Data All Agree - USA-Grown Peanuts are Hot!

23/05/07 Americans say they love the taste of USA-grown peanuts more than ever, and studies show their affinity for the mighty legume is translating into more menu items in top restaurants and increased sales in grocery stores.
  
Peanuts are hot in restaurants ... New research from Food Beat, Inc., shows that total peanut mentions on top 200 U.S. restaurant chain menus have grown 142 percent, from 74 in 2000 (when the National Peanut Board [NPB] was formed) to 179 in the second half of 2006. Seventy of the top 200 chains served menu items with peanuts (including peanut butter, peanut flour and peanut oil) in 2006, compared with 38 in 2000 -- an 84 percent increase.

Peanuts are hot in grocery stores ... According to Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), peanut butter sales increased 10.6 percent in February 2007 and 4.1 percent in March 2007 (the most recent months reported) over the same periods in 2006. The trend increase for peanut butter consumption is 7.6 percent since the launch of NPB, while snack peanuts are up more than 56 percent.

Peanuts are hot with consumers across the board ... The increases in restaurants and grocery stores are right in line with what Americans are telling NPB in a new consumer preference study. Eighty percent of consumers say peanut butter tastes great -- an increase of five percent over the past three years. In addition, more than 75 percent of consumers say that peanut butter is a good source of protein.

"For generations, Americans have loved how USA-grown peanuts taste. But today, as we're more informed about nutrition and the differences between "good" fats and "bad" fats, manufacturers are turning to peanuts for their flavor and variety of healthful benefits," says Raffaela Marie Fenn, president and managing director of the National Peanut Board.

Besides being fun to eat and delicious, USA grown peanuts and peanut butter contain more than 30 essential nutrients and phytonutrients, including vitamin E. A two-tablespoon serving of peanut butter contains 12.2 grams of unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fat and 3.3 grams of saturated fat, and no cholesterol.

As plant-based products, peanuts, peanut oil and peanut flour are trans fat-free. With a growing number of cities implementing trans-fat bans in restaurants, more chefs and operators are also choosing refined peanut oil as a replacement for hydrogenated fats. Peanut oil has been the preferred frying medium for restaurants for many years because of its healthful profile, pleasant flavor enhancement, and long-lasting durability. Naturally trans fat- and allergen-free (due to extensive processing that removes the protein allergen), this popular oil is ideal for frying applications. "It does not absorb food flavors and has a high smoke point of 450 degrees F," says Laura Pensiero, registered nutritionist and proprietor of GiGi Trattoria in Rhinebeck, NY. Golden Peanut Company recently announced the opening of a new facility that will double the production capacity of refined peanut oil in the United States to meet growing demand.

What's less well known is that trans fat levels in both traditionally commercially prepared and natural peanut butters are undetectable, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agriculture Research Service. Put another way, research indicates you could eat 156 two-tablespoon servings of peanut butter (the equivalent of 156 peanut butter sandwiches) -- and perhaps many more -- without consuming even 0.5 gram of trans fat -- the Food and Drug Administration threshold for trans fat to be listed on a product label.

"No matter how you like it -- natural or traditionally prepared, crunchy or smooth -- peanut butter provides a variety of healthful benefits for children and adults and is one of the few foods that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner," said Marianne Neifert, M.D., "Dr. Mom", noted pediatrician, author and mother of five.