The $4 billion U.S. peanut industry employs an estimated 100,000 workers directly on farms, in shelling and processing plants and in product manufacturing. There are approximately 16,000 peanut farmers in nine primary states. These are mostly family farmers, which grow an average of 98 acres of peanuts each year on a 3-year rotation usually with cotton, corn, soybeans and grass crops.

Unlike in other countries, all peanuts grown in the U .S. are inspected by licensed government personnel from the USDA / Federal State Inspection Service.

Every wagonload of peanuts is inspected microscopically or chemically before they can be sold. U.S. peanuts are certified as safe for consumption or else they are quarantined and destroyed. Those, which are certified as wholesome, are graded by size and type according to industry standards. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) then reinspect them throughout the manufacturing process. They are inspected for both agrochemical residue as well as naturally occurring defects.

Due to the emphasis on quality production of edible peanuts, the peanut farmers, Federal and State governments and the U.S. peanut industry allocate a considerable amount of time and money to peanut research. Much of the funding is provided to land grant universities, which are constantly experimenting, with genetic biotechnology for new varieties and more efficient production practices. Just recently, a new variety, SunOleic 95R, a runner peanut with a more favorable oil composition similar to olive oil, was introduced. Studies with this variety suggest a longer shelf life and potential health benefits for consumers.

Government and industry-funded peanut re- search provides fanners with the latest information on improving quality and yields. Since the late 1950s, quality improvements have been unparalleled and peanut production yields have nearly tripled as a result of new varieties, advanced agronomic technology, irrigation and mechanized operations.

Because of these standards, enforcement and ongoing research and development, U.S. peanuts set the benchmark for quality in the world and might be called "the gold standard" against which all other peanuts are measured.

* Information supplied by the  Peanut Advisory Board, 1025 Sugar Pike Way, Canton, GA  30115

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