Sustainability Profile: Nuts

Before you @ me, I know that some of these (I’m lookin’ at you, peanuts) are not scientifically considered nuts. But because all of these dudes are used similarly in cooking and nutrition, I'm covering them all in the same post.

From Brazil nuts to sunflower seeds, this post will tell you all about the sustainability of your fav nut buddies. 

Brazil Nuts

Brazil nuts grow on trees mostly in the Amazon rainforest. Here, these guys do great things for forest biodiversity because they actually need to be grown in the company of other plants. 

This diversity encourages happy soils and ecosystems, and also means that no nasty pesticide-ridden monocultures are associated with growing Brazil nuts. 

If you live in the U.S., Brazil nuts will have to travel a ways to get to you, but that could be outweighed by the awesome stuff they do for the Amazon rainforest depending on your perspective.

Bottom line: v sustainable, especially if you live in the South. 

Cashews

Most cashews sold in the U.S. are grown and processed in Africa, India or Vietnam. Many of these operations abroad are associated with nasty practices and poor working conditions (think: acid burns and forced labor).

Since this is the biggest sustainability concern surrounding cashews, take advantage of fair trade varieties. This way, you'll know that the producers followed standards for treating workers and the environment well. 

Bottom line: Fair trade all the way.  

Pecans

Pecan trees grow in our very own Southern U.S. of A., which is good if you’re looking to cut down on GHGs from travel. 

However, pecans aren’t perfect. A lot of pecan farmers rely heavily on pesticides to keep away black aphids that like to destroy orchards. For this reason, pesticides are sometimes needed to keep these orchards goin. 

Depending on where you live, the shorter traveling distance might make pecans (even non-organic varieties) more worth it than nuts from abroad. 

If you live near wild pecan trees, you could forage for wild pecans rather than sourcing them from a monoculture orchard. This could cut down on pesticide use and GHG emissions. 

Bottom line: Go organic or forage your own.

Walnuts, Almonds, and Pistachios

I lumped these three boys together because they’re all grown mostly in California and are associated with some of the same sustainability issues. 

You’ve probably seen a million articles dragging these nuts through the dirt for their massive water use. While it is true that these nuts use a lot of water, they’re not single-handed destroying California like some of these writings suggest. 

The fact of the matter is that California is in trouble with or without growing nuts. If you live in California, it makes sense for you to buy these nuts since they’re grown locally and won’t have to travel far. However, if you live on the East coast, you might want to save these for a special treat. 

Bottom line: These guys guzzle water, but they're worth it if you live in Cali.

Hazelnuts

Many hazelnut operations are located in Turkey and are associated with supes bad human rights violations like child labor. If you're buying from abroad, be sure to snag fair trade varieties to avoid feeding this beast.

Another way around this is to buy domestic hazelnuts. Luckily for us in the U.S., a lot of hazelnut trees grow along our Northwest coast. Here, they drink up plenty of rain water and enjoy long lifespans, so eat up!

Bottom line: Big yes to U.S. or fair trade hazelnuts. 

Peanuts 

The only food on this list with “nut” in its name is actually not a nut at all - it’s a legume! A lot of peanut plants grow in the Southern U.S., but they’re also a popular crop in China and India. 

These buddies grow underground, where they catch nitrogen from the air and release it into the ground. This is supes helpful because other popular crops (like corn) suck nitrogen out of the soil. 

Although peanuts are p good for soils, they're associated with the usual concerns about monocultures and pesticides (specifically fungicides), so go organic if you have the chance.

Bottom line: Buy domestic+organic or bust.

Sunflower seeds

Sunflowers are primarily grown in the middle and Midwestern United States. Sunflower fields used to be nasty breeding grounds for soil erosion and extensive herbicides, but recently they’ve cleaned up their act a bit. A lot of sunflower fields now utilize low- or no-till agriculture. 

However, many of these fields are monoculture (bad for soil health, spreads disease easily…) and use quite a bit of fertilizer. This means that buying conventionally grown domestic sunflower seeds is not too terrible for the environment, but growing your own would be better (and it’s not that hard!). 

Bottom line: Buy organic and domestic, or grow your own.