Yesterday, I purchased Trader Joe's "Fig Cake w/Apricot Kernels" (in a
9-ounce round, plastic container), at their store in San Francisco (555
9th St.). When I got home, something bothered me about the apricot
kernels (listed as "raw" on the label)...didn't I read somewhere that
they contain toxic levels of cyanide (like peach pits)?

So I searched the web, and sure enough, they ARE highly
poisonous...especially when raw. (And they aren't necessarily safe when
cooked.) Need proof? Look at these articles:

Acute Cyanide Toxicity Caused By Apricot Kernel Ingestion

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...674&query_hl=1

Nutrition: Raw Food Toxins

http://www.rawveg.info/rawfoodtoxins.html

Quoting from the first article: "A 41-year-old woman ingested apricot
kernels purchased at a health food store and became weak and dyspneic
within 20 minutes. The patient was comatose and hypothermic on
presentation but responded promptly to antidotal therapy for cyanide
poisoning."

(BTW, "dyspneic" means "Not breathing or able to breathe except with
difficulty.")

The apricot kernels in this Trader Joe's product are listed as RAW,
making them the MOST possibly toxic, when compared to cooking them.
(Though they may STILL be toxic, after cooking.)

I called the store I bought it from, and I hope they take that product
off the shelves PROMPTLY. (I also contacted Trader Joe's via their main
phone number, 626-599-3817.

P.S.: Don't get me wrong: I'm a FAN of Trader Joe's...so being the
bearer of bad news is an unhappy situation for me.

UPDATE: An "Amy" representing Trader Joe's got back to me (via that
phone number above)...and claimed they are fully cooked, and thus not
toxic. They have no intent to pull this product from the shelves. I
told her that, at best, customers will come to believe that raw apricot
kernels are SAFE to eat. She didn't budge, and thus I'm very, very
upset. Instead of returning this item for a refund (it was only $1.69),
I'm keeping it as evidence. See for yourself: go to Trader Joe's at 9th
& Bryant. You'll find this "Fig Cake with Apricot Kernels" in the
dried-fruit secion, in a small, clear plastic 9-ounce container.

wrote:
> Yesterday, I purchased Trader Joe's "Fig Cake w/Apricot Kernels" (in a
> 9-ounce round, plastic container), at their store in San Francisco (555
> 9th St.). When I got home, something bothered me about the apricot
> kernels (listed as "raw" on the label)...didn't I read somewhere that
> they contain toxic levels of cyanide (like peach pits)?
>
> So I searched the web, and sure enough, they ARE highly
> poisonous...especially when raw. (And they aren't necessarily safe when
> cooked.) Need proof? Look at these articles:
>



You are an idiot. The cyanide in apricot pits is toxic only to the
cancer cells in your body.



> Acute Cyanide Toxicity Caused By Apricot Kernel Ingestion
>
> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...674&query_hl=1
>
> Nutrition: Raw Food Toxins
>
> http://www.rawveg.info/rawfoodtoxins.html
>
> Quoting from the first article: "A 41-year-old woman ingested apricot
> kernels purchased at a health food store and became weak and dyspneic
> within 20 minutes. The patient was comatose and hypothermic on
> presentation but responded promptly to antidotal therapy for cyanide
> poisoning."
>
> (BTW, "dyspneic" means "Not breathing or able to breathe except with
> difficulty.")
>
> The apricot kernels in this Trader Joe's product are listed as RAW,
> making them the MOST possibly toxic, when compared to cooking them.
> (Though they may STILL be toxic, after cooking.)
>
> I called the store I bought it from, and I hope they take that product
> off the shelves PROMPTLY. (I also contacted Trader Joe's via their main
> phone number, 626-599-3817.
>
> P.S.: Don't get me wrong: I'm a FAN of Trader Joe's...so being the
> bearer of bad news is an unhappy situation for me.
>
> UPDATE: An "Amy" representing Trader Joe's got back to me (via that
> phone number above)...and claimed they are fully cooked, and thus not
> toxic. They have no intent to pull this product from the shelves. I
> told her that, at best, customers will come to believe that raw apricot
> kernels are SAFE to eat. She didn't budge, and thus I'm very, very
> upset. Instead of returning this item for a refund (it was only $1.69),
> I'm keeping it as evidence. See for yourself: go to Trader Joe's at 9th
> & Bryant. You'll find this "Fig Cake with Apricot Kernels" in the
> dried-fruit secion, in a small, clear plastic 9-ounce container.

wrote:
> Yesterday, I purchased Trader Joe's "Fig Cake w/Apricot Kernels" (in a
> 9-ounce round, plastic container), at their store in San Francisco (555
> 9th St.). When I got home, something bothered me about the apricot
> kernels (listed as "raw" on the label)...didn't I read somewhere that
> they contain toxic levels of cyanide (like peach pits)?

There are varieties of apricot whose pits are very low in cyanide.
Amarett di Saronno are made from apricot pits - people have been eating
them for years with no problems.
--
- Jeff Lichtman
Author, Baseball for Rookies
http://baseball-for-rookies.com/

Thanks for your attempt at entertainment. Now, do a piece on tapioca,
but do it better than this last. It would have gotten you thrown off
any reality show in the first five minutes.


jim



On 14 Jul 2006 10:47:48 -0700, wrote:

>Yesterday, I purchased Trader Joe's "Fig Cake w/Apricot Kernels" (in a
>9-ounce round, plastic container), at their store in San Francisco (555
>9th St.). When I got home, something bothered me about the apricot
>kernels (listed as "raw" on the label)...didn't I read somewhere that
>they contain toxic levels of cyanide (like peach pits)?
>


jim

OMG! Tapioca's poisonous? Who knew! Why, that must be why I'm the
way I am. Wait til I tell the folks at the USDA about this. They'll
pull all that evil stuff off the shelves faster than they did tampered
Tylenol! If I live that long....

maxine in ri


ensenadajim wrote:
> Thanks for your attempt at entertainment. Now, do a piece on tapioca,
> but do it better than this last. It would have gotten you thrown off
> any reality show in the first five minutes.
>
>
> jim
>
>
>
> On 14 Jul 2006 10:47:48 -0700, wrote:
>
> >Yesterday, I purchased Trader Joe's "Fig Cake w/Apricot Kernels" (in a
> >9-ounce round, plastic container), at their store in San Francisco (555
> >9th St.). When I got home, something bothered me about the apricot
> >kernels (listed as "raw" on the label)...didn't I read somewhere that
> >they contain toxic levels of cyanide (like peach pits)?
> >
>
>
> jim

On 14 Jul 2006 19:54:14 -0700, "maxine in ri" >
wrote:

>OMG! Tapioca's poisonous? Who knew!

You learn something new everyday, dontcha?


>Why, that must be why I'm the
>way I am.

Go ahead, blame it on something, go ahead!


> Wait til I tell the folks at the USDA about this.

They already know and have deliberately kept the information from you
for their own reasons.


> They'll
>pull all that evil stuff off the shelves faster than they did tampered
>Tylenol!

Great expectations you have for governement action - remember, they
are deliberately leaving you out of the loop.

>If I live that long....

Stranger things have happened.


jim
;->


>
>maxine in ri
>
>
>ensenadajim wrote:
>> Thanks for your attempt at entertainment. Now, do a piece on tapioca,
>> but do it better than this last. It would have gotten you thrown off
>> any reality show in the first five minutes.
>>
>>
>> jim
>>
>>
>>
>> On 14 Jul 2006 10:47:48 -0700, wrote:
>>
>> >Yesterday, I purchased Trader Joe's "Fig Cake w/Apricot Kernels" (in a
>> >9-ounce round, plastic container), at their store in San Francisco (555
>> >9th St.). When I got home, something bothered me about the apricot
>> >kernels (listed as "raw" on the label)...didn't I read somewhere that
>> >they contain toxic levels of cyanide (like peach pits)?
>> >
>>
>>
>> jim

In article >,
ensenadajim > wrote:

> >> On 14 Jul 2006 10:47:48 -0700, wrote:
> >>
> >> >Yesterday, I purchased Trader Joe's "Fig Cake w/Apricot Kernels" (in a
> >> >9-ounce round, plastic container), at their store in San Francisco (555
> >> >9th St.). When I got home, something bothered me about the apricot
> >> >kernels (listed as "raw" on the label)...didn't I read somewhere that
> >> >they contain toxic levels of cyanide (like peach pits)?

Except that kernels (little bits of apricot) are not the same thing as
pits.

Guy Bannis wrote:

> Except that kernels (little bits of apricot) are not the same thing as
> pits.

Um, Guy -- they are. Think almonds (we eat the kernel and throw
away the inedible fruit). Apricot kernels are completely analogous,
and used in making amaretti, among other things. Yes, they do
contain CN. So do cassava, manioc, and a number of other staples.

--
Do not send me email replies -- this is a honeypot
address for spam.

maxine in ri wrote:
>
> OMG! Tapioca's poisonous? Who knew! Why, that must be why I'm the
> way I am. Wait til I tell the folks at the USDA about this. They'll
> pull all that evil stuff off the shelves faster than they did tampered
> Tylenol! If I live that long....

Oh, it's much worse than that! Many of us remember
the tapioca bomb that nearly sank a ship in 1972.

http://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/tapioca.asp

wrote:

>So I searched the web, and sure enough, they ARE highly
>poisonous...especially when raw. (And they aren't necessarily safe when
>cooked.) Need proof? Look at these articles:

Whatever. I used to eat raw apricot pits pretty regularly. They
aren't "highly poisonous" to me. Oddly, I would get nauseous at the
smell of real almonds.

wrote:

> ... Oddly, I would get nauseous at the
> smell of real almonds.

Oddly, you're nauseous right now. [Meg? MEG?!?!?]

--
Do not send me email replies. This is a honeypot
address for SPAM/UCE.

wrote:
> Yesterday, I purchased Trader Joe's "Fig Cake w/Apricot Kernels" (in a
> 9-ounce round, plastic container), at their store in San Francisco (555
> 9th St.). When I got home, something bothered me about the apricot
> kernels (listed as "raw" on the label)...didn't I read somewhere that
> they contain toxic levels of cyanide (like peach pits)?
>
> So I searched the web, and sure enough, they ARE highly
> poisonous...especially when raw. (And they aren't necessarily safe when
> cooked.) Need proof? Look at these articles:

The refined sugar and trans fat will kill you first.

wrote in
ups.com:

> Yesterday, I purchased Trader Joe's "Fig Cake w/Apricot Kernels" (in a
> 9-ounce round, plastic container), at their store in San Francisco (555
> 9th St.). When I got home, something bothered me about the apricot
> kernels (listed as "raw" on the label)...didn't I read somewhere that
> they contain toxic levels of cyanide (like peach pits)?
>
> So I searched the web, and sure enough, they ARE highly
> poisonous...especially when raw. (And they aren't necessarily safe when
> cooked.) Need proof? Look at these articles:

Screammmmmm!!
Run away!
Run Awaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!
Do the Funky CHicken Little.

Seriously, take a freakin' Pill fer Chrissake.

IBM

wrote:

> Yesterday, I purchased Trader Joe's "Fig Cake w/Apricot Kernels"
....<yadda, yadda, yadda>...
> So I searched the web, and sure enough, they ARE highly
> poisonous...

But, but, but... How did they taste?

Anthony

wow you'd have to eat a load of these in order for it to be poison.

we all eat a bit of poison daily, don't worry about it.



wrote:
> Yesterday, I purchased Trader Joe's "Fig Cake w/Apricot Kernels" (in a
> 9-ounce round, plastic container), at their store in San Francisco (555
> 9th St.). When I got home, something bothered me about the apricot
> kernels (listed as "raw" on the label)...didn't I read somewhere that
> they contain toxic levels of cyanide (like peach pits)?
>
> So I searched the web, and sure enough, they ARE highly
> poisonous...especially when raw. (And they aren't necessarily safe when
> cooked.) Need proof? Look at these articles:
>
> Acute Cyanide Toxicity Caused By Apricot Kernel Ingestion
>
> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...674&query_hl=1
>
> Nutrition: Raw Food Toxins
>
> http://www.rawveg.info/rawfoodtoxins.html
>
> Quoting from the first article: "A 41-year-old woman ingested apricot
> kernels purchased at a health food store and became weak and dyspneic
> within 20 minutes. The patient was comatose and hypothermic on
> presentation but responded promptly to antidotal therapy for cyanide
> poisoning."
>
> (BTW, "dyspneic" means "Not breathing or able to breathe except with
> difficulty.")
>
> The apricot kernels in this Trader Joe's product are listed as RAW,
> making them the MOST possibly toxic, when compared to cooking them.
> (Though they may STILL be toxic, after cooking.)
>
> I called the store I bought it from, and I hope they take that product
> off the shelves PROMPTLY. (I also contacted Trader Joe's via their main
> phone number, 626-599-3817.
>
> P.S.: Don't get me wrong: I'm a FAN of Trader Joe's...so being the
> bearer of bad news is an unhappy situation for me.
>
> UPDATE: An "Amy" representing Trader Joe's got back to me (via that
> phone number above)...and claimed they are fully cooked, and thus not
> toxic. They have no intent to pull this product from the shelves. I
> told her that, at best, customers will come to believe that raw apricot
> kernels are SAFE to eat. She didn't budge, and thus I'm very, very
> upset. Instead of returning this item for a refund (it was only $1.69),
> I'm keeping it as evidence. See for yourself: go to Trader Joe's at 9th
> & Bryant. You'll find this "Fig Cake with Apricot Kernels" in the
> dried-fruit secion, in a small, clear plastic 9-ounce container.

Umm.. did you READ the report?

Your claim is that the kernels are inherently toxic - the report states that
its the first case since 1979 - some 19 years difference from the report
date!

Lets start banning Dihydrogen Monoxide next!

oy....

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> Yesterday, I purchased Trader Joe's "Fig Cake w/Apricot Kernels" (in a
> 9-ounce round, plastic container), at their store in San Francisco (555
> 9th St.). When I got home, something bothered me about the apricot
> kernels (listed as "raw" on the label)...didn't I read somewhere that
> they contain toxic levels of cyanide (like peach pits)?
>
> So I searched the web, and sure enough, they ARE highly
> poisonous...especially when raw. (And they aren't necessarily safe when
> cooked.) Need proof? Look at these articles:
>
> Acute Cyanide Toxicity Caused By Apricot Kernel Ingestion
>
> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...674&query_hl=1
>
> Nutrition: Raw Food Toxins
>
> http://www.rawveg.info/rawfoodtoxins.html
>
> Quoting from the first article: "A 41-year-old woman ingested apricot
> kernels purchased at a health food store and became weak and dyspneic
> within 20 minutes. The patient was comatose and hypothermic on
> presentation but responded promptly to antidotal therapy for cyanide
> poisoning."
>
> (BTW, "dyspneic" means "Not breathing or able to breathe except with
> difficulty.")
>
> The apricot kernels in this Trader Joe's product are listed as RAW,
> making them the MOST possibly toxic, when compared to cooking them.
> (Though they may STILL be toxic, after cooking.)
>
> I called the store I bought it from, and I hope they take that product
> off the shelves PROMPTLY. (I also contacted Trader Joe's via their main
> phone number, 626-599-3817.
>
> P.S.: Don't get me wrong: I'm a FAN of Trader Joe's...so being the
> bearer of bad news is an unhappy situation for me.
>
> UPDATE: An "Amy" representing Trader Joe's got back to me (via that
> phone number above)...and claimed they are fully cooked, and thus not
> toxic. They have no intent to pull this product from the shelves. I
> told her that, at best, customers will come to believe that raw apricot
> kernels are SAFE to eat. She didn't budge, and thus I'm very, very
> upset. Instead of returning this item for a refund (it was only $1.69),
> I'm keeping it as evidence. See for yourself: go to Trader Joe's at 9th
> & Bryant. You'll find this "Fig Cake with Apricot Kernels" in the
> dried-fruit secion, in a small, clear plastic 9-ounce container.
>

ArmisBrooks wrote:

>
>Lets start banning Dihydrogen Monoxide next!
>
>
>
We should have some very strict legislation. Worldwide, thousands of
people die each year from breathing Dihydrogen Monoxide. Every drug
addict uses it everyday. Professional athletes claim it is refreshing
after, or even during a game. At the very least minors should not be
allowed to purchase it. This is a worldwide scandal and I salute you for
bringing it up.

On Sun, 16 Jul 2006 18:34:22 GMT, Phil Keller >
wrote in .com>:

> Worldwide, thousands of
> people die each year from breathing Dihydrogen Monoxide.

The common name for such a death is "drowning".

--
Die dulci fruere,
Nicolaas.



.... Predicting is difficult, especially the future

wrote:
>
> UPDATE: An "Amy" representing Trader Joe's got back to me (via that
> phone number above)...and claimed they are fully cooked, and thus not
> toxic. They have no intent to pull this product from the shelves. I
> told her that, at best, customers will come to believe that raw apricot
> kernels are SAFE to eat. She didn't budge, and thus I'm very, very
> upset. Instead of returning this item for a refund (it was only $1.69),
> I'm keeping it as evidence. See for yourself: go to Trader Joe's at 9th
> & Bryant. You'll find this "Fig Cake with Apricot Kernels" in the
> dried-fruit secion, in a small, clear plastic 9-ounce container.

Thanx for the warning. Let us know if it kills you.
I'd be leery of 9 oz of cake for $1.69. Might be factory seconds, or
leftover from last Xmas.

We're finally getting a TJ's here. This was snipped from the newspaper.
Is it worth getting excited about??

<snip>
They call Trader Joe's a happy medium between high-priced gourmet shops
and traditional supermarkets, singing the praises of the company's
cheap-but-healthy-and-yummy frozen meals, "Two Buck Chuck" wines,
unsalted macadamia nuts, bottled juices, unique breads and friendly
staffers dressed in Hawaiian shirts.