King Nut Recalls Peanut Butter

Martin Kanan of King Nut

King Nut Cos., a distributor of peanut butter manufactured for them by Peanut Corp. of America, last week issued a recall of peanut butter distributed under the King Nut label. No other King Nut brand products are included in the recall.

King Nut issued the recall as soon as it learned that salmonella had been discovered in an open five-pound tub of King Nut peanut butter. King Nut distributes peanut butter only through foodservice accounts, so its product isn't sold directly to consumers. Additionally, the company doesn't supply any of the ingredients for the peanut butter distributed under its label.

"We are very sorry this happened," said Martin Kanan, president and c.e.o. of Solon, Ohio-based King Nut. "We are taking immediate and voluntary action because the health and safety of those who use our products is always our highest priority."

Kanan added that the company would work with the manufacturer to inform others of the situation, and had also asked customers to remove Parnell's Pride peanut butter, another brand King Nut distributes that comes from the same manufacturer, even though that brand wasn't affected by the recall, as a precautionary measure.

According to Kanan, King Nut began contacting customers immediately to stop distributing all peanut butter with lot codes beginning with "8," and has canceled orders with the manufacturer.