Peanut Butter Recall Includes Organic, Natural Clif and Luna Bars
I’m usually not phased by food recalls, including the recent peanut butter recall, because they rarely affect natural food companies. I don’t eat Little Debbie crap, and I certainly don’t eat Keebler products.
Today, however, I discovered a natural, organic product I occasionally eat on the peanut butter recall list: Clif Bars.
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The company has issued the following statement about the peanut butter recall:
On January 19, 2009, we announced a voluntary recall of 14 U.S and 4 Canadian products including CLIF Bar, CLIF Builder’s, CLIF MOJO, CLIF Kid Organic ZBaR and LUNA Bar, in the U.S. and Canada because the peanut butter in those products was sourced, for a limited period of time, from the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). PCA is a manufacturer and supplier of peanut butter for many food companies and manufacturers.
PCA is under investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a recent Salmonella outbreak thought to be caused by tainted peanut butter. In light of this investigation, and with an abundance of caution, Clif Bar & Company has enacted a voluntary recall. We take the health and safety of our consumers very seriously.
The plant responsible for the salmonella contamination has laid off workers and shut down, but I doubt they will receive the death sentence like Chinese dairy executives involved in the melamine scandal.
The following products are affected by the peanut butter recall:
- CLIF BAR Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch
- CLIF BAR Crunchy Peanut Butter
- CLIF BAR Peanut Toffee Buzz
- CLIF Builder’s Peanut Butter
- CLIF Kid Organic ZBaR Peanut Butter
- LUNA Nutz Over Chocolate
- LUNA Peanut Butter Cookie
- MOJO Honey Roasted Peanut
- MOJO Mixed Nuts
- MOJO Mountain Mix
- MOJO Peanut Butter Pretzel
- MOJO Dipped Chocolate Peanut
- MOJO Dipped Peanut Butter and Jelly
- MOJO Dipped Fruit and Nut
In Canada, the following 4 products are included in the peanut butter recall:
- CLIF® BAR Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch / Brisures de Chocolat aux Arachides Croquants
- CLIF BAR Crunchy Peanut Butter / Beurre d’ Arachide Croquant
- CLIF® BAR Peanut Toffee Buzz® / Toffee et Arachides
- CLIF Builder’s Peanut Butter / Beurre d’Arachide
I sometimes grab a CLIF BAR Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch for a midday snack, but not anymore. My kids enjoy them too, so it’s time to scourge our cabinets to make sure we don’t have any of these potentially salmonella contaminated peanut butter products in our home.
The PCA situation reminds me of Menu Foods and the April 2007 tainted pet food recall. That huge company produced the cheap and the expensive food in the same vats. I am more disturbed that an “organic” product manufacturer occasionally buys from PCA. I thought peanuts were one of the heaviest users of pesticides. The terms natural and organic mean almost nothing now.
How can the buyer beware if the labels are not backed up by enforced regulations.
I, too, was shocked about this and discovered that PCA does, indeed, produce a variety of organic peanut butter ingredients. The one that got me was Larabars — (I wrote about it on Supereco) — would Lara have ever used this raw ingredient? I wondered. Then I discovered that General Mills had bought Larabars. I wonder what CLIF bars’ excuse is. Trust is all an illusion.
Here’s a link to the FDA list, it is long.
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm#All
This is but one example of the risks of using extensive supply chains over which companies like Kellogg have little control. Utilizing outside companies such as the Peanut Corporation of America to supply ingredients for a branded product not only makes it more difficult to ensure quality control, but also creates enormous complications for the branded-product company trying to respond in a crisis. For those interested, I encourage you to read my blog post about these difficulties on BulletProofBlog.com and share your thoughts: http://www.bulletproofblog.com/2009/01/21/peanut-butter-recall-part-ii/
I wanted to let your readers know that all Late July Organic Snacks products are SAFE to eat. Our peanut butter is supplied by a company in New Mexico, Sunland, Inc and is unequivocally NOT involved in this recall. We would also invite you to visit our website for more detailed information about Sunland or our ingredient sourcing policies in general. As a mother of two young sons and the president of Late July, I believe that everyone has the right to know exactly where their food is coming from. If you ever have any questions about any of Late July’s ingredients email us at info@latejuly or call 888-85-SNACK anytime. Thank you.
Healthy Valley (Lovin Oven) Organic Chewy Granola Bars too.
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/lovinoven01_09.html
A couple more: “Safeway said some of the products it makes, including Ready Pack Eating Right Kids Apples with Peanut Butter and Orchard Valley Harvest’s Organic Bark Peanut Butter Cookies and Cream”
I haven’t seen anything to suggest that PCA produced any organic products. How can Clif use the “USDA Organic” seal and list no non-organic peanut ingredients on the label if they are using PCA’s peanut products (http://www.clifbar.com/food/products_clif_kid_zbar click on the Peanut Butter bar link)? Clif should hope nobody goes after them in a class-action for deceptive and fraudulent claims.
Hey, I’m in agreement with most of you here. I was very surprised that Clif/Luna were involved in the recall. I’ve been trying to find out if PCA did offer organic products but there seems to be almost no way to contact this company.
Among the peanut butter/snack products involved, several of them are supposedly organic. Besides the ones already mentioned, Whole Foods’ “Carob Energee Nuggets”, and Parker Organic Cookies.
Sigh.
I am completely disappointed in the fact that CLIF BAR lies about using organic ingredients, both on their label and on their website. As if the organic industry doesn’t have enough difficulties gaining credibility -this greatly destroys the confidence people have in organic products. The rule is if more people bought organic, the price would go down, demand up and the rules and regulations would “clean up”, however, this goes against this rule, instead CLIF BAR sold more, then made a cheaper-less-quality-product, but sold it as organic and increased its profit. Shame on you. I will no longer purchase any CLIF BAR products (and I used quite a lot between the bars and shots). I feel betrayed.