Contamination with excess levels of aflatoxins of Active Brand Peanut Butter/Paste and Peanut Butter manufactured by Jesu Aka Ltd and Mardoro Ltd

• The Active Brand Peanut Butter or Active Brand Groundnut Paste manufactured in Ghana by Mardoro Ltd is sold in clear plastic jars varying in size with a yellow lid and a red/yellow label. The wording 'Active Peanut Butter or Active Groundnut Paste' is boldly written on the label. The minimum durability date and batch code in many instances are handwritten on the label and in some instances are not provided at all. To assist officers in identifying the products, photographs can be viewed below.
• The peanut butter manufactured by Jesu Aka Ltd is sold in clear plastic jars varying in size with a yellow lid and a yellow/beige label. The wording 'Peanut Butter' is boldly printed on the label with 'manufactured by Jesu Aka Ltd' appearing in smaller text. The minimum durability date and batch code are handwritten on the label and are sometimes illegible. There is no clear brand name for this product. To assist officers in identifying the products, photographs can be viewed below.

These products contain aflatoxins well in excess of the maximum levels laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No.1881/2006, which is enforced by the Contaminants in Food (England) Regulations 2009.

Officers are asked to visit food stores in their area that predominantly sell African and/or African-Caribbean food products to identify if the above products are on sale. These products are to be removed from sale using powers available, if necessary, under the Food Safety Act 1990. The products should be destroyed. Please notify the Agency of your findings via email or by submitting an Incident Report Form online or fax.

If in the course of these visits other brands of peanut butter or peanut/groundnut paste specifically originating from Ghana are discovered, officers are asked to complete the Word document (see link below) to record the product's details. Other than recording details of these products, no other action is required at this stage. This information will help the FSA understand the number and brand varieties of products available on the market and devise a co-ordinated formal sampling plan. Please complete one form for each different brand variety you find.

Photos of such products found in store would be most useful.

Please email completed intelligence forms and photos to: foodincidents@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk

Alternatively fax completed forms and photos to Incidents Branch on 020 7276 8446.