Peanut Butter Shortage in Manhattan
Stewart Parnell; the peanut contaminating CEO
Trying to eat healthier and with a more holistic approach, I was advised by my counselor yesterday to find some whole wheat toast and peanut butter. Done (is what I thought). But I was not aware that the salmonella spread has affected nearly every Guy & Gallard, corner generic deli of New York and major stores.
I went downstairs and failed to find peanut butter at two large locations. If they don’t have peanut butter, what is the hope for the future?
The reason the scarcity of the peanut butter was shocking to me, in particular, was because I had purchased the “grind it yourself” fresh peanut butter from Whole Foods prior to, during and after the salmonella scare at Whole Foods. Their stock clearly stated that the batch of peanuts they have was not affected by the salmonella stained ones.
I did not check Duane Reade, but I wonder if even they have stopped selling anything containing peanuts to avoid a lawsuit. All I know is that I hope peanuts make a come back in NYC because I miss them dearly.
But it seems that as soon as yesterday that even MORE PEANUT RECALLS are hitting the street.
Sigh.
National brands of peanut butter are not affected by the recall nor do they contain the tainted peanuts or peanut products produced by the one manufacturer that produced salmonella-tainted peanuts. The FDA has a FAQ section on their website that states this and you can search their complete list of recalled peanut products as well. The list is quite comprehensive and is organized by type of food and brand, so you can see if store versions of products are affected too (some Trader Joe’s items, for example, are on the list).
Even though national brands are not affected, some boutique brands (the kind where you grind your own peanut butter) could be, if they purchased their peanuts from Peanut Corporation of America (the tainted peanut producer). Several of the national brands make a "natural" version, so you could try that in the meantime. We got ours at our local bodega, but I’m sure other grocery stores carry it.