US Pecan Growers Seek to Break Out of the Pie Shell
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The pecan is being rebranded as more than just pie. Pecan growers and suppliers are hoping to sell U.S. consumers on the virtues of North America's only native nut as a hedge against a potential trade war with China, the pecan's largest export market. The pecan industry is also trying to crack the fast-growing snack-food industry. The Fort Worth, Texas-based American Pecan Council has been formed in the wake of a new federal marketing order that allows the industry to band together and assess fees for research and promotion. Critics call such orders government-backed cartels. But council members hope to elevate the pecan to the ranks of the almond and pistachio.