box that it is for the Almond Lawsuit. Or, if you prefer, mail your donation to The Cornucopia Institute, PO Box 126, Cornucopia, WI 54827.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/13/2008 02:20PM by coco.