USDA Adds Walnuts to Government Sponsored Meals

The USDA recently announced its decision to purchase walnuts as part of the School Lunch Buy, a government sponsored feeding program. “This purchase represents welcomed support from the USDA, making walnuts available for the first time in several years, and will help distribute the industry’s record crop of 434,000 short tons, exceeding the previous record crop of 355,000 short tons set in 2005,” says California Walnut Board Chairman Jerome B. Siebert.

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“Our industry is proud to provide a tasty and nutritious product to school children and others in-need throughout the U.S., particularly at a time when so many people are seeking assistance,” added Dennis A. Balint, Executive Director of the California Walnut Board.

Unique among nuts, walnuts contain the highest amount of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) the plant based omega-3 fatty acid essential to the human body. In addition, a one-ounce serving of walnuts provides 4 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber and many antioxidants (13.126 mmol/gram) including ellagic acid, melatonin, and gamma-tocopherol(1).

California harvests 99% of the walnuts available in theĀ U.S. and the majority of the world supply. The industry is comprised of more than 4,800 walnut growers and 58 processors, most of which are family businesses working in the fertile California Central Valley. Walnut trees can produce quality nuts for 75 to 100 years and orchards are often passed down from generation to generation.

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