Foreign Material

The USDA allows up to 1,320 pieces of foreign material per ton in almonds – that’s .1 percent, or 44 pounds per truck, or 26,400 pieces of foreign material in every truckload of almonds.

At Panoche Creek, our standards are higher. We take the extra steps, using various extraction methods, to reduce foreign materials levels to some of the industry’s lowest. We consistently ship at a fraction of USDA specifications – typically at about 80 to 100 pieces of foreign material per ton.

Buyers seeking premium almonds with even lower foreign matter levels can choose our PerfectPac option which ships with just 40 foreign material pieces per ton.

Those seeking to reach confectionary specifications can choose our “top shelf” option, with only five pieces of foreign material per ton.