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Interesting Things
National Nut Day Facts
We celebrate National Nut Day on October 22nd as an unofficial holiday. Created by Liberation Foods CIC – the UK’s only Fairtrade, farmer-owned nut company – ‘NND’ was coined to celebrate the many dried, edible fruits and seeds that we enjoy. Not to mention the livelihoods that depend on the industry. I

nitially, National Nut Day was used as a medium to teach others about Fair Trade Nuts and the independent farmers who produce them. However, as with any good thing, the original concept has grown into much more than that.

So, in celebration of all things nutty (careful now), here’s some cool stuff you probably didn’t know about oily kernels and squirrel food.

Nut Facts!

  • Historians found primitive nutcrackers and nut shells that are believed to have originated some 78,000 years ago during a particular archaeological dig in Israel.
  • The oldest nut tree? Depending on how picky you are, it’s the Juglans family of deciduous trees and their walnut offspring. Proven to fight against cancer, delay ageing and assist with weight loss as part of a balanced diet, walnuts are certainly worth trying.
  • Cashew shells are toxic. Raw cashews contain urushiol, a resin that becomes poisonous when eaten. The substance can also cause burns and rashes if it comes into contact with skin. As such, to ensure they are safe to eat, cashews must be roasted or steamed.
  • Pistachios aren’t actually a nut – they are a seed. Don’t beleive us? Check this out.
  • Almonds boast of certain prebiotic properties courtesy of the awesome bumblebee. According to clever nature bods, almond seeds can’t grow on their own. Pollination comes around courtesy of bees. A new line of self-pollinating almond trees have been utilised to keep produce going.

    More Nut Facts!

    • One of the hardest nuts is the Macadamia. It’s like the Chuck Norris of tree produce. Harvested by picking them off the ground, their shells are also the strongest among all nuts, which is why you can’t open them with bare hands, or teeth. So don’t even try…
    • Peanuts aren’t nuts – they are legumes.
    • Researchers believe the ancient Aztecs started mashing up peanuts hundreds of years ago. A more modern version of Peanut Butter began to surface during the 1890s.
    • It takes approximately 540 peanuts to make one 12-ounce jar of peanut butter. Therefore, if you are good with numbers, you can figure out that’s roughly 45 peanuts in every ounce of peanut butter.
    • 1 serving of Walnuts supplies 100% of your daily Omega-3 requirements
    • 1 serving of Chestnuts supplies 20% of your vitamin C requirements
    • Chocolate manufacturers buy 40% of the world’s almond supply

      Love Nuts or Hate Nuts?

      • Nearly 88% of people surveyed responded that they ‘like’ or ‘love’ nuts.
      • One in twenty-five people surveyed responded that they ‘hate’ nuts.
      • Of those surveyed, nearly one-in-twenty picked Planters as their favourite brand.

      Sales Data

      Based on our sales data, the top 3 selling nut products in convenience stores throughout 2019 so far have been:

      KP Salted Peanuts
      Happy Shopper Roaster Salted Peanuts
      KP Dry Roaster Peanuts

      As a bonus fact, the South East of England purchase the largest quantity of nuts compared with the rest of the nation. However, Northern Ireland consume the least.

      For more information on nut sales, contact our data team.

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