NEWS IN A NUTSHELL
The Almond Industry is in Good Hands
An Interview with Clarice Turner, president & CEO of the Almond Board of California Almond Facts hosted the Almond Board of California’s, president and CEO, Clarice Turner, for an interview to get to know her unique leadership style with a strong food industry background, her vision for the almond industry, plans for market growth, and wins for almonds. Almond Facts (AF): Clarice, it’s been a year and a half since you came on as president and CEO at the Almond Board. Could you share a little bit about your vision for the future of the almond industry ?
Clarice Turner (CT): The ABC team got together to talk about the purpose and higher calling behind our work. We aligned on: “Cultivating a healthier future.” This speaks to the health of growers in the industry and to human health. We care for both. Human health is important to everyone: you, me, people we know, governments. It’s a massive scale to think about. Almonds collectively are remarkable because we can truly impact improvements in human health. We know this because of our scientific, fact and data-based research. There’s no greenwashing in what we know, which is powerful. And for growers, farming is not getting easier and it’s not going to get any easier. Our top priority is to keep our growers growing. AF: What are some of the biggest challenges the industry needs to address and what is the Almond Board doing to support our California almond farmers ? CT: In farming, the regulatory environment remains uncertain, especially now. A part of ABC’s research focuses on dealing with pests like navel orangeworm. We also work with agencies like CDFA to stop pests from arriving in the state. We are regularly looking for ways to save farmers money and vetting practices that provide options for efficiency, such as using cover crops and promoting biodiversity. For example, using cover crops has been shown to improve soil health and help water soak into the ground better, and in-orchard plant diversity supports pollinators and the trees. Almonds are among the most researched foods because of their diversity, the strength of our federal marketing order and the challenges that have existed for over 50 years. A few decades ago, people thought almonds were unhealthy and caused weight gain due to their high fat content. However, Almond Board nutrition research has shown that almonds are an incredibly healthy food filled with healthy unsaturated fats, and that they can be a helpful tool for weight management. In fact, more recent research has shown that our bodies absorb about 25% fewer calories than what is on the nutritional facts label for whole almonds. Almonds are very versatile and are available in many forms, all of which contain important nutrients. Research also shows that almonds have a very high nutritional value for the inputs needed to grow them. We are working on research that shows the benefits of environmental investments tied to the nutritional value of the food and the resources used to grow that food. There is not much clarity in this space. It would be powerful to create a fact-based reference that can be made available to the public. We are sharing our findings about the nutrition of almonds and their environmental
14
ALMOND FACTS
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker