Nutty Numbers - The Scoop on India's Peanut Butter Brands 🥜🍯

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I analyzed 68 products (with known nutrition facts as of August 3, 2024) in the Peanut Butters category of the India database of Open Food Facts - the 'Wikipedia of food'. The data, which has been obtained from Open Food Facts and subsequently cleaned, is available on GitHub in CSV format. You can also view that curated dataset with the Flat Viewer tool. 

View, Sort, Filter the data in Flat Viewer
View, Sort, Filter the data in Flat Viewer

Here are my findings and fun facts I discovered -

* Despite its name, peanuts are actually legumes, related to beans and peas.

* Peanut butter is a great source of protein. Just two tablespoons (~30 grams) contain about 7 grams of protein, making it a popular choice for vegetarians and athletes.

* Loved for its taste and nutritional value, peanut butter has become a pantry staple. No wonder, there are more than two dozen brands selling peanut butter including the following:

  1. 24 Mantra Organic
  2. Alpino
  3. Amul
  4. DiSano
  5. Dr. Oetker 
  6. Goody
  7. Healthkart
  8. Kissan
  9. Marco
  10. Muscle Blaze
  11. MYFITNESS
  12. Real Health
  13. Pintola
  14. Saffola
  15. Sundrop
  16. Tata Fabsta
  17. The Butternut Co
  18. The Whole Truth
  19. Veeba
  20. Yogabar

* Peanut butter is available in a variety of flavors and compositions, including sweetened, flavored, multi-ingredient, and unsweetened options.

* It has a shelf life of 6 to 12 months.

* The NOVA classification system groups foods based on their level of industrial processing, with Group 1 representing unprocessed or minimally processed foods and Group 4 comprising ultra-processed foods. Most unsweetened peanut butters are classified as NOVA Group 1, signifying minimal processing.

* Non-standard weights make price comparison challenging for shoppers. Below is a list of the Maximum Retail Price for Unsweetened Peanut Butter of the highest available weight for various brands, as taken from Amazon at the time of writing -

  1. Alpino Natural  Peanut Butter, Unsweetened, Smooth 1kg - ₹449  
  2. 24 Mantra Organic Peanut Butter (Creamy), 800gms - ₹449
  3. Veeba Natural Peanut Butter Unsweetened 1kg - ₹450 
  4. The Whole Truth Unsweetened Peanut Butter | 925 g - ₹515
  5. The Butternut Co. Natural Peanut Butter (Crunchy), Unsweetened, 1kg - ₹560
  6.  MuscleBlaze Peanut Butter with Whey Protein Concentrate, 750 g - ₹649
  7. MYFITNESS Unsweetened Peanut Butter Smooth 1.25kg, - ₹649
  8. Pintola Peanut Butter, Unsweetened, Crunchy, 1kg- ₹799 
For these products, the chart shows the macro nutrient breakdown using crowdsourced data from OpenFoodFacts.org and nutrition labels on Amazon -
Unsweetened Peanut Butter - Macro Breakdown

* Peanut Butter is classified under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) category 04 - Fruits and vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, fresh pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweeds, and nuts and seeds and sub category 04.2.2.5

* Astronauts have taken peanut butter into space since the early space missions. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin enjoyed peanut butter in specially designed squeeze tubes. Its long shelf life and high protein content, make it a good addition to their space meals.

* Archibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.

* In the United States, January 24th is celebrated as National Peanut Butter Day.

Note - This research was based on Open Food Facts & Amazon.in data available as of August 3, 2024. Information on product packaging may change; for the most current details, consult the latest data. 

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