Breakfast has been referred to as the most important meal of the day.

Whether you like them sweet or savoury, several pantry staples elevate meals and give us the energy to go through the day.

Yet, surprising news about a particular brand has spread and left many food fans in disbelief.

Homegrown food brand Sanitarium announced that it will no longer produce its range of peanut butter spreads.

This decision marked the end of a century-long tradition, as the company decided to shift its focus to other products.

Sanitarium, famous for its Weet-Bix breakfast cereal, has been a staple in Australian pantries for generations.

However, the company confirmed that it stopped producing all peanut butter products as of July.

Sanitarium's peanut butter line consisted of four varieties. Image Credit: Instagram/Shopifull

Sanitarium cited the 'declining customer demand and growth of other favourites' as primary reasons.

'Our people have proudly produced every jar made, and we thank all our loyal consumers over the last 100 years for loving our quality range of peanut butter,' a Sanitarium spokesperson shared in a statement.

'Sanitarium understands that this may be sad news to some consumers, and we sincerely apologise for any disappointment caused.'

The discontinuation of Sanitarium's peanut butter line followed its earlier decision to cease several breakfast cereals in New Zealand.

By 2025, Sanitarium will stop rolling out its muesli, granola, cluster, and puff cereals.

This move reflected a broader trend—research showed that 20 per cent of Kiwis have been opting for alternatives like hot drinks or liquid breakfasts.

Sanitarium's General Manager for New Zealand, Michael Barton, highlighted the changing consumer habits.

'The breakfast market is changing, and we have seen a global move away from some cereal formats,' Mr Barton shared.

'We need to align our production with evolving consumer appetites and demand trends.'

Marketing experts, including Professor Bodo Lang, shared that Sanitarium's exit from the peanut butter market is a strategic decision to tighten its product portfolio.

This should allow the company to concentrate on core brands like Weet-Bix and Up&Go.

In a related development, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recently approved Sanitarium's acquisition of Vita Brits.

Before the acquisition, Vita Brits was a brand under Uncle Toby's, a subsidiary of Nestle.

The ACCC concluded that the acquisition would not substantially lessen competition, as consumers do not typically switch between Weet-Bix and Vita Brits.

Founded in Melbourne in 1898, Sanitarium has a rich history and presence in Australia and New Zealand.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church wholly owns the company and has been a significant player in the health food industry for over a century.

As we bid farewell to Sanitarium's peanut butter, it's a reminder of the ever-changing consumer goods landscape and the importance of adapting to new markets.

Key Takeaways

• Sanitarium announced it will cease production of peanut butter products due to declining customer demand.
• The company stopped production in July and apologised to its consumers, who may have been disappointed by the decision.
• Sanitarium also winded down production on a number of breakfast cereals in New Zealand.
• The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recently approved Sanitarium's acquisition of the Vita Brits from Uncle Toby's.

What will you miss most about Sanitarium's peanut butter items? Have you found a replacement for it already? Join the conversation and share your memories about Sanitarium's peanut butter line in the comments section below!

 

[Suzanne rose]

Peanut paste? What in hell is that?

Something that schoolchildren use to paste pictures in their exercise books?

The poo coloured version of Perkin's Paste possibly....

Look what I found
We grew up in NSW so always knew it as peanut butter.

According to the Australian Food Timeline, the ban spread to South Australia and Western Australia, but in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania peanut butter remained in use. A Sanitarium spokesperson confirmed the term peanut paste was used in Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland from about 1929/1930.

 

[Suzanne rose]

A little bit of Trivia, that I didn't know

In the late 1920s the dairy industry had a fight on its hands.

Vegetable alternatives to dairy butter were being invented and the word "butter" was being used to promote the products.

An article in The Camperdown Chronicle about a butter alternative on Saturday, May 24, 1930, said "the Queensland Butter Board and the Department of Agriculture and Stock objected to the application of the word butter to the product".

"A result of the new product was that peanut butter no longer existed in Queensland," the article continued.

"When government officials … declared that this [vegetable alternative to butter] could not be termed butter. They had to confess, too, that peanut butter was not peanut butter, so now it was peanut paste."
According to the Australian Food Timeline, the ban spread to South Australia and Western Australia, but in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania peanut butter remained in use.

A photo of a tram advertising ETA Peanut Paste in Queensland in the 1930s. Supplied: Brisbane City Council

A van in Western Australia advertising Sanitarium Peanut Paste. Supplied: Sanitarium

An ad for ETA Peanut Paste published in the Warwick Daily News in October 1930. Supplied: Goodman Fielder

 

[Suzanne rose]

I remember in the late 90s I stopped eating peanut butter first ages as it came out that rodent droppings were found amongst the peanuts that kraft used.

What is 'international best practice' and is conforming to it enough? asks Brian Toohey in considering the matter of self regulation and food standards.
What is international best practice when it comes to roasting rat faeces? A simple question, you might think, deserving of a simple answer.
But not so when it comes to finding out what Kraft means by international best practice following an outbreak of salmonella poisoning leading to the recall of lines of peanut butter.
A spokeswoman, Julia Banks, insisted last week that Kraft's production processes met "international best practice standards" and "stringent quality controls". Since then, neither Banks nor the PR firm handling the issue, Royce Communications, has been prepared to say how Kraft meets stringent international best practice standards.
Kraft's rival Sanitarium points out that it meets the internationally recognised quality management standard known as ISO 9001 and is independently audited by Quality Assurance Services, a subsidiary of Standards Australia. Kraft won't say if it is accredited to this standard, but it is not listed by Standards Australia as doing so. This does not mean, of course, that it would not meet the standard if audited.
Kraft apparently complies with a program known as Hazard Analysis Critical Controls Points (HACCP), the Australian version of which is promoted by the National Food Authority. The goal is to assure quality at critical points in the production process rather than rely on simply testing the final product.

A spokeswoman for the NFA is unable to give details about the critical points for the production of peanut butter, saying it is a matter for the industry. But Kraft won't answer questions about its quality assurance techniques or about timing and temperature in roasting and processing its peanuts.
No-one is suggesting that Kraft has failed to meet any food standards laid down by Australian authorities. If there is a problem, it would appear to lie in whether the accepted practices create an unanticipated avenue for salmonella bacteria to survive.
Although Victorian health authorities are not certain what caused the salmonella outbreak, they say that it probably came from rat faeces in a particular batch of peanuts. According to federal officials, Kraft buys peanuts which are roasted at source and then transported to its Port Melbourne plant and stored before processing.
This raises the possibility, these officials say, that the peanuts could have been contaminated by rodent faeces after being roasted but before processing. They also point out that the standard minimum temperature used in processing peanuts (90 degrees Celsius) should sterilise any contaminated matter.
However, Sanitarium's technical director, Dr Greg Gambrill, says that the presence of peanut oil can protect salmonella bacteria at normal food processing temperatures. This is one reason Sanitarium roasts its peanuts in-house at a minimum 135 degrees Celsius and then processes them within 24 hours.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Just an aside about the erroneous naming of products. How about the calling of soy, almond, oat and coconut dairy substitutes "milk"?

 

[Veggiepatch]

I remember in the late 90s I stopped eating peanut butter first ages as it came out that rodent droppings were found amongst the peanuts that kraft used.

What is 'international best practice' and is conforming to it enough? asks Brian Toohey in considering the matter of self regulation and food standards.
What is international best practice when it comes to roasting rat faeces? A simple question, you might think, deserving of a simple answer.
But not so when it comes to finding out what Kraft means by international best practice following an outbreak of salmonella poisoning leading to the recall of lines of peanut butter.
A spokeswoman, Julia Banks, insisted last week that Kraft's production processes met "international best practice standards" and "stringent quality controls". Since then, neither Banks nor the PR firm handling the issue, Royce Communications, has been prepared to say how Kraft meets stringent international best practice standards.
Kraft's rival Sanitarium points out that it meets the internationally recognised quality management standard known as ISO 9001 and is independently audited by Quality Assurance Services, a subsidiary of Standards Australia. Kraft won't say if it is accredited to this standard, but it is not listed by Standards Australia as doing so. This does not mean, of course, that it would not meet the standard if audited.
Kraft apparently complies with a program known as Hazard Analysis Critical Controls Points (HACCP), the Australian version of which is promoted by the National Food Authority. The goal is to assure quality at critical points in the production process rather than rely on simply testing the final product.

A spokeswoman for the NFA is unable to give details about the critical points for the production of peanut butter, saying it is a matter for the industry. But Kraft won't answer questions about its quality assurance techniques or about timing and temperature in roasting and processing its peanuts.
No-one is suggesting that Kraft has failed to meet any food standards laid down by Australian authorities. If there is a problem, it would appear to lie in whether the accepted practices create an unanticipated avenue for salmonella bacteria to survive.
Although Victorian health authorities are not certain what caused the salmonella outbreak, they say that it probably came from rat faeces in a particular batch of peanuts. According to federal officials, Kraft buys peanuts which are roasted at source and then transported to its Port Melbourne plant and stored before processing.
This raises the possibility, these officials say, that the peanuts could have been contaminated by rodent faeces after being roasted but before processing. They also point out that the standard minimum temperature used in processing peanuts (90 degrees Celsius) should sterilise any contaminated matter.
However, Sanitarium's technical director, Dr Greg Gambrill, says that the presence of peanut oil can protect salmonella bacteria at normal food processing temperatures. This is one reason Sanitarium roasts its peanuts in-house at a minimum 135 degrees Celsius and then processes them within 24 hours.

Very interesting! Member @Bullwinkle may shed some light on ISO 9001 and associated standards related to food, being a retired food technologist.

 

[Ebby]

I'll just stick with my vegemite thanks.....

Yak not my cuppa tea too bitter for me

 

[jay2]

I just realised I had not seen Sanitarium Peanut Butter on the shelves in ages. Was this another of Woolworths "put it on the bottom shelf" like they killed Dick Smith's Peanut Butter?

Aldi have got a couple of different brands. jay2

 

[IAN3005]

I'll stick to stuff made in India 500g for $3.19

 

[Littleboy8]

I'll stick to stuff made in India 500g for $3.19

Which one and why and who sells it may I ask

 

[Annieline]

Thank you bairdy1 for the heads up regarding “ SANITARIUM “ being owned by the
Seventh - Day Adventist Church I for one did not know that I have on occasions bought
Their brand of Peanut Butter had I known then what I know now I would have avoided
buying it … my goodness they get away with paying company tax yet some of us
Pensioners are still still having to pay tax..

I remember as a kid (and I'm a pensioner now) that dad would never allow mum to buy Sanitarium products. Dad was a Taxation Investigator so I guess he knew what a lot of others didn't.

 

[IAN3005]

Which one and why and who sells it may I ask

Aldi - Bramwells. I used to buy the one made in the USA for the same price and weight. Nut like a lot of things in Aldi has gone out of stock for a couple of months so I can assume it is either no longer on range or they are fiddling with the contents to make more profit. I didn't keep a bottle of the one made in the USA to compare the contents.
I add some liquid coconut oil to make it easier to spread.

 

[Littleboy8]

Aldi - Bramwells. I used to buy the one made in the USA for the same price and weight. Nut like a lot of things in Aldi has gone out of stock for a couple of months so I can assume it is either no longer on range or they are fiddling with the contents to make more profit. I didn't keep a bottle of the one made in the USA to compare the contents.
I add some liquid coconut oil to make it easier to spread.

Okay

 

[Veggiepatch]

Aldi - Bramwells. I used to buy the one made in the USA for the same price and weight. Nut like a lot of things in Aldi has gone out of stock for a couple of months so I can assume it is either no longer on range or they are fiddling with the contents to make more profit. I didn't keep a bottle of the one made in the USA to compare the contents.
I add some liquid coconut oil to make it easier to spread.

You may as well buy another product - in stock or not. Bramwells Smooth Peanut Butter is a product of Argentina as sold by Aldi. Its rating is 3/5 from CHOICE Magazine and 2.5/5 from productreview.com. au.

 

[IAN3005]

You may as well buy another product - in stock or not. Bramwells Smooth Peanut Butter is a product of Argentina as sold by Aldi. Its rating is 3/5 from CHOICE Magazine and 2.5/5 from productreview.com. au.

The label on mine says 'made in India'. They must chop and change suppliers. As far as the rating from Choice goes it is their opinion only.... I go for the cheapest and most reasonable quality and it depends on what the contents are.