Peanut Butter Products: Some Companies NOT Affected

March 24, 2009

FDA advises that there is no indication that any national name brands of peanut butter sold in jars in retail stores are implicated in this outbreak and series of recalls. The agency has the following advice for consumers:

"[T]he FDA recommends that consumers avoid eating products that have been recalled and discard them.

Because identification of products subject to recall is continuing, the FDA urges consumers to postpone eating commercially-prepared or manufactured peanut butter-containing products and institutionally-served peanut butter until further information becomes available about which products may be affected. Efforts to specifically identify those products are ongoing."

The American Peanut Council has posted a list of its members whose products are NOT affected by the peanut recalls.

The following companies and products are NOT part of this series of recalls.

(Please note that these advisories may be updated as a result of the closure of PCA's Plainview, Texas facility and the subsequent recall of all products ever shipped from that location.)

Associated Buyers, Inc.

Associated Buyers released the following statement on January 23rd:

"To ensure the safety of our products (and our customers), we are taking all appropriate measures to minimize the risk involved in such a widespread concern. Our customer service and purchasing staff are currently obtaining affidavits from all producers/vendors using peanuts and/or peanut butter as ingredients. These affidavits state the origin of the ingredients in question, and will determine the need for any product recalls. Associated Buyers will continue to monitor all product recalls, both voluntary and involuntary, until the situation is rectified, and contact customers on a case-by-case basis."

ConAgra Foods

On January 28, 2009, ConAgra reiterated its earlier assurance that the company's products – including the Peter Pan peanut butter product line – are unaffected by the Peanut Corporation of America recalls. 

CostCo Wholesale Corporation

An eFoodAlert reader reported the following on February 19th:

"Kirkland Organic Creamy Peanut Butter is not on the recall list as per their corporate headquarters customer service today. They source their peanuts from New Mexico and Texas producers who have no connection to Peanut Corp. of America."

Cub Foods

Although the company has recalled certain peanut butter cookies, Cub Foods advises consumers that the peanut butter sold in its stores are not affected by the current recalls.

Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Holdings, Inc.

Dreyer's reiterated on February 5th that none of its ice cream products contain peanuts or peanut products supplied by PCA. Dreyer's brands include: Dreyer's®, Edy's®, Haagen-Dazs®, Nestle®, Frosty Paws®, Eskimo Pie®, Fruit Bars, and The Skinny Cow®. Dreyer's foodservice and ice cream parlor products also are made without PCA-supplied ingredients.

Frontier Airlines

Frontier reports that the Grizwald's Gourmet Cafe snacks served on its flights do not contain any peanuts or peanut products supplied by PCA.

Girl Scouts 

Girl Scouts of the USA reports that neither of the two companies that manufacture Girl Scout cookies – ABC Interbake or Little Brownie Bakers – are affected by the PCA recall. The Girl Scouts web site provides links to notices from several suppliers, all indicating that their products are unaffected by the PCA recalls. The identified suppliers are ABC Interbake, Little Brownie Bakers, Trophy Nut Company, Hampton Farms, A.L. Schutzman, and Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream.

Harris-Teeter

Harris-Teeter private label brand of peanut butter crackers is unaffected by this recall.

The Hershey Company

Hershey announced that it "... does not purchase any peanut butter, peanuts or peanut products from the Peanut Corporation of America." Hershey manufactures its own peanut butter for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

KIND Snacks

February 25, 2009. Peaceworks, the manufacturer of KIND Snacks, reaffirmed today that its products are not affected by the Peanut Corporation of America recalls, stating the following:

Today KIND Snacks reconfirmed that it is not affected by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) recall, and PCA does not supply any peanut products used in any variety of KIND Fruit + Nut Bars or KIND Plus Nutrition Bars.

Kraft Foods

Neither Kraft nor its suppliers source any peanut butter products from PCA. Kraft, Nabisco and Planters products are NOT affected by the current recall.

Kroger

Kroger brand Peanut Butter is NOT affected by the current recall.

Lance, Inc.

Lance has issued a news release to reassure consumers that Lance® peanut butter sandwich crackers are not affected by the current recall. Lance produces 100% of the peanut butter used in Lance® sandwich cracker products, and does not obtain any peanut butter products from PCA.

MaraNatha

MaraNatha has issued a news release reassuring consumers that it's peanut butter is unaffected by the Peanut Corporation of America situation. According to the company,

"MaraNatha sources nuts only from approved growers, and stringent food safety and quality control stanards include the testing of all nuts that come into the MaraNatha facility in Ashland, Oregon. One hundred percent of MaraNatha nut butter production takes place at the company's Ashland facility."

Mars SnackFood US

Mars advises consumers that it does not source peanut butter or peanuts from PCA. Mars processes its own peanut butter from its own roasted peanuts for the "majority" of its peanut butter-containing products. The company reiterated that none of the following Mars products are impacted by the current series of recalls:

• M&M'S Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies
  
• SNICKERS Brand
  
• SNICKERS Brand Ice Cream
  
• TWIX Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
  
• KUDOS Peanut Butter Granola Bars
  
• Ethel M Chocolates and Ethel's chocolate lounge
  

National Confectioners Association

NCA has posted a list of their members who are unaffected by the Peanut Corporation of America recalls. This list may not reflect the January 28 PCA recall.

Nestlé USA

Nestlé issued the following statement on February 13th

"We would like to reassure our consumers and customers that none of our products are affected by the recent reports of salmonella found in peanut products traced to Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). Nestlé USA does not purchase any peanut butter, paste or other peanut products from PCA.

It is important for our consumers and customers to know that no Nestlé USA products have been affected or recalled as a result of this issue."

Quaker Oats North America

Quaker Oats advises consumers that none of their products contain peanut butter, peanuts or peanut paste manufactured by PCA.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc.

Rocky Mountain advises that none of its products contain peanuts, peanut butter or any other peanut products manufactured by PCA. Rocky Mountain products, whether sold in the Company's retail stores, supplied to other companies, or used as ingredients in other food products, are NOT affected by this recall.

Schiff Nutrition International

Schiff advises that Tiger's Milk® nutrition bars have never been manufactured using peanut butter or peanut paste from PCA. Tiger's Milk® bars are NOT affected by this recall.

Smart Balance, Inc.

Smart Balance is reassuring its customers that none of its peanut butter products are affected by the recall. Smart Balance does NOT purchase peanuts, peanut butter, or peanut butter paste from PCA.

The J.M. Smucker Company

Smucker has posted the following statement on its web site:

"The Food and Drug Administration's voluntary peanut butter recall involving certain brands of peanut butter and peanut butter products because of concerns relating to Salmonella (a bacterium that causes food borne illness) does not include any peanut butter products or brands produced by The J. M. Smucker Company, such as Jif®, Smucker's®, Adams® and Laura Scudder's® brands."

Tastykake Baking Company

Tastykake reports that they do not have a "supplier relationship" with PCA. Therefore, none of the Tastykake brand products are included in this recall.

Unilever United States, Inc.

Unilever announced in January that it did not source any ingredients from Peanut Corporation of America. Skippy, Good Humor-Breyers, Klondike and Ben & Jerry's brands are NOT affected by this recall. Certain Slim-Fast products have been recalled both in the United States and Canada.

On February 4th, the company amended this earlier statement, advising consumers that it had recalled Breyers Tin Roof Sundae ice creams, a product discontinued in August 2008. Unilever reiterated its assurance that none of its other products are affected by the PCA recalls.

Unilever issued the following additional statement on February 9th.

"Skippy(R) Peanut Butter is in no way related to the current Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) Georgia recall. Specifically, no peanuts or peanut ingredients used in Skippy(R) Peanut Butter are sourced from PCA. Skippy(R) has in place robust quality assurance and processing procedures to ensure product quality and safety."

Welch's

On January 19, 2009, Welch's released the following statement:

"Product quality and safety are universal concerns that Welch’s takes very seriously. Welch’s BAMA Peanut Butter is manufactured by Algood Food Company and is not associated with the most recent salmonella recall."