Organic Cashews

The cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale L.) produces fruits, called cashew apples, which bear a single-seeded nut in a hard shell (Global Cashew Council [GCC]). Within the grey nut growing from the bottom of a cashew apple, surrounded by noxious liquid, is the part we eat (GCC). Left Coast Organics cashews were grown and processed in the Binh Phuoc province of Vietnam. Processing harvested cashews is a highly specialized, labor-intensive process that requires significant investment into industrial infrastructure. 52% of raw cashews grown globally are processed in Vietnam of which 30% are grown locally and 70% are imported (Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations [VUFO]) (Market Inteligence Analytics Team [MIAT]).

Trade agreements such as the EU-Vietnam trade agreement, and the Canada-EU Trade Agreement  opened lines of trade and made cashews that are sustainably and organically produced on the other side of the world accessible to me (European Commision). The distributor, Tradin Organics, is beholden to long-term sustainability goals which are in the interest of the global community. They are held to account by various agencies who apply internationally accepted standards of organic production and processing to all the products, including cashews, that they distribute. In addition to organic certification, Tradin Organics maintains We Care certification by retaining membership in the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (SEDEX) and routinely undergoing and sharing the results of SEDEX’s Members Ethical Trade Audits (SMETA) designed to ensure best practices and employment conditions within global supply chains (TO). 

Left Coast Organics cashews are an example of the kind of mutually beneficial relationship between producers, processors, distributors, and consumers, that is possible in a globalized market that prioritizes universal values other than profits. This globe-spanning supply chain demonstrates accountability mechanisms at each step in the journey from Vietnam to the Veganist. The growers and distributors are accountable to the standards of organic certification bodies. The distributors, in addition, are responsible for sourcing products processed in facilities with acceptable standards of health and safety for their workers.

International trade agreements and investments in Vietnam’s agriculture industry have made cashews that are sustainably and organically produced on the other side of the world accesible to me, but they have also opened the European and Canadian markets to products which are not organically, sustainably, or ethically produced. In this model of global trade it is the consumer who is ultimately responsible for purchasing, and subsequently demanding, ethically produced products. 

European Commision. (n.d.-a). EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/eu-trade-relationships-country-and-region/countries-and-regions/canada/eu-canada-agreement_en 

European Commision. (n.d.). EU-Vietnam Trade Agreement and Investment Protection Agreement. https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/eu-trade-relationships-country-and-region/countries-and-regions/vietnam/eu-vietnam-agreement_en 

Global Cashew Council. (2022, September 29). Tree Products. Cashews. https://www.cashews.org/cashew-industry/cashew-information/ 

Market Intelligence Analytics Team. (2021, June 1). Understanding cashew industry in Vietnam. Tridge. https://www.tridge.com/stories/understanding-vietnams-cashew-industry-the-largest-importer-of-raw-cashews-and 

Tradin Organic TM. (n.d.). Due Diligence System. Tradin organic agriculture – global organic ingredients. https://www.tradinorganic.com/sustainability/due-diligence-system 

Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations . (2023, December 4). Vietnam’s Cashew Industry Moves to Maintain World’s Top Spot. https://vufo.org.vn/Vietnams-cashew-industry-moves-to-maintain-worlds-top-spot-09-53258.html?lang=en