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How do I reach the California Kiwifruit Commission?
(559)226-4780 - Office
(559)226-6721 - Fax
Kiwifruit@kiwifruit.org
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Where is the California Kiwifruit Commission located?
The commission offices are located at:
770 E. Shaw
Suite # 220
Fresno, CA 93710
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What is a Kiwifruit?
Kiwifruit is not, as is widely believed, a hybrid of other fresh fruits. No, it is not a combination of strawberries and melons. Or of bananas and mangoes. It is an entirely unique fruit, born in China and cultivated today in the USA, New Zealand, Europe, Chile and dozens of others countries. There are over forty known varieties of kiwifruit. although the most widely grown and marketed around the world is the fuzzy green variety called Hayward.
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Can someone be allergic to Kiwifruit?
A handful of scientific studies have demonstrated that there are rare instances when eating kiwifruit can cause an allergic reaction. The reasons for these allergies are still not completely understood, but there is no reason to believe that an individual's allergic reaction to kiwifruit differs in any substantive way from an allergic reaction to any other food product.
We would like to assure you there is extremely little possibility that any chemical product used or sprayed on California kiwifruit could have caused an allergic reaction. California has the strictest agricultural chemical use restrictions in the world, and California's kiwifruit farmers operate in strict accordance with all regulations. Kiwifruit has the added benefit of requiring little chemical input in the growing process. In fact, most of California's kiwifruit is, for all intents and purposes, organically grown. In most cases, the only reason our fruit is not labeled organic is because the farmer may use herbicides to keep the weeds manageable in the field. Under normal growing conditions, there are no chemicals sprayed directly on the fruit.
This is what we know about kiwifruit and food allegies:
* A food allergy is the immune system's reaction to a certain food, when the body creates IgE antibodies to that food. When these IgE antibodies react with the food, histamine and other chemicals (called mediators) are released from various cells within the body. These mediators cause hives, asthma, or other symptoms of an allergic reaction (source: Food Allergy Network).
* There have been some very rare cases of hypersensitivity to kiwifruit which result in an anaphylactic response. Although disturbing to the sufferers, it is not life threatening and only has occurred in a very small number of people.
* A 1980 study by Dr. Aaron Find, M.D., in Cleveland, Ohio, found that although kiwifruit is " a food source not usually associated with allergic reaction," a patient in that city had show a high degree of allergic reaction to the fruit (source: Hypersensitivity Reaction to Kiwifruit, J. Allergy Clin. Immunol, September 1981).
* A 1994 German study by Dr. Helmut Gall, Dr. Klaus-Juergen Kalveram, Dr. Guenter Forck and Dr. Worfram Sterry found that patients with "very high birch pollen IgE" may be likely to develop allergies to kiwifruit as well (source: Kiwifruit Allergy: A New Birch Pollen-Associated Food Allergy, J. Allergy Clin. Immunol, July 1994).
* Neither study found a likelihood of high levels of kiwifruit allergies in human populations.
* Consumers who feel they may have an allergy to kiwifruit should consult their physician.
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Can you eat the skin of a Kiwifruit?
The kiwifruit skin is completely edible and even adds extra nutrition to the most nutrient dense fruit! There are consumers throughout the world that have been eating the skin for years with no complaints. Eating the skin makes kiwifruit a much easier snack. Also, sliced kiwifruit with the skin holds the slices together better and adds texture and nutrition. There have not been many studies done on the nutritional content of the kiwifruit skin since most consumers are not brave enough to try it. But one study does show that the skin triples your fiber intake, which is already high in the flesh alone (20% DV per serving - a serving is two kiwifruit). Of course, there is loss of Vitamin C when peeling the skin since most of your vitamins are generally right inside the skin. Also, kiwifruit without the skin is high in antioxidants, ranked third in the most popular snacking fruits behind oranges and red grapes. Another study found that the highest amount of antioxidants in kiwifruit are found in the leaves and in the skin. However, the exact level of antioxidants in the skin was not measured. Just like any fresh fruit or vegetable, we suggest that you wash the skin before eating since it is unknown who or what touched it before you eat it. So enjoy your kiwifruit, skin and all!
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