Peanut Products: The Good and the Bad

If you eat peanut products regularly, check the Food and Drug Administration’s list of recalled foods, because it seems to get longer every day.

When the outbreak first started, Peanut Corporation of America said its tainted products were distributed only to institutions, not stores. But the company recently issued a statement listing several brands formerly sold directly to consumers now available at retail stores.

The latest peanut-related recalls include:

Trader Joe's Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies and Vegan Trail Mix

Cookies and Frozen Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

Kmart’s Super Kmart bakery goods that contain granulated peanut products

Rite Aid’s Chocolate Peanuts and Bridge Mix

Since the onset of the Blakely, Ga.-based PCA salmonella outbreak, more than 1,800 peanut products have been recalled. And according to the Center for Disease Control, at least 600 people in 44 states and one person in Canada have been sickened by the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium. The outbreak may also have contributed to at least eight deaths.

Although most cases peaked in December, the CDC notes it's too early to declare the outbreak over since it can take up to three weeks for cases to be reported to the CDC.

To be safe, check out the FDA’s searchable list of peanut product recalls. Here are some popular health food brands included on the recall list.

SunSpire Organic Dark Chocolate Crunchy Peanut Clusters
ThinkThin Dark Chocolate
ThinkThin Chocolate Mudslide
Genisoy Organic Apple Cinnamon Soy Protein Bars
Glutino Organic Chocolate & Peanuts Bars
Kashi™ TLC™ Chewy Granola Bars Trail Mix
Kashi™ TLC™ Chewy Granola Bars Honey Almond Flax
Kashi™ TLC™ Chewy Granola Bars Peanut Peanut Butter
Kashi™ TLC™ Chewy Granola Bars Club Pack
Kashi™ TLC™ Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chewy Cookies
Kashi™ TLC™ Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chewy Cookie Club Pack
Kashi™ TLC™ Happy Trail Mix Chewy Cookies
Kashi™ TLC™ Oatmeal Raisin Flax Chewy Cookies
Bear Naked Appalachian Trail Mix
Detour Bars, several varieties including Runner, Biker and Core Strength
Barron Specialty Foods’ Thai Curry with Peanuts Seasoning Mix
Ethnic Gourmet Chicken Pad Thai
Ethnic Gourmet Pad Thai with Shrimp
Ethnic Gourmet Pad Thai with Tofu
Gluten Free Café Asian Noodles

The good news is major national brands of jarred peanut butter found in grocery stores have not been linked to the outbreak or recalled.

But while popular peanut brands like Jif are safe, they aren't the best choices--most contain refined salt and sugar as well as hydrogenated oil, an additive that keeps the oil from separating--good for shelf life but bad for your health.

By law, peanut butter found on the grocers' shelves must contain 90 percent or more peanuts with no artificial sweeteners, colors or preservatives.

Natural peanut butter, however, must contain 100 percent peanuts with no hydrogenated oil (the oil will separate from the peanuts and must be stirred back in) and it must be refrigerated.

Peanut butter spreads, on the other hand, contain only 60 contain peanut butter and do not have to be refrigerated.

So why not try grinding your own peanut butter at your local health food store? Flip the switch and watch the peanuts get ground into creamy, yummy peanut butter. And unlike jarred peanut butter, it won’t separate.

Or you can also make your own peanut butter at home by blending roasted, salted or unsalted peanuts and a couple tablespoons of peanut or safflower oil (the added oil helps make the peanut butter smooth). You can leave it chunky or keep processing it until it is smooth. Check out Alton Brown’s Homemade Peanut Butter for more.

Why does this matter to you? The peanut butter fiasco reminds us why it’s important to eat wholesome, unprocessed foods. Use processed snacks sparingly and do your research on the foods you buy.