I wrote to Australia's number one Peanut Butter producer
I commented on their 'Simply Nuts" range being liquid runny, could pour it out of the jar.
Also asked the question why all their Product do not use Australian Peanuts
Here is their reply
Thank you for your recent email and your enquiry into our Bega Simply nuts product.
The 'Simply Nuts' range is a natural peanut butter that contains only peanuts and a pinch of sea salt with no other ingredients. Simply Nuts does not use emulsifiers in the product, meaning the product can become quite runny and/or oily as there is nothing used to prevent the product from liquifying as the peanut oil is being released throughout the product in a natural separation.
As peanuts are 50% oil, grinding releases the oil which is liquid at room temperature. This separation will continue naturally during the life of the product.
We do not add any additional oils to this product and all oil present is solely derived from the ground peanuts and natural separation which can occur between the production process and the time taken to be taken from the shelf.
There is a statement on the label advising you to stir the contents in order to redistribute the oil before spreading. In addition, once you’ve stirred in the natural oils you can store Simply Nuts in the fridge, with refrigeration creating a thicker texture for greater ease of use. This is especially useful in the warmer weather, when oil separation is accelerated by high temperatures.
In regards to the source of our ingredients for Bega Peanut Butter, where possible, we will always source quality ingredients from Australian growers and suppliers. When these ingredients aren’t available, we will carefully select ingredients from ethical suppliers around the world that meet our rigorous quality and supply requirements. Unfortunately, the peanut industry in Australia can’t quite keep up with the volumes required to enable all of our products to contain 100% Aussie nuts.
Our future goal however, is to work with the local peanut industry to help boost supply and fuel growth so we can increase the amount of Aussie nuts in all of our products. In 2018 we acquired the Peanut Company of Australia (PCA) to fuel this goal and help drive industry growth. Since this purchase we have been actively working with Australian peanut farmers to increase the amount of peanuts grown in Australia.
In sourcing our nuts we consider quality, availability and balance that with consumer’s pricing expectations. Where possible we always strive to source Australian nuts.
All ingredients that are used in our products, regardless of the source country, must meet our stringent quality expectations, so that we can ensure a consistently high quality product to our consumers.
We comply with the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) requirements for the country of origin labelling of our confectionery products.
Our vision is to have 100% Aussie nuts available to our full portfolio and we will work hard to achieve this over the coming years. We have recently introduced Bega Simply Nuts range that is made from 100% Aussie nuts.
We appreciate the time you have taken in conveying your feedback to us and will certainly make sure this is passed on to our product development and R&D teams.
Your continued support means a lot to all of us.
Kind regards,
Viv
Consumer Support
Bega
Also asked the question why all their Product do not use Australian Peanuts
Here is their reply
Thank you for your recent email and your enquiry into our Bega Simply nuts product.
The 'Simply Nuts' range is a natural peanut butter that contains only peanuts and a pinch of sea salt with no other ingredients. Simply Nuts does not use emulsifiers in the product, meaning the product can become quite runny and/or oily as there is nothing used to prevent the product from liquifying as the peanut oil is being released throughout the product in a natural separation.
As peanuts are 50% oil, grinding releases the oil which is liquid at room temperature. This separation will continue naturally during the life of the product.
We do not add any additional oils to this product and all oil present is solely derived from the ground peanuts and natural separation which can occur between the production process and the time taken to be taken from the shelf.
There is a statement on the label advising you to stir the contents in order to redistribute the oil before spreading. In addition, once you’ve stirred in the natural oils you can store Simply Nuts in the fridge, with refrigeration creating a thicker texture for greater ease of use. This is especially useful in the warmer weather, when oil separation is accelerated by high temperatures.
In regards to the source of our ingredients for Bega Peanut Butter, where possible, we will always source quality ingredients from Australian growers and suppliers. When these ingredients aren’t available, we will carefully select ingredients from ethical suppliers around the world that meet our rigorous quality and supply requirements. Unfortunately, the peanut industry in Australia can’t quite keep up with the volumes required to enable all of our products to contain 100% Aussie nuts.
Our future goal however, is to work with the local peanut industry to help boost supply and fuel growth so we can increase the amount of Aussie nuts in all of our products. In 2018 we acquired the Peanut Company of Australia (PCA) to fuel this goal and help drive industry growth. Since this purchase we have been actively working with Australian peanut farmers to increase the amount of peanuts grown in Australia.
In sourcing our nuts we consider quality, availability and balance that with consumer’s pricing expectations. Where possible we always strive to source Australian nuts.
All ingredients that are used in our products, regardless of the source country, must meet our stringent quality expectations, so that we can ensure a consistently high quality product to our consumers.
We comply with the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) requirements for the country of origin labelling of our confectionery products.
Our vision is to have 100% Aussie nuts available to our full portfolio and we will work hard to achieve this over the coming years. We have recently introduced Bega Simply Nuts range that is made from 100% Aussie nuts.
We appreciate the time you have taken in conveying your feedback to us and will certainly make sure this is passed on to our product development and R&D teams.
Your continued support means a lot to all of us.
Kind regards,
Viv
Consumer Support
Bega
