Walnuts Everywhere in Many Asian Areas

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

Pam Graviet is the senior marketing director of the California Walnut Commission. She said snacking, all walnuts in the United States is quite different than other countries.

“When you think of here and you walk in the grocery store, where do you find walnuts? It’s usually in the baking section and it’s raw walnuts where you’re going to do something with them,” said Graviet.

But in Asia you’ll find walnuts everywhere. “You will find them in mixed nuts, single serve packs. You will find them flavored from honey butter to wasabi to maple brown sugar—every flavor, sweet and savory that you can dream of,” she said

The Asian culture is all about snacking on walnuts. “You can buy them at the grocery store, you can buy them in the convenience store. You can buy them at the train station or the bus station. It’s kind of crazy, she said.

“Walnuts have been part of their culture for centuries, but maybe not across the entire country. It may have been in regional pockets, but they have known about the benefits of walnuts for a long time and they naturally have become an easy go-to snack. And again, it fits that healthy eating,” noted Graviet.

And Graviet said walnuts fit in a secondary trend, which is growing globally. “People choosing to eat more plant based foods rather than animal products is good for the walnut industry,” she said.