What are cashew oil benefits and side effects every ethical consumer must know? Here are cashew oil pros and cons and how buying them will impact your health, the environment, animals and laborers.
Food is something we consume every day. If you’re like me, you do all the research you can to make sure you don’t hurt yourself, the planet, animals or others when shopping. As an ethical consumer myself, I am giving you all the info I’ve found on cashew oil benefits and side effects.
You are going to learn all about cashew oil benefits and side effects. This will include cashew oil benefits for your health and potential risks, cashew oil water footprint and carbon footprint, sustainability, if cashew oil is vegan or impact animals in other ways, and much more.
After learning if cashew oil is good or bad for you, the environment, animals and human rights, you will be able to make the best choices you can the next time you buy food.
This post is all about cashew oil benefits and side effects that every ethical consumer should know.
Top Cashew Oil Benefits And Side Effects
Health
Cashew oil benefits may include:
- reduced inflammation
- regulated cholesterol levels
- eye health
- bone health
- oral health
- heart health
Cashew oil side effects may include:
- obesity
- weight gain
Additionally, cashew oil is…
- Gluten Free
- A common Food Allergen: TREE NUTS
Environment
Water footprint: likely high, it takes 14,218 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of cashews / 1,704 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of cashews
Carbon footprint: likely moderate, 2.0 kg CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of tree nuts, a car driving equivalent of 5 miles or 8 kilometers
Destruction: low, cashew production is moderately sustainable, be sure to buy Non-GMO/organic, as toxic, chemical pesticides contaminate air, water, soil, etc.
Cashew oil is…
- Moderately Sustainable
Animals
Kills: none, cashew oil production does not require any animals to be killed
Harms: none, cashew oil production does not require any animals to be used
Indirectly kills or harms: none, no animals are indirectly killed or harmed from cashew oil production as long as toxic chemicals have not been used, be sure to buy Non-GMO/organic, as pesticides harm and kill wildlife and ecosystems by contaminating soil, water, air and plants that animals eat
Cashew oil is…
- Vegan
- Harmful to wildlife and ecosystems unless organic
Laborers
Health and safety: dangerous conditions, anacardic acid is present in the fruit that cashew nuts grow which burns the skin, Human Rights Watch reports by suggest in Vietnam drug addicts are in forced-labor ‘rehabilitation’ camps for cashew production and processing, those who refuse to work are beaten with truncheons, given electric shocks, locked in isolation, deprived of food and water, and obliged to work even longer hours
Living conditions: varies, laborers are often exploited, they may face tough working conditions including long hours in the sun and heat performing physically exhausting tasks, labor laws and rights may or may not be in place, even if worker protection exists, employer violations may go unreported, refugees and migrant workers are especially vulnerable to abuse and mistreatment, fearing consequences of job loss or deportation
Wages: poverty-line wages are typical for cashew workers some reports of only a few dollars per month, India’s cashew workers (mostly women) are employed without contracts, no guarantee of steady income, no pension or holiday pay
Cashews oil has…
- Laborer issues and human rights concerns
cashew oil is gluten free.
Is cashew oil gluten free?
Yes, cashew oil is gluten free. Cashew oil does not contain gluten.
While celiac disease may not be as rampant as many marketing trends lead us to believe, you may have a gluten sensitivity…
Celiac and gluten sensitivity symptoms are similar and may include:
- recurring abdominal pain
- chronic diarrhea
- constipation
- tingling
- numbness in hands and feet
- chronic fatigue
- joint pain
- unexplained infertility
- low bone density (osteopenia or osteoporosis)
There are hundreds of potential symptoms, many of which are also symptoms of other conditions.
Going gluten-free easier than ever with this: Gluten and Gluten Free Foods List
cashew oil contains a common food allergen: tree nuts.
Is cashew oil a common food allergen?
Yes, cashew oil contains a common food allergen: tree nuts. Many people experience allergic reactions to cashew oil.
A group of the eight major allergenic foods, AKA the Big-8, include:
- milk
- eggs
- fish
- crustacean shellfish
- tree nuts
- peanuts
- wheat
- soybeans
Severe food allergies can be life threatening. Following ingestion of a food allergen, a person with food allergies can experience a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
Persons may still be allergic to and have serious reactions to foods other than the eight foods identified by the law.
Be aware of common dietary restrictions and food allergens with this: The Big 8 Most Common Food Allergens List
cashew oil likely has a high water footprint.
Does cashew oil have a high or low water footprint?
Cashew oil likely has a relatively high water footprint compared to other foods.
What is the water footprint of cashew oil?
It takes 14,218 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of cashews / 1,705 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of cashews.
Did you know that water is a finite, non-renewable resource?
How much water does it take to produce an apple? A serving of rice? A steak dinner?
We need to be aware of “water footprints”. That is, the amount of fresh water utilized in the production or supply of goods we consume. As it turns out it takes significantly more water to yield foods that come from animals than foods that come from plants. Imagine how much water a cow needs to consume to generate a piece of beef. Not only how much water a single cow drinks, rather all the water that went into producing the crops that the cow ate.
Find out how much water your food consumes with this: Water Footprints of Foods and Ingredients List
cashew oil likely has a low carbon footprint.
Does cashew oil have a high or low carbon footprint?
Cashew oil likely has a high carbon footprint compared to other foods.
What is the carbon footprint of cashew oil?
It takes around 2.0 kg CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of tree nuts, a car driving equivalent of 5 miles or 8 kilometers.
Food not only has a water footprint but also a carbon footprint, known as CO2e, which stands for carbon dioxide equivalent. Since carbon measurements are a bit more difficult to comprehend, it is common to equate CO2e to the distance which a car drives in miles or kilometers.
When calculating carbon emissions, some factors may be…
- farm equipment
- animal feed production
- hothouses (greenhouses)
- food processing
- packaging
- transport
- refrigeration
- freezing
- package waste and more
But that’s not all!
It’s best to keep the following in mind when grocery shopping:
- shopping locally reduces transportation emissions
- food without packaging reduces waste as well as the carbon footprint
- refrigerated and frozen foods increase carbon emissions
- seasonal foods reduce carbon emissions from hothouses (greenhouses)
- growing plant-based foods at home is the most environmentally sustainable method with zero carbon footprint
Find out how much carbon your food emits with this: Carbon Footprints of Foods and Ingredients List
cashew oil is moderately sustainable.
Overall, is cashew oil eco friendly? Is cashew oil sustainable?
Cashew oil production is moderately sustainable. Aside from a high water footprint, there is no known significant damage to air, water, land, soil, forests, etc. Be sure to buy Non-GMO/organic, as toxic, chemical pesticides contaminate air, water, soil, etc. when using regenerative practices.
A 2018 Oxford University study – which is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage farming does to the planet – found that ‘avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth’ as animal farming provides just 18% of calories but takes up 83% of our farmland.
Consuming animal products and byproducts is not environmentally friendly and is one of the worst things for the Earth. Not only is meat production wasteful, it causes enormous amounts of pollution. The industry is one of the biggest causes of climate change.
cashew oil is vegan.
Is cashew oil vegan?
Yes, cashew oil is vegan. Cashew oil is an oil from pressed tree nuts and is not an animal product or byproduct, therefore making it a vegan food.
Because we cannot see for ourselves how these animals live and what they endure does not mean it isn’t happening. The meat, poultry and dairy industries do everything they can to distance us from knowing how our food comes to be in order to keep us in the dark about what we support each time we buy animal derived products and byproducts.
Go vegan for animals!
It’s the best way to help animals and it’s not as difficult as you may think. Speak for animals with your actions, for they cannot speak at all.
Going vegan is easier than ever, at a glance with this: Vegan and Non Vegan Foods List
cashew oil has labor issues and human rights concerns.
Is cashew oil a product that has labor issues?
At this time, there are reports of worker mistreatment and exploitation regarding cashew production.
Regarding payment, cashew production involves poverty-line wages. There are some reports of only a few dollars per month for India’s cashew workers (mostly women) who do not have contracts which means no guarantee of steady income, no pension or holiday pay.
Did you know the single largest employer in the world is agriculture? The labor involved behind each and every product cannot go unrecognized.
Some known problems include workplace health and safety, child labor, gender inequality, inadequate pay, wage theft and exploitation. Workers can even experience harassment, humiliation and violence and unfair employers often fail to provide laborers with access to shade, drinking water, restrooms and breaks. Consequently, laborers can face nausea, dizziness, heat exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke -the leading cause of farmworker death!
Such mistreatment is like modern day slavery. Workers are often afraid to report issues because they fear it will result in losing their jobs or deportation.
Fair trade organizations fight to ensure better social, environmental and economic standards.
We can improve people’s lives with foods we eat every day simply by buying products that are certified fair trade.
Sources:
Nuts, cashew nuts, oil roasted, without salt added – FoodData
CASHEW NUT SHELL LIQUID (CNSL) – Dc Msme
