Posts Tagged “cashews”
United States shelled cashew imports fell 29 percent in 2025 to 277.3 million pounds, dropping below the 300-million-pound threshold for the first time in 12 years, a July assessment by the US Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS) reveals.
The US produces no commercial cashews and relies entirely on international trade, with suppliers varying dramatically over two decades. India and Brazil accounted for 80 percent of imports between 2000 and 2002, before specialized processing centers propelled Vietnam into the position of primary supplier.
This led to the Asian country accounting for 89 percent of US cashew imports from 2022 to 2024.
However, higher US tariffs on Vietnamese imports, aggressive demand from China and the European Union, and new regulations for cashew processors drove the import volume reduction and elevated unit values, according to the ERS’ Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook report,
“Policy changes in several African countries affecting in-shell cashew exports further supported global prices and raised raw material costs for Vietnamese processors,” the document noted.
Raw cashew nuts contain urushiol, a corrosive oil also found in poison ivy. To make them safe for consumption, cashews require high-heat steaming or roasting to neutralize the oil before processors split, peel, and dry the nuts.
“A comparative advantage in processing efficiency and labor cost has led countries such as Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania to historically export large volumes of in-shell cashews to India and Vietnam where nuts are shelled and re-exported or consumed domestically,” the document explains.
Although US imports recorded a slight year-on-year increase of 11 percent between January and May 2026, volumes remained nine percent below the five-year average.
“Recent earnings reports from two major companies known for branded snack nut products indicated retail margins in early 2026 were pressured by increased fuel costs and trade disruptions for import-dependent commodities,” the report said regarding prices.
ERS analysts project that geopolitical challenges and elevated fuel costs will continue to exert pressure on domestic prices and import volumes through the second half of 2026.
By The American Chemical Society
SAN FRANCISCO — For the millions of adults and children in the U.S. who have to shun nuts to avoid an allergic reaction, help could be on the way. Scientists are now developing a method to process cashews — and potentially other nuts — that could make them safer to eat for people who are allergic to them.
The researchers recently presented their work at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society.
“The only widely accepted practice for preventing an allergic reaction to nuts is strict avoidance — stay away from the food,” notes Chris Mattison, Ph.D. “Clinical trials to test immunotherapy are underway, but we’re approaching it from an agricultural perspective rather than medical. Can we change the food, instead of treating the person, so we can eliminate or reduce severe reactions?”
For those with food allergies, responses to offending products can range from mild itching in the mouth or skin to life-threatening anaphylaxis, which makes it hard to breathe. Once every three minutes, someone in the U.S. ends up in the emergency room due to a food allergy reaction — that adds up to about 200,000 visits a year.
To try to reduce those numbers, Mattison’s team is looking at ways to modify proteins in tree nuts and peanuts (which are legumes) that trigger an immune response in people who are allergic. The response is launched by antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE), which recognize and latch onto the proteins. Mattison explains that changing the shape of the proteins makes it harder for IgE to find them.
But past research taking this approach has involved harsh chemicals. Mattison, a researcher with the Agricultural Research Service branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, wanted to see if his team could achieve the same results, but using compounds that are “generally regarded as safe,” or GRAS. These are substances that are accepted by the Food and Drug Administration for use in food and pharmaceuticals.
“We found that the GRAS compound sodium sulfite can effectively disrupt the structure of a couple of the cashew allergens,” Mattison says. “And we’ve done a couple of different tests to show we reduced IgE binding to the proteins when they’ve been treated with sodium sulfite.”
Next, they plan to conduct experiments on whole nuts and test the modified proteins on cells in the lab to see how they respond. They’re also looking at enzymes, which are molecules that can cut up proteins, as candidates to disrupt the allergens.
And, although this particular report focuses on cashew proteins, Mattison says the work could have broader implications. The kinds of allergenic proteins the GRAS compound and enzymes affect are not exclusive to one kind of nut.
The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 161,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.