The Global Edible Nuts Market Is Witnessing a Rapid Increase in Demand Owing To the Increasing Adoption of Healthy Lifestyle among Consumers Worldwide

 

An edible nut is a sweet fruit made of an edible hard shell and a nutriment, which generally is quite edible. In both general and the culinary sense, a range of dried nuts is commonly known as nuts, though from a botanical point of view edible nut means the outer shell doesn't open to expose the seed. This is in contrast to a nutriment, where the inner nutriment membrane does open to reveal the seed inside. So for example, while pistachios and cashews are considered to be edible, they are nutriments instead of nutritionally speaking.

The botanical definition of an edible nut essentially applies to any fruit that contains a single kernel, excluding berries and seeds such as saffron. So this definition excludes fruits such as pears (with their double seed interior), plums, and grapes, as well as some others. As a result, all fruits with a single kernel, regardless of color or flavor, are considered to be a nut. However there are some exceptions, and one of these is the avocado which has a seed in the middle. In a nutriment, an edible nut is a soft round mass that surrounds a germ.

The growing adoption of a healthy lifestyle owing to the rise of obesity among individuals has increased the demand in the global edible nuts market. For instance, according to World Health Organization, around 1.9 million individuals in the world, 18 years and older are overweight and among these around 650 million are obese. Moreover, people have also become very conscious about their diet and health, in which there has been a rapid rise in the consumption of edible nuts such as almonds and walnuts. This has augmented the growth of the global edible nuts market.

Just because a nut has a distinct color or shape doesn't necessarily mean it's edible. A lot of the recipes for classic snacks such as popcorn or cookies (particularly the American version) use vegetable oil instead of olive oil to cook the nuts and create an extra creamy spread. Some people also don't care for the taste of hazelnut. However, the high price of the processing of edible nuts such as cashew goes through various phases of processing before it is commercialized, such as clarification, extraction, and packaging. The intensity of the processes and the high price of edible nuts are the main restraining factors that are hampering the growth of the global edible nuts market.

Owing to the high production of edible nuts in the region, Asia-Pacific is witnessing significant growth in the global edible nuts market. For instance, according to Nikkei Asia, Vietnam produces around 400000 tons of cashew nuts every year. The major portion of the harvest is exported to Ivory Coast, Cambodia, and Africa. Owing to these factors, there have been significant developments in the global edible nuts market. For instance, in September 2019, Nestlé launched Yorkie chocolate bars and KitKat in Ireland and UK.