Who buys supermarket packs of 'organic' Brazil nuts for selenium?
Across however many packs, have you tasted what you think is weedkiller, sterilising fluid or chlorine - you can imagine the smell of those chemicals (not that you taste it of course) but SOME nuts are tainted and leaves the taste in mouth, after spitting them out and washing mouth out.
I want to know what the contamination is as the supermarket is in denial.
Their view is "rancid nuts" and I can assure you it is NOT THAT!
I think it probably is rancid nuts. They grow wild in the forest, so little chance of pesticides being used.
Of course they may be treated after collection. But the supermarket probably doesn't know what happens to the nuts before they reach them.
Thank you - I can tell if a nut is off or rancid and they are meant to be organic and most definitely there is a chemical taste to the odd one or some seems most packs.
Yes, I agree had 2 this evening. The taste was distgusting like bleach or chlorine and left an aftertaste having spat it out and rinsed my mouth. Definitely not that of rancid nuts, which I can also identify.
Got some from Aldi and one tasted just like petrol, threw them in bin it was horrible
Better to take selenium as a supplement. That way you mostly know what you are getting. Not all brazil nuts contain selenium. It depends on the soil the tree is growing in. Plants do not need selenium and they pick it up if it is in the soil.
Canadian lentils grown in Saskatchewan contain considerable amounts of selenium because they are grown in soil that is rich in selenium.
I can't for some reason take tablet form, hence why swapped to brazil nuts. It is very worrying.
I know they vary in selenium, so only do couple at a time.
Thank u 
Why can't you take the tablets?
Clams, mussels, oysters all contain selenium as well. Plus zinc which is good too.
Lentils from Canada: Saskatchewan soil contains too much selenium for cattle probably because the sod has been removed by the way farming is conducted. Not good. But anyway, here's a Pubmed article about the selenium content of the lentils 99% of Canadian lentils are grown in Saskatchewan. They are a major export item. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/189...
Chances are lentils purchased in England are imported from Canada. Check the label.
>Clams, mussels, oysters all contain selenium as well. Plus zinc which is good too.
And B12!
O Canada! sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/gr...
Yup. Canada grows good lentils. We even have those French Du Puy lentils which are very nice because they don't break up once cooked.
I can't do seafood or shellfish either LOL.
Thanks for the link
the link was about lentils.
Thank you yes. sorry, was very tired, didn't explain
I wasn't sure if lentils was on the good or bad list, so to speak. I know I didn't like them as a child and were hard to swallow back then but appreciate have to eat things we wouldn't normally and I have cut things out too
If you buy decorticated lentils, after they are cooked there's no 'solid' pieces. And you can always use a blender to make a soup. Thin or thick, depending on what you are able to swallow. Or you can make it into a thick paste like mayonnaise. Add them to a smoothie. Lentils are a very adaptable food item.
I have noticed some nuts taste of soap.
I buy mine from a well known supermarket beginning with S. They taste lovely, and they are the only ones I've found that state on the packet that they contain selenium
Lu
You are free to mention supermarket names.
Restrictions are on the basis of spam or prescription medicines - not genuine personal experience.
Funnily enough, I couldn't see Selenium mentioned on Sainsbury' web site. And was it their ordinary ones or their SO organic ones? Do they actually state a numeric content or just general comment?
They aren't the organic ones. Orange and see through bag (sainsburys colours) Front of bag they say 'high in selenium' and on the nutrition values, under Vitamins and minerals it says selenium 250ug per 100g (455% of rda) or 75ug per 30g serving (139% of rda)
Lu
Thank you. Someone in Sainsbury' knows some customers are buying them for that reason, I guess. Obviously doesn't mean other suppliers' products don't have selenium but we are always going to be unsure if they do not declare.
A useful amount of selenium and B12 in Sainsbury's sardines, too, with one option canned in water.
Need to get B12 up probably as last tested couple years back mid range and not tested since.
you can buy raw organic brazil nuts online. I am not sure how raw they actually are but they are normally not treated the way supermarket nuts are. If you do a google search you will find a few companys that sell them
I chomped through 5 kilos from Bolivia via, ahem, the Amazon.
Hahaha that is quite something 
I am careful but wish there was simple and cheap non invasive test so we know how much we need etc - I think there are some tests for various and you find it omits one thing you want testing but does another vice versa. So where I was iodine deficient - by taking selenium that could have been why couldn't take it - ie side effects maybe. I need another iodine test but all I can focus on is keeping roof over head but not to have too much of anything.
Moderation in most things, but aiming for a surfeit of joy might be the best policy.
Some Amazon reviews complained about a short date on the nuts, but I worked out I could finish my bag well within its stated date by eating three nuts a day, and they tasted better than snack-size packs from supermarkets.
I gave up bulk-buying when Morrisons had a long-term offer (since ceased) on 50 g packs of nuts, so walnuts and unsalted pistachios were added to my store of sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Of those, sunflower seeds are a good source of selenium, with 21% of RDA from a 1 ounce serving.
Ahh thank you - I may need to get more adventurous but hard with things not eaten before... the odd seed in bread when used to eat it... but never got head round so to speak... must be bolder LOL
I buy organic nuts but because of the cost I imagine they are not a best selling item, they can lie on the shelves for longer than maybe non-organic nuts. This is something I have noticed, often the sell by dates are not good. Even in Holland and Barratt recently I went to buy organic dried fruit which of course was a little more expensive than non-organic, the sell by date was this month, not a good way to purchase. I have noticed a tainted smell occasionally and put it down to rancidity.
I just figured I'd got a rancid nut among the good ones. Strange how it's always just an odd nut in the bag that tastes odd and bitter rather than the entire bag.
I think the nuts are probably old and rancid and what you are tasting is rancid oil. Nuts deteriorate fast and organic ones can't be sprayed with anything to stop them going off. Wel all interpret tastes in different ways. Brazil nuts are boiled to remove the shells so perhaps they are boiled in chlorinated water
I wondered if it was chlorine as that was one of the things I considered it tasted like the smell of...
Ones I had is not chlorine as have worked with chlorine and it's distinct
Hi I have been eating nuts for over 50 years. For the last 10 years from Sainsburys organic Mr Jack. Once only I had a pack of nuts that tasted old and rancid so I return them directly to the manufacturers and received lots of goodies back. Sometimes a bad bunch of nuts gets into production by mistake. Hope this helps.
Exact same thing just happened to me with organic brazil nuts it is definitely a strong chemical taste, unlike anything I've tasted before in how definitively strong and obviously chemical it was. I wouldn't say it was a milder taste like chlorine but a sharp poisonous/toxic/metallic taste. Perhaps enough to turn me off them for good
Sam e thing has just happened to me ...yuk!! I bought Mt pack of Brazil nuts from Aldo.The second one I tasted was awful. Tasted of a chemical that burned the inside of my mouth.I quickly spat it into a napkin and repeatedly washed my mouth out with fresh water..The chemical tasted and smelled very strong of what I can only describe as weedkiller..not that I make a habit out of tasting weedkiller but I'm sure you get my drift...ooo scary.
Yep tastes like weedkiller
I just ate a Brazil nut tonight & instantly spit it out! It tastes just like raid bug spray smells. Blech!! I'm glad I'm not the only one who's experienced this. I wonder what caused it? The other nuts tasted fine.
It might help if everyone identified the product they are finding unpleasant.
I suggest posting the branding on the packet, the packet size, any information about country of origin, best before date. If there is a "bad batch", then we might find that they are all from one country, and with a narrow window of best before dates - or something like that.
Might well be worth reporting to consumer protection people as they will get reports from all over and be in a much better place to identify the actual problem.
Yes, Helvella, your advice is wise re: reporting to Consumer Protection.
I eat Brazil nuts on a regular basis and usually at least one nut in every 500grm bag of shelled nuts has a highly toxic chemical taste. It is just as others have described and it’s very worrying as it does taste like the smell of a plant insecticide / fungicide.
I have to state ,emphatically,that this is absolutely not the taste of a rancid nut.
The taste that I describe is like that of a chemical that has entered the nut. It is not a ‘natural’ oxidisation of oils taste.
Many years ago , I bought a bar of chocolate from a petrol station. This chocolate tasted like the smell of the petrol. I believe that the fats in the chocolate had absorbed some of the petrol, or exhaust fumes, that were around the petrol station .
Perhaps the oils in a shelled Brazil nut have the same propensity? Perhaps the nuts are stored in areas where there are chemical / fertiliser / insecticide emissions ?
I wonder why it’s only maybe just one nut in a bag that tastes like this ?
I’m very wary when I eat Brazil nuts now, and I’ve warned my family about them. I may stop eating them, and just opt for Selenium supplements and the foods that contain it.
Consumer Protection , here we come!
They are stored in HUGE warehouses where they are grown so anything is possible.
Maybe fell into chemical bucket because thats what it tastes like
Did anyone get to the bottom of this? I just ate a Brazil which tasted metally so I searched it and came up here! I have had a funny taste in my mouth for a few days and funnily I have had the nuts for a few days! I woke up in the night with my head spinning and feeling weird for 2nights ina row and I think I had one each day. I wonder if it is just too much selenium in some nuts? They must be strong. I have just called the supplier to ask where they are from.
Selenium is used in pesticides.
Some of Brazil nuts have very high levels of selenium that can be toxic that's why they are used in pesticides.
Maybe thats why it tastes like chemical, they are made from something. Would be great to have clarified by an expert
Yes I've had the chemical soaked brazil nut taste. I used to work on a farm with herbicides and unfortunately got to know what herbicide chemicals smelled and tasted like. Its usually one or two in a packet that tastes like its been soaked in herbicide concentrate. I'm concerned that they're called organic. Next one I'll get tested
I’ve just taken a bite out of a Brazil nut that tasted of petrol - so strong had to spit it out. Have the other half and want to get it tested. Anyone know how to go about it?
Same issue as many described. Raw Brazil nuts from Trader Joes. Rather generic packaging but does state "Packed by Torn and Glasser." Not all the nuts, but one single one in a handful with a smell/taste reminiscent of Raid or some other petroleum based insecticide. Needless to say, done with this bag.
Just ate one Brazil nut that tasted strongly of white spirit (that you use to clean paint brushes or thin paint 
)
We eat mixed nuts all the time and have for years and this is a first for me. Definitely not rancid it oil which is a taste I also know. Spat it out - rinsed, have had some milk- still there. These were Sainsbury’s (UK) mixed nuts. Never an issue before but I will report to them and see what comes of it.
Also I think it has damaged my tongue. Am now vaguely considering retrieving the chewed and spit reject from the bin!
Yes, I just opened a bag from Sunfood Super foods and it tastes like it’s laden with chemicals or bleach. The taste will not leave my mouth. It definitely is not rancid...I know what that tastes like. I’m contacting Sunfoods tomorrow when they open.
I recently purchased a pot of brazil nuts from M & S and they tasted ok.
I just picked up an 8 ounce tub of shelled brazil nuts and I could detect a chemical taint in everyone, I'm concerned that chemicals may be used to shuck them as I have never tasted this essence in ones that I've shucked or when mixed with other shelled nuts. I was wondering why I hadn't seen brazil nuts at the stores these past months and when I saw these unmixed with other nuts I had to buy them
Hi, I just ate a brazil nut that tasted as though it had been soaked in nail polish remover or methanol. I've been snacking on brazil nuts for years and never tasted anything like this before. It definitely wasn't rancid - that is a different taste altogether. I have read that brazil nuts are sprayed with pesticides after harvesting - I wonder whether it could be this? If anyone knows what this is, please tell me.
It looks as if no-one has identified the actual cause in the six years or more that this thread has existed.
I suggest you complain to whoever is supposed to deal with food issues in your area. Unlikely to be much help but possibly a better option than the shop which will likely not get you anywhere beyond a replacement packet.
Yes, I have tasted it. I did wonder whether it was like mangoes, which when they go off begin to taste and smell of chlorine. Indeed, mangoes are used in the manufacture of chlorine gas! So could be natural... I hope so! But actually, I think the truth is they absorbed a chemical. I've eaten Brazil nuts many times before, and tasted a rancid but or two, but this was something very different. I still chewed and swallowed it - which I regret. A bird wouldn't eat a nut like that.
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