The Formaldehyde Young Coconut Scare... Truth or Rumor????

[Amanda]

Okay People.. I've been ecstatic about using my shaved young coconuts that I buy from the Asian Markets & I even had my morning smoothie this morning w.a freshly opened meat & water!! My last post, my bubble was burst when the subject of my precious coconuts being dipped in formaldehyde before they were shipped!! I was concerned...& dismayed... Even called some Carribean markets in which they supposedly sold unpeeled ones.. Only one in Norwalk ( 1 hour away) will be getting back to me about prices on a case!

I was bothered that this could actually be a fact, instead of heresay/rumor... or worse.. if it was true,, could the coconuts be contaminated INSIDE??? Hmmmmmmm So leave it to me to do my research!!! I found several blogs and people spreading or asking about this same thing!! THEN I found this article by acclaimed Raw food chef Matt Amsden! Its like he was writing the article Straight AT ME!!! lol

Read the article at:

http://www.basilandspice.com/journal/matt-amsden-tells-the-truth-about-thai-coconuts-and-formalde.html

Or read it here!!

Matt Amsden Tells The Truth About Thai Coconuts and Formaldehyde
Jan 9, 2008
Guest Blogger: MATT AMSDEN CEO and author of RAWvolution: Gourmet Living Cuisine
Just say "YES!" to raw foods. Cher, Carol Alt, Alicia Silverstone, Susan Sarandon, and David Wolfe have! Celebrated raw food chef, Matt Amsden says that eating your food in the raw, doesn't mean you need to give up your favorite dishes. Using natural ingredients, he's enabled others to eat his signature "Big Matt with Cheese," and other traditional type foods in the comfort of their own homes. Every week Matt creates delicious raw dishes, including soups, main entrees, sides, and desserts--all deliverable to your door. With a storefront in Los Angeles and a kitchen in New York City, he's busy, but still keeps up with the latest trends in the raw food world.

MATT AMSDEN--

Are you one of those folks whose initial excitement in discovering Thai Coconuts was quickly replaced with fear when you heard the rumor that the sweet treat is soaked in formaldehyde before reaching the United States?

I don’t know where it started nor can I remember when I first heard it, but the rumor is certainly widespread.

I have had dozens of friends and clients ask me about it in panicked phone calls, during my raw food preparation classes, or even during visits to our café.

Some fearful raw-fooders have completely removed Thai Coconuts from their diets in response to the rumor, and there are even raw restaurants that have deleted them from their menus.

In short, we have all allowed this rumor to spread based completely on hearsay and without any definitive proof.

My wife Janabai and I love Thai Coconuts and weren’t willing to leave them out of our morning shakes or delete them from our café’s menu until we received definitive proof that they are in fact, treated with formaldehyde.

Waiting for someone else to provide such proof was getting us nowhere. We decided to find the truth, not only for ourselves but also for our customers, friends, and for those spreading fear by way of a baseless rumor.

We contacted Michelson Laboratories. Michelson is a fully accredited microbiology and chemical testing lab with over 70 highly trained specialists and technicians located in Commerce, California.

Michelson was confident that after proper testing of a sample they could tell us definitively whether or not Thai Coconuts were treated with formaldehyde.

We supplied Michelson with samples from our regular stock of Thai Coconuts and waited patiently as the testing process began.

As the weeks went on, Janabai and I decided that whatever the result, we would disseminate the information as widely as possible. We would either discontinue our use of Thai Coconuts and warn others or dispel the myth and continue to endorse the use of Thai Coconuts.

On Thursday, May 11 th, 2006, we received the results from the lab.

There was absolutely no indication whatsoever that the Thai Coconut samples provided to Michelson Laboratories was ever in contact with formaldehyde.

We were excited! Not only could we continue to enjoy Thai Coconuts but we also had definitive proof that the formaldehyde scare was nothing more than rumor.

It is my sincere hope that in the future, our raw food communities will not fall prey to lies and made-up stories. These rumors divide rather than unite and spread fear rather than information.

So everyone..Be rest assured.. Ain't NO FORMALDEHYDE INSIDE the coconuts sold in Asian Markets!!Of course they use whatever chemicals they have to , in order to preserve the OUTTER shells! How else are they gonna stop the coconuts from turning BROWN once they shave them??? But Its been PROVEN that those toxins DO NOT get into the coconut meat or water!!!

CRAZY how a rumor can spread Nationwide.. w/o verification or substantial PROOF!!! AMAZING!!

Here's a demonstration on how to open coconuts..


I have a lovely pair of coconuts.. lalalalalalala lol

[Amanda]

You';re welcome Chef Skai :-)    Katharine, You will have to contact Matt Amsden for this info. From what I understand and as the late Ann Wigmore who started the Hippocrates Institute explained , the coconut shell is a very strong barrier which prevents whatever chemicals they spray to preserve the outer layers into penetrating into the meat & juice. Since they DO spray the outside w/ chemicals, I ALWAYS wash my hands after opening my coconuts. Unfortunately alot of us don;t live in tropical places where they grow abundantly and I am not willing to pay the exorbitant prices for Organic coconuts... You are so lucky to live in Hawaii... Aloha & much love...A

[Chef Skai]

Thanks for this.  This will help alot of people.  Unfortunately thai coconuts are what is most present in the US.  Unless of course you move to a tropical environment....

[Katharine Clark]

Can I see a copy of the lab report? Is it online any where?

[Katharine Clark]

The coconuts are treated when they come in from Thailand.  If lab shows not detectable levels of the chemical in the nut flesh or juice that's interesting.  I love coconuts, but not the ones that are shipped from Thailand.  They have a funny taste to me. When I am in Thailand most coconuts do not taste funny but some do. maybe its the variety or something?  I prefer to drink local nuts. If nuts aren't local to you then you might reconsider how many you consume.  I don't like things made with the flesh of the thai coconut either because of the flavor.  Right now i"m blessed with a local source.

[Dragonflyte]

Well this is a big relief - I absolutely love young Thai coconuts and have one every day. But what about irradiation? From what i'm researching, all coconuts imported into the US are irradiated (non-organic). Could someone please help me understand how this affects the goodness/nutrition of young coconuts? Thank you!

[Amanda]

well, its the choice between pastuerized ( heated) organic ones or sprayed RAW coconuts.. I choose the latter.. I believe the formaledhyde rumor was probably started by the online "organic" sellers.. $10 a coconut?? I think NOT! I go thru 7-8 a week!! lol

Read the following:

Permalink Reply by Graham on April 27, 2008 at 2:04pm
You might take a look at this site as a possible explanation of the process Dr. Martin's might be using. http://www.fao.org/AG/magazine/0701sp1.htm

"Once exposed to air, coconut water begins to ferment, and rapidly loses most of its organoleptic and nutritional characteristics. To eliminate the risk of bacterial growth, commercial bottlers are forced to sterilize the product using high-temperature/short-time pasteurization (the same technology used in long-life milk), which destroys some of coconut water's nutrients and almost all of the flavour.
"Now, after more than five years of research and testing, FAO has announced a simple cold preservation technology appropriate for small and medium-sized agro-industries that allows them to produce bottled coconut water which, under refrigeration, stays fresh for from 10 days to three weeks."

Soooo... it looks like if the coconut water doesn't taste fresh and the expiration date is beyond three weeks, then be very suspicious. And if the manufacturer won't tell you to what extent it's been heated, well, we can all draw reasonable conclusions, can't we? :))

As far as bleaching goes, does anyone know for a fact that the bleach would absorb past the outer husk?

If you're looking for a good source of inexpensive young coconuts you might stop in at a large Chinese grocery. At the natural food stores In Portland, Oregon, they sell for about $2.50 - organic $3.50. The Chinese grocery sells them for 98 cents. I wonder what's worse, flash pasteurizing of organic coconut water or drinking the water from "natural" coconuts that have been treated with pesticides, possibly fumigated for after-harvest insect damage, covered with bleach and raised on soil that has been augmented with petrol based fertilizers and rat bait.


Permalink Reply by RawZi on May 4, 2008 at 9:47pm
Thank you Graham. Pesticides, fumigation, harvest, insect, damage, covered with bleach, petrol based fertilizers and rat bait all sound like terrible words. I think they're not all treated with that (the conventional. I've lived by lots of coconut trees). They are very hardy. Rarely do any of them get sick. I think in Ann Wigmore's Be Your Own Doctor She says that coconut water is one of the safest foods, as even strong toxins rarely get in. Coconut has important fatty acids in it. Unheated fats have the distinct advantage for us of helping our bodies function better in so many ways. If I had to choose between conventional raw coconut (and I do know how serious fumigation is), and pasteurized organic, I would choose raw. Dr Ann said that after years on Living Foods a person can tell with their senses if something is organic no matter what the label. So, I might suggest giving the conventional available to you a sniff. Also, I trust my senses, and I sense pasteurized makes me sick. So, there you have it, I choose raw and for even more reasons (but I don't want to go on here forever), and I suggest raw to anyone who asks. Plus, conventional rots faster, so they're almost forced to grow things organic if you demand raw. These are all my opinions, I will not provide any other documentation. Learn for yourselves

Permalink Reply by Graham on May 4, 2008 at 10:08pm
RawZi, I was a bit tongue in cheek. I buy raw from a Chinese market at 98 cents a piece.

[cricketine]

ok, so no formaldehyde, what about pesticides?

[Amanda]

I know.. I swear by my YUMMY morning coconut meat & water smoothies & when someone left a comment w. this rumor.. I freaked!! Started calling Carribean markets for unpeeled ones, like they suggested.. Then something told me to research further!! soooooooo Glad I did!!

[Christine]

I absolutely love young coconuts, so I'm glad to hear this is only an unfounded rumor. When I heard this for the first time, it got me very depressed because coconut smoothies are just SOOOOooooo good. I never did stop getting them altogether, though, just once in a while. In fact, I'm drinking a green-young coconut-blueberry-banana-carob smoothies right now! :D