- Tiger Brands and RCL Foods, which manufacture Black Cat and Yum Yum peanut butter respectively, say their products are safe.
- This follows the recall of certain products by the House of Natural Butters, and the National Consumer Commission urging all producers to test their products.
- The commission will also be conducting a nationwide assessment of peanut butter products to ensure they are safe.
- For more financial news, go to the News24 Business front page.
With the wide-scale recall of certain peanut butter brands in full swing, the manufacturers of Black Cat and Yum Yum have assured customers their products are safe.
This follows the National Consumer Commission calling for urgent tests of peanut butter by all producers in the wake of some brands manufactured by House of Natural Butters being recalled. These brands contain higher than acceptable levels of a naturally occurring mycotoxin called Aflatoxin. The mycotoxin concerned has been linked to serious health complications.
Food producer RCL Foods, which is controlled by Johann Rupert’s Remgro and owns the Yum Yum brand, said on Monday it had "strict safety protocols in place to ensure the continuous safety" of all its products.
"Our records show that all products that we have produced are within acceptable norms," said RCL.
The company, which also owns such brands as Selati sugar, said it had an accredited laboratory on site to monitor Aflatoxin levels in its peanuts and peanut butter production constantly - and that it did so on an ongoing basis.
"This is in addition to the certificates of analysis received from our peanut suppliers."
The PnP Peanut Butter brand is also made by RCL Foods and is not affected by this recall, that retailer said.
Black Cat peanut butter producer Tiger Brands said the popular brand was safe for consumption, adding that it considered "safety and quality as non-negotiable".
"Rigorous safety and quality assurance protocols are followed in the sourcing of raw materials, ingredients and the production of our finished products to ensure consumers can enjoy their loved brands with peace of mind," said the company, which also owns All Gold tomato sauce and Tastic rice.
As far as the specifics of peanut butter were concerned, Tiger Brands said all raw material peanuts were tested prior to delivery, with test results verified by the site before delivery was accepted.
The finished product, it said, was tested again prior to packaging and distribution for sale.
"Both raw materials and finished product follow a positive release protocol, and any products that do not meet our high standards for safety and quality are rejected and safely destroyed.
"The company works with suppliers, farmers and agriculturalists as part of its supplier quality assurance programme."
Shoprite also confirmed that the private label peanut butter sold in its supermarkets was safe to consume. As a precaution it again tested the Aflatoxin levels in its peanut butters last week.
It said its private label peanut butter sold under its Ritebrand, Housebrand, Pot O'Gold, Ubrand, Simple Truth and OK brand names were not affected by the recent recall as it was produced in a different factory.
"The quality and safety of our products are a top priority and undergo regular testing and quality checks."
Thokoman Foods also confirmed that the Thokoman peanut butter range of products are unaffected and safe to consume.
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Spar's national retail operations executive Ed von Gericke said the group was aware of the concerns regarding Aflatoxin traces in peanut butter and could confirm its house brand peanut butter was not sourced from the affected manufacturer, but rather another trusted supplier.
Spar had a "robust" food safety management system in place and requires suppliers to have the necessary food safety certifications, he said.
"In addition to our house brand product, the Spar Group sources branded on-shelf peanut butter products from five suppliers," he said, adding that the group has requested testing results from them for the past three months.
Spar will also be conducting tests on these products in its own labs to verify these reports.
Von Gericke, however, did point out that due to its independent retail model and supply chain processes, Spar retailers did have the flexibility to directly source products from independent suppliers outside of the group.
As a result, seven Spar stores in the Western Cape region directly stocked a product from the supplier in question.
But upon becoming aware of the Aflatoxin issue, its Western Cape office "took immediate action, isolating these products as a precautionary measure".
"This proactive step was initiated last week already, ahead of the official public announcement, to ensure the safety and confidence of our customers."
Nationwide checks
The NCC said in a statement on Friday that it was conducting a nationwide assessment of South African peanut butters to establish whether they have been affected by higher-than-acceptable levels of Aflatoxin. The regulatory body also expanded the number of peanut butter brands being recalled.
All of the affected brands are manufactured by the same producer – House of Natural Butters. The NCC was also probing the affairs of House of Natural Butters.
The problem was first flagged when Pick n Pay, just over a week ago, recalled No Name Smooth Peanut Butter, Eden Smooth Peanut Butter and Eden Crunch Peanut Butter brands after in-house standard testing by the group found the products to have higher than regulated levels of Aflatoxin.
Since then, the list of products manufactured by House of Natural Butters has been expanded, with the NCC saying in its statement on Friday that consumers had to stop consuming the product immediately and return it to the point of purchase.
These include:
- Dischem's Lifestyle 400 grams Smooth and Crunchy;
- Dischem’s Lifestyle 800 grams Smooth and Crunchy;
- Wazoogles Superfoods - all sizes starting from 32g to 20kg;
- Pick n Pay's No Name 1kg smooth;
- Eden All Natural.
Pick n Pay's No Name, Eden All Natural, and Dischem's Lifestyle brands were distributed nationally, while Wazoogles Superfoods products were distributed mainly in the Western Cape.
Meanwhile, Woolworths confirmed in a statement to News24 that all its peanut butter was "safe for consumption", adding that it did not use the same supplier as other retailers who have recalled their peanut products.
It added it routinely tested its raw material and final peanut butter product for Aflatoxin.
"Food safety is our top priority, and quality is at the heart of what we do. We routinely monitor all our products to ensure we maintain the high standards we are proud of."
Update: This article has been updated with comment from Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Thokoman and Spar.
