You can easily distinguish them. Long ones are from Afghanistan, short from China, Norko, Russia

Interestingly I've never seen type A sold in China and I've sure eaten my fair share of pine nuts. Seems like these are mostly exported to other countries then? Would be hilarious if the bad ones are sold off to foreigners.

It is hilarious that it is often the case in the industry. Most Chinese don't believe that's the case.

>* Harvesting pine nuts is extremely dangerous, and labor is expensive.

30+ years ago working summer construction jobs in Siberia we'd go into the forest to gather the nuts - i mean you'd climb up the pine tree to the very very top where most of the pines cones are, and the top of the pine is swaying in the wind, and there is around you like a beautiful sea of the pine tops moving like a kind of sea waves.

Locals though would just get a chainsaw and fall the pine trees and gather the pine cones that way.