HEALTH and safety rules have been ridiculed after a brand of peanut butter was withdrawn – because the jar does not warn it contains nuts.
The Whole Earth product is called “3 Nut Butter” and makes plain on the label that it contains walnuts and pecans as well as peanuts.
But thousands of the £2.50 jars, available in Tesco and elsewhere, are being recalled because they breach rules which mean there has to be a nut allergy warning in English on the jar.
The language on the back appears to be Dutch but the words “pecan” and “walnoot” are clearly visible.
The withdrawal, which was posted by Kent County Council, has prompted hilarity and disbelief on social media.
Gordon Lancaster responded: “Ffs, is this a joke? If anyone eats this and doesn’t realise it has nuts then I’m afraid, it’s called natural selection.”
Sharnie Langford wrote: “The people who need these instructions are the reason we have ‘do not drink’ on bleach bottles.”
Justin Thorpe wrote: “Are people really that stupid they need a label to tell them 3 nut butter contains nuts?”
Jon Brooks commented: “It says ‘peanut, pecan & walnut’ on the label and it’s 3 nut butter.
“I don’t know how much more “THERE’S NUTS IN THIS NUT PRODUCT” they can be ffs.”
Matt Nye pointed out: “It’s written on the front! Just turn the jar round!”
Robin Simmonds raged: “For Christ sake. Is this real? Don’t people have any common sense? It’s 3 nut butter! What is wrong with using their brains a bit?”
Kim Ellis was one of the few people to defend the decision to recall the item, writing: “I can understand this one to be fair.
“It does say it contains other nuts that aren’t listed, so I wouldn’t eat it, just to be on the safe side. I’m absolutely fine with all nuts apart from pistachios. They make me incredibly ill.”
The makers of the product, Kallo Foods, took the decision to withdraw the jars from sale.
The warning label on the product is in Dutch rather than English.
They wrote: “It contains peanuts, pecan nuts and walnuts and may contain traces of other nuts which are not written in English on the back label.
“This means the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to peanuts and/or pecan nuts and/or walnuts and other nuts.”
Kent County Council’s warning states: “If you have bought the above product and have an allergy to peanuts and/or pecan nuts and/or walnuts and/or other nuts, do not eat it. Instead, return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund.”
Kent County Council said today they had simply passed on a message they received from the Food Standards Agency informing them of the recall.
A spokesman said they often retweet “messages about dangerous or recalled products, as highlighted by government agencies”.
He added: “We think it is part of our job to spread such messages to Kent residents, who may not have been aware of the recall.”
