27 February 2024
Peanut processors whose products are directly involved in the recent recall from store shelves have acted “irresponsibly”, according to one of South Africa’s largest peanut producers.
<body>Woolworths is the latest retailer to immediately recall its peanut butter ice cream brand after tests showed it also contains higher than permissible levels of aflatoxin.
The company said the recall applies only to peanut butter ice cream sold under the Woolworths brand. All other products containing peanut butter, including its own range of spreads, are “100% safe for consumption”.
On February 3, Pick n Pay announced the withdrawal of its No Name Smooth Peanut Butter, Eden All Natural Smooth and Eden Crunch due to high levels of aflatoxin.
Several days later, the National Consumer Commission (NCC) said Dis-Chem’s Lifestyle (Smooth and Crunchy, 400 g and 800 g) and Wazoogles Superfood peanut butter were also being recalled due to high levels of aflatoxin.
Symptoms of aflatoxin ingestion include nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Large amounts of aflatoxin can lead to poisoning and liver damage.
The NCC appealed to manufacturers, distributors and suppliers of peanut butter to comply with regulations and conduct urgent tests to determine the safety of products, especially imported ones.
‘Processors must test’
Alfons Visser, owner of SA Peanuts, which supplies peanuts to brands such as Black Cat and Simba and provides between 25% and 30% of South Africa’s peanuts, says aflatoxin is produced by fungi that can occur on agricultural products like peanuts.
“Every peanut processor in South Africa must first conduct an analysis of aflatoxin before making peanut butter. Large processors require that the peanuts meet a specific level,” says Visser.
“It is therefore safe to say that the manufacturers of the products that had to be recalled from the shelves acted irresponsibly and did not adhere to national and international health standards.”
Higher aflatoxin levels are exacerbated by poor cultivars, poor soil conditions, drought, continuous wet weather and unfavourable conditions during harvest and product storage. These may include peanuts getting too much rain while being harvested, products being stored in high humidity and poor storage processing conditions.
Older cultivars are more prone to contamination, says Visser. The shelf life of new high-oil cultivars is three to five times longer than that of older cultivars, and the chance of high levels of aflatoxin is much lower.
“It may be that smaller facilities, or importers from similar facilities, did not meet the required standards and consequently did not receive, process, store and transport the product in a certified manner to ensure the end consumer’s safety,” says Visser.
“Consumers may complain about the increased price of a reliable brand’s products and consider the cheaper option instead. But there is always a reason why the product is cheaper.
“For example, there is a cost associated with testing peanuts for aflatoxin. Failing to do so puts the industry, from the manufacturer to the consumer, at risk.”
