Peanut butter is a common breakfast and afternoon tea treat, but people often worry about its high fat content. In November 2023, Issue 565 of Choice tested 20 peanut butter products and found that 60% (12 products) contained the carcinogen aflatoxin, with 2 exceeding EU standards. Ten samples also contained the plasticizer DEHP, though all levels were within the limits set by the Centre for Food Safety and the EU.
The Consumer Council collected 20 common peanut butter samples from supermarkets and department store food sections, priced from $3.9 to $21.3 per 100 g, including 10 crunchy and 10 creamy peanut butters.
Salmonella and benzoic acid: Not detected in any sample.
Aflatoxin: Detected in 12 samples at 0.23–4.94 mcg/kg, all meeting Hong Kong requirements. However, aflatoxin B1 in "YOWE" and "Fuyuan" exceeded the EU upper limit, and total aflatoxin in "Fuyuan" also exceeded the EU limit.
Cadmium: Trace amounts detected in all samples (0.015–0.342 mg/kg). No sample exceeded the mainland limit of 0.5 mg/kg; Hong Kong has no limit for these products.
Plasticizers: DEHP detected in 10 products (0.12–0.75 mg/kg; highest: "Buddy's"); DINP detected in 2 products (0.97 and 1.1 mg/kg; highest: "The Nutter Company"). All levels were within the Centre for Food Safety's action level and EU limits. No BBP, DBP, or DIDP was detected.
Total fat: Average 45.7 g per 100 g. Nineteen samples were "high-fat"; highest was "YOWE" (52.8 g), lowest was "Topvalu Bestprice" (12.9 g)—a roughly 3-fold difference.
Saturated fat: Average 8.92 g per 100 g. Highest was "YOWE" (13.62 g), lowest was "Topvalu Bestprice" (3.56 g)—about 2.8 times difference. One 32 g serving of "YOWE" provides about 4.4 g saturated fat, about 20% of the WHO daily upper limit (22.2 g).
Trans fat: Not detected in half the samples; the other half contained 0.11–0.19 g per 100 g, all meeting the "0 g trans fat" labeling requirement. Highest was "Fuyuan"; one 30 g serving provides about 0.057 g, about 2.6% of the WHO daily upper limit (2.2 g).
Monounsaturated fat: Average 23.68 g per 100 g. Highest was "M&S Food," lowest was "Topvalu Bestprice"—about 6 times difference.
Polyunsaturated fat: Average 10.98 g per 100 g. Highest was "The Nutter Company," lowest was "Pic's"—about 7 times difference.
Sugar: Average 9.89 g per 100 g. Three samples were "low-sugar" ("Pic's," "The Nutter Company," "WHOLE EARTH"; 4.0–4.6 g). Highest was "Topvalu Bestprice" (28.2 g, "high-sugar"); 1.5 tablespoons provides about 6.8 g sugar, about 13.6% of the adult daily recommended upper limit.
4.5 stars: Mother Earth Natural Unsalted Smooth, Pic's Crunchy, Sun-Pat Crunchy
4 stars: Delifornia Creamy, SKIPPY Creamy, Peanut Butter & Co Smooth Operator, Jif Creamy, The Nutter Company Crunchy, WHOLE EARTH Crunchy Organic, SKIPPY Super Chunk
3.5 stars: Topvalu Bestprice, FAMILIE Crunchy, fifty 50 Crunchy, M&S Food 100% Crunchy, COLES Crunchy
3 stars: Buddy's Creamy, SELECT Crunchy
2.5 stars: Meadows Xtra Creamy, YOWE Creamy
2 stars: Fuyuan
Source: Issue 565 of Choice
