This July, the INC has launched the Global Cashew Council’s corporate website. The site has been designed to attract all publics, with specific sections for consumers and health and industry professionals.

The INC participated in the 2019 China International Tree Nuts Conference, from August 5 – 7, in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China. This event, organized by the China Chamber of Commerce (CFNA), is an annual meeting of over 500 participants from the Chinese nut industry and abroad, representing all tree nuts and some dried fruits. The INC was represented by Mr. Michael Waring, INC Chairman; Mr. Ashok Krishen, First Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Global Cashew Council; Mr. Pino Calcagni, Second Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee and the Statistics Committee; and Mrs. Goretti Guasch, INC Executive Director.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a statement on the available outcomes of the human health assessment in the context of the pesticides peer review for the renewal of approval of the active substance chlorpyrifos.

Health Canada will modify the regulatory List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances in Foods, adding a new ML of 20 ppm total extractable cyanide in apricot kernels sold for human consumption, which is also applicable to apricot kernels used as an ingredient in other foods.

Nowadays nuts fit within all of the currently recommended healthy dietary patterns. Due to their relative protein density, nuts are positioned within the protein foods groups, however their protein composition varies considerably among themselves. In the United States, protein content claims on labels are based on the amount of quality‐corrected protein within a representative amount customarily consumed (RACC), where protein quality is assessed using the Protein Digestibility‐Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS).

The INC has launched the 9th edition of the Annual Call for Research Projects (up to €300,000). The objective of this grant is to fund clinical, epidemiological, basic and/or strategic research that may contribute to enhance the understanding of the health effects of nuts and dried fruits.

The Asian Congress of Nutrition is held every four years to promote nutrition and food innovation, and to encourage scientific interchange among food, nutrition and health researchers and professionals in Asia and worldwide. The 13th edition was recently held in Bali, Indonesia, on August 4-7.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established tolerances for residues of sulfoxaflor in or on multiple commodities.

AENOR, the Spanish standardization body responsible for the publication of the National Standards UNE, has certified an environmental product declaration on Spanish almond kernels, according to the Standard UNE-EN-ISO 14025.