WASHINGTON — A group of California almond growers and sellers is suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture over a year-old rule that requires them to pasteurize their nuts.
They say it's ruining their business by driving organic- and raw-nut enthusiasts to unpasteurized foreign imports.
In a lawsuit announced Wednesday after it was filed in federal court in Washington, 15 growers and wholesale nut handlers seek reversal of the rule that was imposed in September 2007 after salmonella outbreaks that were traced to raw almonds.
The suit contends that handlers who paid a premium for raw almonds have been paying as much as 40 percent less for the pasteurized variety, or rejecting them altogether.
They argue that the rule was imposed without the proper rule-making process, didn't take key issues into account and should be thrown out.
Source: The Associated Press
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