I put aside all fears I have of aflatoxin today and thoroughly enjoyed Haitian peanut butter. Mmm…all natural peanuty goodness! I eat a lot of peanut butter and have been in major withdrawal these past few weeks! There were a couple containers of relatively aflatoxin-free American “Skippy” at the grocery store in Port-au-Prince, but the added sugar and hydrogenated vegetable oil gross me out. The Haitian “manba” is just peanuts and salt (and aflatoxins apparently).
So, here’s what I’ve learned about aflatoxins. Peanuts contain high quantities of the mold Aspergillus Vlavus, which produces aflatoxin, a carcinogen that has been associated with liver cancer. Practically all peanuts and peanut butters have the mold, but the amount of mold depends on a number of variables. In short the longer peanuts sit around before being made into peanut butter or after unrefrigerated and/or not in air-tight containers, the more mold and thus aflatoxins build up. High temperatures and high moisture environments make the situation even worse, making Haitian peanut butter a haven for Aspergillus Vlavus. In the USA the highest levels of aflatoxin have been found in all-natural, organic peanut butters. So, Skippy isn’t looking all too bad anymore.
I guess it all comes down to whether the benefits outweigh the risks. In Haiti, peanut butter is readily available and affordable. And kids like it. If a child is malnourished and the parents’ can’t afford other foods that are high in calories, fat, and protein (e.g meat, eggs, dairy products), then peanut butter doesn’t seem like such a bad option, aflatoxins and all, considering more than 1 out of 4 Haitian children under 5-years-old are malnourished.
But where does that leave me?? Hmm…I’m vegan and so could benefit from the nutrients in peanut butter especially since I don’t have access to soy products here. But, I can afford the Skippy. I could also have organic peanut butter shipped to me from the USA. But from what I’m reading, there’s really no way to tell if that is any better than Haitian peanut butter anyway! So, I might break down and buy the expensive Skippy…after finishing the Manba Rebo Natural that is.
