# Peanut content in commercial peanut butter? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 7, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-content-in-commercial-peanut-butter/338930 "2006-01-07T21:13:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stainz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stainz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stainz)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-content-in-commercial-peanut-butter/338930/1 "2006-01-07T21:13:04Z")
I’m wondering about the actual peanut content in products like Kraft Smooth, Skippy Smooth, etc. How do they compare to the more “natural” products that you have to stir? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-content-in-commercial-peanut-butter/338930/2 "2006-01-07T21:25:19Z")
[http://www.peanutbutter.com/faq.asp](http://www.peanutbutter.com/faq.asp) (The Skippy website) What is peanut butter? Peanut butter, as defined by the U.S. FDA’s Standard of Identity, must consist of at least 90 percent peanuts with no more than 10 percent by weight seasoning and stabilizing ingredients. These optional ingredients may include salt, sugars and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. They may not include lard or other animal fats, artificial flavorings, artificial sweeteners, chemical preservatives or colors. I think natural peanut butter has similar peanut content but no stabilizers and fewer chemical additives. In practice, this might increase peanuts from 90% to up to 100%. www.presidentschoice.ca/FoodAndRecipes/GreatFood/ProductDetails.aspx/id/17086/name/PCBlueMenuJustPeanutsOldFashionedPeanutButterCrunchy/catid/178 ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-content-in-commercial-peanut-butter/338930/3 "2006-01-09T16:18:19Z")
Interesting. Why not artificial sweeteners? Not that it’d make much difference in the overall calorie count. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-content-in-commercial-peanut-butter/338930/4 "2006-01-09T17:58:58Z")
> [@butler1850](#): > > Interesting. Why not artificial sweeteners? I think the Jelly Lobby pushed for this. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-content-in-commercial-peanut-butter/338930/5 "2006-01-09T18:12:21Z")
I have both kinds in the house, so I checked the labels. The mainstream no-stir stuff has 2 grams more of sugar and one gram more of fat per 32 gram serving that the “natural” kind. The label of the natural stuff lists only peanuts and salt. The mainstream kind lists peanuts, corn syrup, hydrogenated rapeseed and cottonseed oils, and salt, in that order. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-content-in-commercial-peanut-butter/338930/6 "2006-01-09T18:44:35Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > I think the Jelly Lobby pushed for this. Then how do you explain [THIS???](http://willyfogg.com/p203550/bama_swirl_18_oz-_peanut_butter__grape_jelly/) Though, I knew there had to be a conspiracy in there somehow! ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-content-in-commercial-peanut-butter/338930/7 "2006-01-09T18:59:38Z")
The bitch of it is, the peanut butter producers remove the relatively healthy peanut oil (which can be sold at a premium price) and replace it with trans fats like hydrogenated oils, that raise your LDL (bad cholesterol) and reduce your HDL (good cholesterol). I love peanut butter, but dropped commercial brands completely when I learned this. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-content-in-commercial-peanut-butter/338930/8 "2006-01-09T19:52:57Z")
I don’t know about removing the peanut oil, but they do have to add some other oil of some sort. Whenever I grind peanuts it leaves a peanut flour. Some extra oil must be added to make it a paste, and if they added pure peanut oil, I’d imagine it would raise the price a decent bit. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-content-in-commercial-peanut-butter/338930/9 "2006-01-09T20:20:03Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > I don’t know about removing the peanut oil, but they do have to add some other oil of some sort. Whenever I grind peanuts it leaves a peanut flour. Some extra oil must be added to make it a paste, and if they added pure peanut oil, I’d imagine it would raise the price a decent bit. [Organic peanut butter](http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/organic_peanut_butter.htm) does not add any oil, just what is there naturally. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-content-in-commercial-peanut-butter/338930/10 "2006-01-09T20:49:22Z")
> [@butler1850](#): > > Then how do you explain [THIS???](http://willyfogg.com/p203550/bama_swirl_18_oz-_peanut_butter__grape_jelly/) That was their _only_ concession. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-content-in-commercial-peanut-butter/338930/11 "2006-01-09T20:57:26Z")
> [@butler1850](#): > > Interesting. Why not artificial sweeteners? > > Not that it’d make much difference in the overall calorie count. Oddly enough, peanut butter with added sugar has fewer calories than pure peanut butter, since peanut butter is so fat-heavy, and fat has more than twice the calories per pound as sugar. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-content-in-commercial-peanut-butter/338930/12 "2006-01-09T22:16:42Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > [Organic peanut butter](http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/organic_peanut_butter.htm) does not add any oil, just what is there naturally. Interesting, Valencia peanuts must be a fair amount oilier than what I had.