Another major brand pulls its peanut butter off shelves in wide-scale recall

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Clover is the latest food producer to pull its peanut butter products from shelves over the presence of a dangerous mytotoxin.

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) said Clover recalled 10 776 units of its 400g Go Nuts peanut butter after tests revealed higher than acceptable levels of aflatoxin, which is linked to serious health complications. Clover was being investigated by the NCC over the matter. 

This follows recalls last month of  Pick 'n Pay’s 1kg No Name, Dischem's Lifestyle Brand 400g and 800g - smooth and crunchy, Wazoogles (various sizes), Eat Naked (various sizes), and Woolworths' Peanut Butter Dairy Ice Cream. 

The NCC said previously that the affected brands are manufactured by the same producer – House of Natural Butters.

READ | Peanut butter panic: These products are safe from contamination recall

It said on Friday that that the result guidelines require that a supplier or manufacturer must recall products "upon discovering that safety has been compromised". 

"Upon receiving the notification from Clover ...  the commission assessed the recall and established some inconsistencies with the CPA [Consumer Protection Act]," it said.

"The risk of consuming products with higher than acceptable levels of Aflatoxin may lead to health complications like nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. South African consumers who have the recalled products must immediately stop consuming these products and return the products to a point of purchase for a full refund, with or without proof of purchase." 

Clover said on Monday that although initial tests showed that the product complied with legislation, further testing confirmed higher levels of Aflatoxin.

"Once these tests results were received, we took immediate steps to recall the affected products and notify the authorities, retailers and consumers of the recall.

"The National Consumer Commission has informed us of its investigation in relation to this matter, and we are co-operating fully with the NCC to provide it with the required information to inform its inquiry." 

*This story has been updated to include Clover's comments.