There are a couple of peanut butter stories worth noting. One is about real peanut butter and the other is about the soy-based imitation. First, word on the real stuff. Peanut farmers in Georgia and elsewhere in the U.S. South say the very dry summer has stunted their crops. A severe shortage of the raw material (peanuts) is expected to drive up prices to the manufacturers. They in turn will raises prices, with one peanut butter maker saying the sticker may go up 30 percent. We shall see. Meanwhile,. the Southwestern Ontario Thames River School Board has banned the presence of imitation soy-based peanut butter in its schools. It seems a shame for those who like peanut butter, and even those who are allergic, that the artificial kind can’t be identified in some physical way. Artificial peasant butter, if it tastes like the real thing, might certainly be an option if the prices go too high.
