March 04, 2020

Peanut Butter & Co... What the heck? You're killin' me!


This is a super random, and probably dumb, post about peanut butter. Particularly some complaints I've had with a certain popular company--Peanut Butter & Co.!

For years, I have LOVED their peanut butter. My favorites are the White Chocolate Wonderful, the Dark Chocolate Dreams, and especially--my very favorite--Cinnamon Raisin Swirl (although I'd like it better if it didn't have the raisins! haha)

I really loved the consistency of the Cinnamon Raisin Swirl. It was thick, and it had a grainy texture (which was probably just sugar, but I'll deny that until the day I die).

They don't sell it around here anywhere that I could find, so I had to order it from Amazon. I never had a problem with it until my most recent orders over the last year or so. At first I thought I had a bad batch, but I have bought White Chocolate Wonderful, Dark Chocolate Dreams, and Cinnamon Raisin Swirl...

And ALL were terrible.

It's like PB&Co changed their recipe to add way more oil. The texture has gotten very runny, even after stirring it well. The color of the Cinnamon Raisin Swirl is much lighter (less cinnamon, maybe?) and it has practically no flavor except for oil. It also lacks the gritty texture that I loved.

I noticed that the label has changed, so I'm wondering if they changed the recipe right along with the label.



Aside from the fact that it tastes like nothing, I really hate the runny texture. You can't really spread it on anything, because it's so drippy. It's like it's almost to the melting point.



Opening the jars was the grossest part. There was SO MUCH oil! Like I said, I don't mind having to stir in oil on natural peanut butters. But this just looked terrible. It was all on one side. Who would pick this up in the store and want to buy it?! (Like I said I ordered online, and thankfully, Amazon gave me a refund. I can't eat this crap.)



The Dark Chocolate Dreams and White Chocolate Wonderful are pretty much the same--they have way too much oil and no flavor. I don't mind having to stir in the oil, but I've never had peanut butter this bad before!

It has the same runny texture, too:



Does anyone else notice a difference in the peanut butter over the last year or so? I buy the Dark Chocolate Dreams and the White Chocolate Wonderful from Kroger, and the Cinnamon Raisin Swirl from Amazon, so I know it's not just a particular store.

I LOVED these peanut butters (the old ones) so I really hope that I just got a bad (eight?) jars, hahaha. I give up. I'm not going to buy anymore, because I've thrown so much of it out.

I've also noticed a big difference in the texture of Justin's almond butter, but I can save that for another day. The texture is SO inconsistent. One jar will be incredibly runny and another will be way too dry and crumbly. That one is like dough--you could roll it around in your fingers!

Anyway, just curious if I was the only one having this problem. I'm sad--I don't eat peanut butter anymore.

(If, by chance, someone from Peanut Butter & Co. is reading this, would you please consider making Cinnamon Swirl--the same as (the old recipe of) Cinnamon Raisin Swirl, just without the raisins? I can't be alone in this request ;)  Please and thank you.

12 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. I am with you. I like THICK pb. The runny oily "natural" stuff is a hard pass for me. So much oil!

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  3. Watch who you are ordering from on Amazon. Is it being sold to you from the actual company? Or coming through a 3rd party? I have heard before of re-sellers who cut soaps or things like that with water to make more money... I've never heard of it with peanut butter, but that is strange!

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    Replies
    1. I was wondering the same thing! It's possible that it's from a third party seller and they're diluting it with oil.

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    2. I was going to say exactly what Katelyn said above. Everything from food to hair/personal care products to diapers are being found to have been tampered with by third parties selling on Amazon. I have mom friends who ordered boxes of Huggies diapers off Amazon only to realize they were Chinese knockoffs when the absorbent material started pilling and giving their babies diaper rash.

      I stopped buying consumable products from Amazon when I realized a face wash I'd bought (same brand that I bought a million times in store) was burning my skin. I thought they'd just changed the formula until I bought another bottle at the store to test out and it was totally fine. Went back and read the Amazon reviews and a number of other people had the same issue. It was pretty obvious it had been cut with something.

      Can you find a brick and mortar store (like Target) to purchase from that ships? That's your best bet to insure you're not getting a 3rd party tampered product (which is what it sounds like is happening).

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  4. Ugh I do NOT love runny peanut butter! Lately I've been obsessed with the rX vanilla almond butter. I buy it at Target and it's a little pricey but I feel like it's worth it. It's soooo good! There is some oil on the top initially but once you stir it, it gets a nice gritty texture that I really like.

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  5. I have noticed the change as well. I too thought it was just a bad batch, but every time I buy a jar now it's the same runny texture. I have been putting it in the refrigerator to help "thicken" it.

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    Replies
    1. Hi E! We would love to chat. Please send us a message by completeing the form on our website Contact Us page (https://ilovepeanutbutter.com/pages/contact-us)

      Thanks!
      Peanut Butter & Co.

      Delete
  6. Yes I noticed too. I buy the white chocolate and it has been too oily.

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  7. I would suggest reaching out directly to them. I've had close dealings with the company over the years (like one time I posted about them on social and they saw it and sent me free PB), and I visited their restaurant in NYC when it was open and blogged about it, and they sent me a card thanking me. They have had great customer service. Maybe they can explain or help.

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  8. I'm curious if the nutritional information is the same, since you have the old and new jar?

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  9. Hi Katie, I just bought a jar of White Chocolate Wonderful at Target this weekend - I used to have it regularly but hadn't tried it in years. Your post reminded me of it and I wanted to see if I had the same issue. My jar of peanut butter is not overly oily or drippy - it's incredibly thick and tastes just like I remember it tasting. Try it get it at Target if you have one nearby!

    Also - if the other jars you've tried have been bad, you should try to return them - grocery stores will usually give you refunds if you say the food has gone bad.

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I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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