But wait, there’s more! Almonds don’t just steal water—they also murder bees. Okay, not on purpose, but still. Almond trees need pollination, and they need it bad. Every February, about 1.6 million honeybee colonies are trucked into California’s Central Valley just to pollinate the almond orchards. That’s 70 percent of all commercial honeybees in the U.S.
Here’s the dark comedy: the bees show up exhausted from winter, then get drenched in pesticides, and then they starve because there’s nothing else blooming for miles. It’s called “monoculture,” and it’s basically a bee boot camp from hell. The commercial bee industry loses 30 to 50 percent of its colonies each year—and guess what? Almond pollination is a huge reason why. So every time you snack on almonds, you’re doing a tiny little bee genocide. You monster.
Also, They’re Basically Plastic Nuts
Let’s talk about the packaging. Have you ever noticed that “raw” almonds are usually pasteurized? In the U.S., it’s illegal to sell truly raw almonds unless you’re a tiny farm. They have to be steamed or treated with propylene oxide (a chemical also used in antifreeze) to kill bacteria. So you’re eating a nut that’s been chemically bathed.
Are Almond Trees Bad For The Environment at Tyler Mcintyre blog
And the carbon footprint? Massive. Almonds are shipped all over the world. The average almond travels 2,500 miles to get to your mouth. That’s like flying from New York to Los Angeles, but for a nut. A nut. Meanwhile, a local apple just sits there like, “I’m right here. Pick me. I’m not a jerk.”
