Hurt by cheap pine nuts in Stamford
OK, so maybe 'hurt' is a little dramatic. But I was hit with something with a silly name called "Pine Mouth" that is anything but silly. I purchased a bag of pine nuts from Shop Rite and 48 hours after ingesting them everything I ate had a horrible, bitter, metallic aftertaste -- for a WEEK! Thankfully Thanksgiving dinner was my first normal meal.
This is a documented problem with a specific type of pine nut imported from China (my bag said Made in USA!) called pinus armandii. THey are smaller, rounder, and more of a mottled brown than the long, creamy even-colored rectangular pine nuts from Europe. They tasted fine.
I will tell you this is NOT fun. Most people get it for 2 weeks, apparently. I found a lot of message boards claiming Whole Foods and Trader Joe's not only sell them, but are unsympathetic to consumers who get this awful effect.
They are being imported b/c they are cheaper than the other kinds. Even the Chinese government agrees they should not be consumed... but they are making it over here!
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Shop Rite
1990 W Main St, Stamford, CT 06902
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greygarious
Dec 1, 2011 08:11 PM
This is not really a Chains issue. You will find several threads about pine mouth on the General Chowhounding board. Affected pine nuts are widely sold in countless supermarkets and elsewhere.
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Bob Brooks
Nov 28, 2011 05:24 PM
I don't know about your local Whole Foods market, but mine, in Sherman Oaks, CA, carries them in the bulk bin from Spain. $28.00 lb.
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re: dairygodmother
Bob Brooks
Dec 1, 2011 01:23 PM
It was never a Wild Oats but I think it was a Westward Ho about twenty some years ago.(This is the one on Sepulveda, just south of Ventura.
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re: Bob Brooks
sandiasingh
Dec 3, 2011 01:55 PM
The bulk foods mgr at our WFM told me they are from China. We are surrounded by piñon trees here in New Mexico! If yours are from Spain, you are lucky. I refuse to buy something if I don't know the country of origin. You can tell by the bar code number where it's from despite what it does or doesn't say on the label.
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re: sandiasingh
sunshine842
Dec 3, 2011 02:16 PM
The bar code does not tell you the country of origin.
The bar code consists of a prefix (which just clarifies whether it's a coupon, a saleable item, or a book), then a group of numbers indicating the manufacturer, followed by a group of numbers indicating the part number of the item, and finally a check digit.
The number for the manufacturer is assigned by the relevant authority for the country in which the product is being sold, and it completely random.
The number for the product is set by the manufacturer.
The check digit is a single digit derived from a mathematical formula manipulation of the other digits.
Nowhere is the country of origin specified, and a single product sold in multiple countries will bear multiple bar codes, depending on the standards and the regulations of each country in which the product will be sold.
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re: sunshine842
sandiasingh
Dec 4, 2011 07:54 AM
Thanks for the explanation. You must be in the industry to have such a clear understanding of the string of numbers. It looks like this was a food myth that was circulating a few years ago. We need to change the laws.
I buy cheeses and some other products from the EU because for the most part they have outlawed GMOs but I think they've started drinking the Koolaid too.
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re: sandiasingh
sunshine842
Dec 4, 2011 10:14 AM
The authorities in charge of bar codes have absolutely nothing to do with customs or agriculture (and are in fact not often affiliated with any government), so don't look for that to happen any time soon.
They print the country of origin on the packaging in plain English (or French or Spanish or whatever...) because they WANT you to be able to read it without trudging through very boring UPC code regulations to understand them.
Country-of-origin labeling laws are pretty stringent around the world -- not to say that there aren't violators, but the penalties for omitting them or using an incorrect or misleading name are pretty heavy and enforcement pretty strict, so the cheaters (assuming main-stream suppliers and not something bought from under the counter in a small store) are the exception, rather than the rule.
Europe is incredibly adamant about no GMO, and it's proudly plastered across the labels of all kinds of things.
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Yes, thanks for the post. I was about to buy some at Costco too.
Lots of places to get the real thing from New Mexico and Nevada online, but sounds like the drought has been a real bummer -- this website I ordered from in the past says there was NO HARVEST this year. ouch!
http://www.pinonnuts.com/DANBOB
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re: danbob
I did see Turkish ones available at ShopRite in the natural nuts, dried fruits section near produce. They definitely look different than the Chinese kind. I no longer trust country of origin labeling. The key is that they are the light, rectangular, even-textured kind. Funny, the ones in the photograph of many articles I'm seeing on the topic are of the safe kind. Once you notice the difference its easy to spot.
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Thanks for this post. I love pine nuts and was just about to buy some at Costco. This link explains the syndrome and provides some advice. Two varieties, Chinese White Pine and Chinese Red Pine, may be a problem. I hope the label provides some information.
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400911...›5 Replies-
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re: pine time
goodhealthgourmet
Dec 3, 2011 02:41 PM
yep. i picked up the bag, saw "China" on the label, and dropped it like a hot potato.
i actually found Spanish pine nuts a few weeks ago...at my local small-town Stop & Shop of all places.
FWIW, i used to buy them at TJ's and never got pine mouth from them, but after hearing that a lot of people did, i stopped buying theirs.
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re: mcf
goodhealthgourmet
Dec 3, 2011 03:07 PM
it is dreadful, i've had it twice! great appetite suppressant - it makes everything taste disgusting.
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