Is Skippy reduced fat peanut butter discontinued? Nearly 162,000 pounds of reduced-fat peanut butter are being recalled by Skippy Foods. This recall is due to concerns that a “limited number of jars” may have become contaminated by stainless steel particles.
The particles are from a “piece of manufacturing equipment.” The company, owned by Hormel Foods, revealed this information on March 30, 2022.
“Skippy Foods, LLC, is issuing the recall to ensure customers know the problem out of a surplus of caution. Also, they are keen on prioritizing the quality of their products. The business said that internal detection systems at the manufacturing plant discovered the issue. Customers can contact the firm or return the recalled goods to their local merchant, according to Skippy.
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About the brand
The peanut butter spread known as Skippy is an American brand. It was first introduced in 1932. The products are made in China and the US. Hormel Foods is the current manufacturer of Skippy. In 2013, it acquired the brand from Unilever. Only the Jif brand from the J.M. Smucker Company sells more peanut butter worldwide than this one does in China.
Without permission, the food packer Joseph L. Rosefield from Alameda, California, started selling its second batch of hydrogenated peanut butter in 1932. He sold it under the brand name Skippy. In 1934, Crosby was able to invalidate the trademark legally.
Little Rock, Arkansas, and Shandong Province, China, have Skippy factories. The Skippy Peanut Butter Spread comes in 14 different flavors. A food that is devoid of gluten and cholesterol is Skippy Peanut Butter. All Skippy Peanut Butter flavors, aside from the Skippy P.B. bites, are also kosher.
In 2013, Hormel purchased the Skippy brand from the Anglo-Dutch corporation Unilever. For around $700 million, Hormel acquired Skippy to expand its reach internationally. Hormel currently owns several well-known brands. This includes Skippy, Planters, Spam, and Dinty Moore.
In Canada, Skippy peanut butter is no longer available
The crunchy and smooth varieties of peanut butter are no longer sold in Canada. After discontinuing the brand in Canada in 2017, Hormel Foods, the owner of Skippy, removed it from shop shelves. According to Hormel, the decision to stop selling Skippy in Canada was made for various reasons. It includes pricing and competition that damages the brand’s profitability.
According to spokeswoman Brian Olson in an email to CBC News, “It was a hard decision to withdraw Skippy peanut butter from the Canadian marketplace.” The feeling of being singled out by Canadian supporters may be justified. More than 60 nations, including the United States, China, and the United Kingdom, still sell the product.
In 1933, Skippy peanut butter made its debut on the market. It has long been a mainstay in many Canadian homes.
Sylvain Charlebois is a professor at Dalhousie University. He specializes in food distribution and policy. He believes Canada’s small population may have played a significant role in Hormel’s decision to stop selling Skippy here.
“Just 36 million people are living in our large country. The expenses of distribution are very high, said Charlebois. He also suggested that the extra expense of the mandatory French labeling may have been a disincentive. Multinational corporations like Hormel decide not to exploit specific markets if the economics fail to make sense.
According to Hormel, the company eventually wants to bring Skippy back to Canada. It didn’t offer a timeline or specify the situation to be met for it to occur.
Skippy recalls peanut butter batches
In the US, Skippy is currently the second-best-selling brand of peanut butter. Recalls with an “undeclared peanut allergen” are frequent because peanuts are one of the most typical allergens.
A British supermarket store had to recall its peanuts in 2016. It’s because the label failed to say that they were within the packaging. Yet the problem wasn’t with peanuts for Skippy, who recalled over 160,000 pounds of peanut butter. Instead, there may have been a production problem with the brand.
On March 30, 2022, Skippy Foods voluntarily recalled three different flavors of their peanut butter—a total of 9,353 cases, or 161,692 pounds. Given the possibility that “a tiny percentage of jars may include a small stainless steel shard from a piece of manufacturing equipment,” it is recalled. The company claims it hasn’t heard of any customer complaints. But they issued a recall after figuring out the issue on their own.
The affected goods are:
- Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread,
- Reduced-fat chunky peanut butter spread, and
- Creamy Peanut Butter Blended With Plant Protein
This is according to a recall notice published on the Food and Drug Administration website.
According to the recall notice, the products were reportedly transported to 18 states. This includes California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin.
Furthermore, Skippy stressed that “no other Skippy Foods products” and “no other sizes, types, or other packaging designs of Skippy brand peanut butter or peanut butter spread” are included in the recall. Additionally, according to the business, all merchants who received these products have been informed about the recall. As a result, customers won’t see these products on store shelves any longer.
Conclusion
The 40-ounce jars and 40-ounce jar two-packs of Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter have been recalled. Best-case dates include “May 0423” and “May 0523” for these products. Second, 16.3-ounce jars of Skippy Reduced Fat Chunky Peanut Butter with the best-by dates “MAY 0623” and “MAY 0723.” Last but not least, Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter Blended With Plant Protein is packaged in 14-ounce jars with a “May 1023” best-by date.
According to the company, “Skippy Foods, LLC is issuing the recall to guarantee that customers know the issue. Thus, it was made with a high level of caution and focused on the quality of its goods. The issue was discovered by internal detection systems at the manufacturing site. Additionally, Skippy informed the USDA of the recall.
