The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has issued an alert recalling more peanut butter brands, after Pick n Pay issued a recall on some of its Peanut Butters sold in store, including its No Name Smooth Peanut Butter.

ICYMI: Pick n Pay recalls 3 brands of Peanut Butters due to health risk

The NCC has now added Dischem’s own brand to the list of peanut butters that consumers should stop consuming immediately, and also a relatively unknown brand, Wazoogles.

The alert issued by the Consumer Commission also includes the Pick n Pay brand, and the Eden All Natural range, also flagged by Pick n Pay.

Peanut butter brands recalled by the NCC:

• Dischem’s Lifestyle 400 grams Smooth and Crunchy,
• Dischem’s Lifestyle 800 grams Smooth and Crunchy,
• Wazoogles Superfoods- all sizes starting from 32g to 20 KG,
• Pick n’ Pay’s No Name 1KG smooth and
• Eden All Natural

The NCC says consumers should immediately stop eating these products and return them to the point of purchase, and that they can do so for a full refund, with or without proof of purchase.

Wazoogles Superfoods products were distributed mainly in the Western Cape.

The Commission also shared more information about the potential health risk of these peanut butters, also sharing that all these products have the same manufacturer: House of Natural Butters (Pty) Ltd.

The NCC says the manufacturer informed them that all these brands were found to have higher than legally acceptable levels of Aflatoxin as set out under ”R1145 Regulation Governing Tolerance of Fungus-Produced Toxins in Foodstuffs.”

Failing to meet the quality standards rendered Lifestyle peanut butter, the No Name 1kg Pick n’ Pay, Wazoogles Superfoods, and Eden All Natural peanut butter unsafe for human consumption.

As reported before, aflatoxins are a family of toxins produced by certain fungi that are found on agricultural crops such as maize (corn), peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts.

Exposure to aflatoxin is known to cause both chronic and acute hepatocellular injury, where liver cells are damaged and replaced with scar tissue.

Aflatoxin may also lead to nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

The Acting National Consumer Commissioner, Thezi Mabuza says while the Commission is investigating the affairs of the manufacturer House of Natural Butters (Pty) Ltd, the NCC will also conduct a nationwide assessment to establish whether other brands are affected.

The Commission urges the manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers of peanut butter to comply with regulations and conduct urgent tests to assess the safety of the products on their shelves and take immediate corrective steps if found to be unsafe.

The Consumer Protection Act requires that goods that pose any risk of harm to the consumer be recalled.