How to Buy African Cashew Kernels for the EU

To buy African cashew kernels for the EU, start with processors in Côte d’Ivoire and Benin. Agree the kernel grade and intended use, identify where the raw nuts grew and where they were shelled, and match the sample and lab results to the cartons you’ll receive. Get those checks into the purchase order before the supplier reserves stock.

A sample of clean, whole kernels can win the order while the actual shipment is still being assembled. Ask which processing run it represents and how the supplier will handle any substitutions. Keep your commercial grade checks alongside the food safety and traceability records you’ll review before shipment.

Where should you source shelled cashew kernels?

Buying cashew kernels from Côte d’Ivoire

Côte d’Ivoire is a practical first market to compare. The Netherlands’ Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI) recorded nearly 30,000 tonnes of Ivorian kernels supplied to Europe in 2024. Ask each processor which grades it packs on the same line and whether it can reserve the volumes you need across deliveries. Check the packing site shown on the lot documents against the facility you approved.

Buying cashew kernels from Benin

Benin gives you a second processed-kernel option. CBI worked directly with processors in Benin and Côte d’Ivoire on access to the European market. For an initial Benin order, ask to review one completed lot file and confirm what the named site handles itself. If another facility shells, grades or packs the kernels, ask for the handover record between the two.

Record three facts for each lot. Where did the nuts grow? Where were they shelled and graded? Where were they packed for export? African raw nuts also go to processors outside Africa. If you’re buying for an origin claim or applying for a tariff preference, give your broker the full processing chain and confirm the relevant rule before you use the claim or declare the preference.

What should the kernel specification say?

Specify whether you need whole kernels for retail snacks or pieces for an ingredient line. If a quote says W320, write the size range, colour, acceptable defects, breakage and moisture limits into the order. The UNECE DDP-17 standard is a reference for commercial quality. Confirm the grading method and the contract tolerances so your warehouse can use the same test at arrival.

Which food safety evidence should an EU buyer request?

Cashew is a named allergen in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of 25 October 2011. Where a prepacked product has an ingredients list, the cashew reference must stand out. For bulk kernels going to an EU packer or manufacturer, get the ingredient and allergen information they’ll need for the finished label. Ask about shared lines and cross-contact controls at the actual packing site.

Ask for a lot-linked laboratory report that shows aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxins separately, with results and units. For cashew kernels placed on the market for the final consumer or for use as an ingredient, the relevant limits are 2 µg/kg for B1 and 4 µg/kg for total aflatoxins under Annex I, entry 1.1.7 of Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 of 25 April 2023. A separate category and conditions apply to lots genuinely intended for sorting or other physical treatment. Confirm which category fits your contract.

Have your quality team agree a representative sampling plan with the lab. The EU official sampling methods in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2782 of 14 December 2023 give useful context. Ask the supplier for the lot identifiers, sampling record and report scope. If your hazard assessment calls for microbiological testing or evidence of a control step, agree what’s required for the intended use before the supplier samples the lot.

Check the current EU border-control lists for the product code and country before loading. Fresh or dried shelled cashews use HS 080132. Confirm the classification with your broker if the product is roasted, salted or otherwise prepared. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793 of 22 October 2019 specifies additional controls for listed product and country combinations.

How do you release a cashew kernel lot?

Ask the processor to connect raw nut intakes to shelling and grading records, then to finished cartons. Article 18 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of 28 January 2002 requires food businesses to identify their suppliers and the businesses they supply. Your lot file can go further and show which finished cartons would need to be held if an upstream intake is flagged. See how lot records work across a food supply chain.

If the packing list shows a second lot at loading, hold that quantity and ask for its own intake records, sample coverage and lab evidence. Have the supplier revise the packing list and document the decision before loading. At arrival, record the seal and carton condition and keep photographs with the intake record so you can raise a claim against the right lot.