Is your favorite $6.50 bread spread on the recall list? Popular supermarket issues urgent warning!

Heads up, peanut butter fans! If you’ve recently grabbed a jar of a popular supermarket’s own-brand spread—whether you go for smooth or crunchy—it might be worth giving it a second look.

A product safety notice has been issued for certain large jars due to a possible contamination with a naturally occurring substance that could carry health risks.



What’s the issue?
Coles has issued an urgent recall on their 1kg jars of both Smooth and Crunchy Peanut Butter, which retail for $6.50 each. The reason? A potential contamination with aflatoxins, a naturally occurring toxin that can pose serious health risks.

Aflatoxins are toxic compounds produced by certain types of mould, particularly in warm and humid conditions. While the word 'mould' might make you wrinkle your nose, the real concern is that aflatoxins can cause illness if consumed.

Health experts warn that eating food contaminated with aflatoxins can lead to liver damage and may suppress your immune system. For those with pre-existing health conditions, the risks can be even greater.


Screenshot 2025-07-01 at 08.31.26.png
Coles has recalled its 1kg Smooth and Crunchy Peanut Butter jars sold nationally, advising customers not to consume the products due to potential aflatoxin contamination. Image source: Food Standards Australia.



If you’ve purchased Coles 1kg Smooth Peanut Butter or Coles 1kg Crunchy Peanut Butter—either in-store or online—Coles is urging you not to eat the product. Instead, return it to the store for a full refund.

If you bought it online, you can contact Coles Online Customer Care on 1800 455 400 for a refund or store credit.

Also read: Dairy disaster: Supermarkets recall popular milk brand from shelves



Why do recalls happen?
Food recalls are more common than you might think, and they’re always issued with your safety in mind.

In Australia, strict food safety standards mean that even the suspicion of contamination is enough to trigger a recall. While it can be inconvenient, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Aflatoxins, in particular, are a concern in products like nuts, grains, and legumes—peanuts included—because the mould that produces them thrives in the same environments where these crops are grown and stored. While food manufacturers have rigorous testing and quality control processes, sometimes a batch can slip through the cracks.



What should you do if you’re affected?
  • Don’t eat the peanut butter. Even if it looks and smells fine, aflatoxins aren’t detectable by taste or smell.
  • If you ordered your peanut butter from Coles Online, you can get a refund or store credit by calling their Customer Care team on 1800 455 400.
  • If you’ve already eaten some and feel unwell, especially if you have symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or jaundice, seek medical advice promptly.
Other recent recalls to be aware of
This isn’t the only product recall making headlines lately. Just recently, Protea Foods Pty Ltd recalled its Lekker Biltong Slices Traditional (100g) and Lekker Biltong Slices Peri-Peri Chilli (40g) due to mould contamination caused by a packaging fault.

These snacks, sold at Coles in NSW and independent retailers in VIC and WA, were pulled from shelves after the issue was discovered.

And it’s not just snacks—milk products and even baby items have been recalled in recent weeks, highlighting the importance of staying up to date with food safety alerts.

In case you missed it: Mould contamination triggers urgent recall of $12 Coles snack

Key Takeaways
  • Coles has recalled its 1kg Smooth and Crunchy Peanut Butter jars sold nationally, advising customers not to consume the products due to potential aflatoxin contamination.
  • Eating food contaminated with aflatoxins can cause serious health issues, including liver damage and suppressed immune function, and concerned customers are urged to seek medical advice.
  • Customers are encouraged to return affected peanut butter to the store for a full refund, or contact Coles Online Customer Care if they purchased it online.
  • Recent product recalls have also included Lekker Biltong Slices over mould contamination, highlighting ongoing food safety issues across multiple snack and grocery items.

Have you ever been caught out by a product recall? Did you get your refund without any hassle? Share your experiences in the comments below!
 

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I see that Coles' own brand peanut butter is a product of India. Surely we have plenty of peanuts of our own?
Proves we must read every label on every product. I will NOT support imported products even though Coles tries so hard to CHEAT Australians out of a job and livelihood this way.
I want Aussie grown food!
 
Not just ‘Australian made’ . One needs to read the ingredient list. It must read ‘made from Australian ingredients’ only. That way the whole product will be Australian.

Next time we all buy anything we must read the fine print and check just how much and where the ingredients come from; you will often find that it says something like ‘from fish, fruit, nuts etc., etc., sourced from India, Vietnam, China and other countries’. A lot of ingredient stuff comes from overseas countries but is ‘manufactured’ in Australia & that’s where the deception lies. ‘Made in Australia’ does not necessarily mean the product is 100% Australian.
Product of Australia 🇦🇺 is all Australian, made in Australia is made from overseas products ,you don’t know what you are getting.
 
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If you want peanut butter that is wholly owned by Australians and uses one hundred percent Australian peanuts, then buy Mayvers it’s got peanuts and sea salt that’s it. I buy it in woollies $6.30 for a 375gm jar.😋🌞
Bega also Australian nuts, please read your labels.
l know it's not good enough they export all our good food and we get all this foreign food and they won't care how it's prepared or how much poison it's absorbed through spraying. Never used to be like this and it wants reckoning with.
Australia produces enough food to supply Australia 🇦🇺 we don’t need overseas shit brought in
 
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Don't worry about the few dollars refund, who will pay your medical expenses, your days off work to care for your children who may have eaten the contaminated product. I can recall my whole family becoming so sick from selminella after eating Coles chicken. All went to hospital, and all had very serious pain and discomfort for days. Total misery. After notifying Coles of the selminella, we were offered a refund and an apology. I told them that because they failed to use correct hygiene practices during their preparation of chicken, that we all got extremely ill and had to go to hospital, I then politely told the manager what he can do with his refund and walked out. More needs to be done in the food industry, to protect the consumers. Every day you can hear some kind of food that is being recalled, due to contamination of a substance that can cause serious health issues. We also take big risks when we purchase food products that are made in other countries as we don't know their policy on food preparation and hygiene. Make a habit of checking on the internet, about any foods that have been labelled a recall and stay safe. 🙏🦋
It is serious..
But how many OTHER people who bought chicken from same batch got sick?
Was your family the only one?
Maybe it wasnt Coles' fault?
Just a thought.
 
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The only time I buy peanut butter, love it, sugar free, freshly ground, in my own container. It’s from a small shop in Bairnsdale, Victoria . They have a grinding machine, weigh my container, weigh the result and pay. It’s all Australian product from the farmer to the store to my container. Yum.sadly it’s a 200km return trip so it’s a once in 6 months buy. I don’t travel there unless it’s for some appointments. Travel fir my leisure us walking to the front veranda on my camp chair with a cuppa and fresh baked bread I make, or some wine and cheese looking at the birds reading a book. Often out the front or back, I have the radio on low, reading and the Fairy Wrens run about even over my boots as they know I have just been chopping wood. They tweet at me and I reply. Nice
 
The only time I buy peanut butter, love it, sugar free, freshly ground, in my own container. It’s from a small shop in Bairnsdale, Victoria . They have a grinding machine, weigh my container, weigh the result and pay. It’s all Australian product from the farmer to the store to my container. Yum.sadly it’s a 200km return trip so it’s a once in 6 months buy. I don’t travel there unless it’s for some appointments. Travel fir my leisure us walking to the front veranda on my camp chair with a cuppa and fresh baked bread I make, or some wine and cheese looking at the birds reading a book. Often out the front or back, I have the radio on low, reading and the Fairy Wrens run about even over my boots as they know I have just been chopping wood. They tweet at me and I reply. Nice
Awwwwww lucky you sounds perfect 🤩
 
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Dear member glennkidd, thankyou for your post. I don't know if we were the only ones affected by the contaminated chicken, as Coles don't advertise how many people get sick from their food. And yes, it was definitely Coles fault as they prepare and roast the chicken in their store. And yes, it was their chicken that made us all sick, as that was the only food we ate with roast potatoes, and we all got sick about the same time after eating. Wishing you a pleasant evening. God Bless, 🙏🦋
 
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Hi Nichola,
Joh B-P of Qld fame used to grow a few on his Kingaroy nutty farm. Since his passing, I don't know how many are grown there, now.

We import many tons of peanuts into Aussie to satisfy our peanut butter industry. Argentina quickly comes to mind as one of our major suppliers.

Contained in the 'Small' print on the labels on brands of peanut butter, you will read on the major brands "Proudly Made in Australia With Imported Ingredients/Products".

On our jar of of Bega No Added Salt or Sugar jar of peanut butter it states, "Proudly made in Port Melbourne with imported ingredients, plus, another stating, made in Australia from imported ingredients".
Kingaroy was known as the peanut capitol it was where most of our peanuts came from , not sure if it still is.
 
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The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) need to be more vigilant with regards to food labelling, contamination and recalls.

There is no specific requirements to the authenticity of the "country of origin" in the Food Standards
Code Legislation (June 2025).

Especially when a lot of Chinese food comes through NZ and packed as NZ to bypass our laws , I won’t even buy Kiwi fruit fromNZ as I am paranoid about what I eat, it’s Australian or nothing.
 
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Especially when a lot of Chinese food comes through NZ and packed as NZ to bypass our laws , I won’t even buy Kiwi fruit fromNZ as I am paranoid about what I eat, it’s Australian or nothing.
In reality, you were getting Chinese gooseberries.... 😍

Actually, "kiwifruit" is native to China, not New Zealand, where it was introduced in the early 20th century.
 
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