Frequently Asked Questions

Laura Scudder's Peanut Butter may be stored at room temperature, such as in a cupboard or on a pantry shelf. Refrigeration is not required but does slow down the naturally-occurring oil separation process. While you may choose refrigeration or room temperature storage depending on your preferences, we do not recommend freezing our natural peanut butter.

If you have difficulty locating your favorite variety of Laura Scudder's Peanut Butter, find out where to buy the product.

If you would like to see the product available at a particular grocer in your area, we encourage you to speak with your local store managers and request this item be given shelf space. Additionally, some of our products are available through the Smucker's® Online Store.

Unopened or opened, Laura Scudder's Peanut Butter has a nine month shelf life once produced. We recommend using the product by the Best If Used By date stamped on the back label.

From time to time, we do offer coupons in RedPlum® coupon inserts delivered in the newspaper or by mail and through online coupon sites such as coupons.com. We also may partner with local retailers and grocery stores to provide coupons either in-store, through their advertising circulars, or on their websites.

Upon first opening the jar, you may notice some separation between the ground peanuts and the natural peanut oil. This occurrence is completely natural. To incorporate the ground peanuts and peanut oil again for a spreadable consistency, we recommend any one of the following methods:

Make sure the lid is on tight and store the jar upside down. Inverting the jar will allow the oil to migrate to the bottom of the jar and may make stirring easier.

  • Try cutting into the peanut butter with a knife in a star shape to allow the oil to seep down the jar and make stirring easier.
  • Try slowly moving the stirring utensil up and down. The ground peanuts will adhere to the utensil and allow the oil to move down into the jar.
  • Try using a fork since its tines will work well to blend the peanut butter.

Laura Scudder's Peanut Butter products do not contain ingredients derived from gluten; however, these products do not meet our established criteria for a "gluten-free" claim for one or more reasons.

It is important to note that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet defined the term "gluten-free" or established rules for making a "gluten-free" claim on a food product; however, "gluten-free" claims are permitted, and each manufacturer is responsible for determining whether or not its products are "gluten-free".

We have established the following stringent criteria based on the FDA's proposed, but not finalized, rules for making "gluten-free" claims.

  • Ingredient Screening - The ingredient cannot contain gluten sources, such as wheat, rye, barley or their derivatives or hybrids. We also review for the presence of oats.
  • Testing - While there currently is not a commercially available test to detect the presence of oats, the product must be tested to verify that it contains less than 20 parts per million of gluten.
  • Manufacturing Procedures - In addition, facilities that manufacture verified "gluten-free" products must have a comprehensive gluten management program. All equipment used in the manufacture of products containing any gluten or oat source must be cleaned thoroughly prior to producing a product that is "gluten-free". These procedures must be validated and inspected after each clean-up.