SG Quick Poll Results: Peanut Recall

Nine people have died, hundreds have been sickened, and thousands of products have been recalled. When the salmonella outbreak in peanut products, traced back to a plant in Georgia, initially came to light, no one expected the storm that would follow. This massive recall of products has shaken up the nation’s confidence in our food supply and the controls that have been put in place by our government that have ultimately revealed themselves as not affective enough. We surveyed our readers to see how their decision to purchase peanut products has been affected in light of this recent disaster. To begin with, we were not surprised to find out that 100% said they are aware of the recent peanut recall, and that the recall may include peanuts, peanut products, or peanut butter. Although with all of the media coverage, it would seem impossible to be unaware of such a huge recall, certain retailers can be applauded for their strong efforts to inform their shoppers with updates on the recall. When asked, “Has the recall affected your decision to purchase peanuts or peanut products?” SupermarketGuru found that 74% said “yes”. And when it comes to candy or chocolate products containing peanuts or peanut butter, 70% said their purchasing decision has been affected.

Nine people have died, hundreds have been sickened, and thousands of products have been recalled. When the salmonella outbreak in peanut products, traced back to a plant in Georgia, initially came to light, no one expected the storm that would follow. This massive recall of products has shaken up the nation’s confidence in our food supply and the controls that have been put in place by our government that have ultimately revealed themselves as not affective enough.

We surveyed our readers to see how their decision to purchase peanut products has been affected in light of this recent disaster. To begin with, we were not surprised to find out that 100% said they are aware of the recent peanut recall, and that the recall may include peanuts, peanut products, or peanut butter.  Although with all of the media coverage, it would seem impossible to be unaware of such a huge recall, certain retailers can be applauded for their strong efforts to inform their shoppers with updates on the recall.

When asked, “Has the recall affected your decision to purchase peanuts or peanut products?” SupermarketGuru found that 74% said “yes”.  And when it comes to candy or chocolate products containing peanuts or peanut butter, 70% said their purchasing decision has been affected.

As the food industry recovers from the salmonella scare, we want to know how scarred our nation’s consumers minds will be left, and how that will affect their future purchasing decisions when it comes to following products. Here are the percentages for those products: Snack bars, cereals, or crackers with peanuts or peanut butter (69%), Candy or Chocolate with peanuts or peanut butter (62%), Peanut Butter (45%), Peanuts (43%), and None of the above (25%).

A most important lesson to the food world is to understand how to communicate. There is little doubt that the sales of brand name jarred peanut butter has been affected in a negative way – and the fact that this product category is not been implicated in the recall seems to go unnoticed by consumers points to the failings of our messaging.