That's more than seven times more than peanuts. One of the reasons cashew nuts are popular around the world is their nutritional value. Multiple studies praise cashew nuts for their effects, including lowering harmful cholesterol, boosting the immune system, and strengthening muscles and nerves. The health benefits of cashew nuts make them a popular snack even in times of surplus.
Why are cashew nuts so expensive? Cashew nuts are very expensive for several reasons. For example, cashew nuts are expensive, since they are imported products. Secondly, the manufacture and processing of these nuts is dangerous. Finally, demand for these nuts has increased over the years.
On the positive side, the report notes, West African countries are stepping up their efforts to create larger cashew nut processing facilities; however, it will likely take years of those efforts before buyers receive lower prices. Cashews are loved for their flavor and texture, but the extraction process is so difficult and dangerous that it can be dangerous if touched with bare hands. In addition, manufacturers must roast cashew nuts to increase their shelf life and help them withstand long-term shipping and storage. Cashew nuts can only grow in tropical climates, which excludes the vast majority of countries in the world.
However, there are now dwarf cashew nuts that have a higher yield and begin to produce edible nuts after only three years. Many studies recommend consuming cashew nuts, as it promotes a number of health benefits, such as lowering harmful cholesterol, developing a better immune system, and strengthening muscles and nerves. Because cashew nuts grow in tropical climates (think India, Vietnam, Brazil, and some African countries), they are not commercially produced in the United States, making cashew nuts sold in the United States an imported product (through the World Cashew Council). The cashew nuts are then roasted to remove any traces of toxins and the last process is done completely by hand, which involves removing the shell containing tannins, which requires experience and this is another reason why cashew nut processing cannot be fully automated, most of the steps involve labor.
Factors influencing the price of cashew nuts have created an environment where cashew nuts are sold at a higher price. Not surprisingly, cashew butter costs much more than peanut butter and is harder to find in grocery stores and increased demand drives up the price. In recent years, there has been a sudden increase in demand for cashew nuts, and it has been worsened by reduced supply due to the poor harvest season. Roasting cashew nuts to destroy toxins is also dangerous, as toxins are released into the air.
While cashew nuts are not the most expensive nuts on the market, they are more expensive than many other popular nuts, such as almonds. The council explains that a single nut grows stuck to the bottom of a fruit called a cashew apple, which grows for two to three months and, although the juice and pulp of the fruit are edible, the nut shell contains a caustic liquid.