A reader asked me if I knew of any brand of peanut butter that is guaranteed to have been made on equipment that does not process tree nuts.

I have spoken to the big 3 brands, Skippy, Jif and Peter Pan and they all said they adhere to the FDA guidelines for allergen management and if there was a risk of cross-contamination, it would be listed in the “may contain” statement on the jar. Of course any company’s processing methods and equipment may change at any time, so always check the labels.

Here’s more details from what each company said and their contact info if anyone wants to investigate it further:

Skippy
1-866-475-4779
Mon – Fri, 8:30am-6pm EST

My tree nut-allergic daughter safely eats Skippy Natural. When I called them, they said the only ingredient that might be of concern is palm kernel oil in the Natural product. They were extremely nice and seemed very eager to help.

Jif
1-800-283-8915
#4 allergen information
#0 for operator
Mon – Fri, 9am-7pm EST

Jif was the most decisive in assuring me that if proteins from allergens were present, it would be disclosed on the label. They said they only process peanuts in their plants.

Peter Pan
800-222-7370
Mon – Fri, 9am-7pm CST

Peter Pan searched extensively on their end to give me the best information available, and ultimately said also that it would be listed on the label if there were other allergens present.

Also, here’s a link to lots of tree nut-free spreads and peanut butter alternatives.