The Dubai municipality confirmed on Wednesday that all peanut butter sold in the emirate is safe for consumption and free of cancer-causing aflatoxins, reported the Gulf News.
Peanut butter has been at the center of a health scare after tests in the UK revealed the presence of a carcinogen.
The discovery forced Tesco, one of Britain's leading supermarket chains, to withdraw its own brand of peanut butter after researchers found that one jar contained more than twice the permitted level of aflatoxin.
The announcement of the recall led to fears that all peanut butter produced in the UK was affected.
Khalid Sharief, Head of the Food Control Section at the municipality, said: "Last week, peanut butter from the UK was taken off the shelves in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
There were fears that it contained unsafe levels of aflatoxin, which can cause cancer."
"We wanted to carry out our independent tests before taking action," he added.
Sharif denied a newspaper report that the tests had revealed the presence of the carcinogen in peanut butter sold in the UAE, said the Gulf News.
"The Dubai market had only one brand of British peanut butter coming in a while ago. It was discontinued. The current supply is mainly from the United States, which has been tested and found to be completely safe.
"No aflatoxins were detected in them. So peanut butter is safe for consumption." – Albawaba.com
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