New York to Go Peanut Crazy in March

The National Peanut Board will turn New York City into Peanutopolis on March 4 and March 5 as it introduces its newest advertising campaign for America’s favorite legume, as well as a new slogan: "Peanuts: Energy for the Good Life."

The slogan, more than a year in the making, is part of an integrated multimedia campaign highlighting the energy-boosting qualities of U.S.A.-grown peanuts and peanut products and the way they become a part of all of our lives.

The event will begin with "Energy Central," an "Interactive, Educational Exhibit of all Things Peanut" in Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal consisting of an actual peanut field with farmers from across the peanut-growing regions on hand to show attendees around. Peanut luminaries will be on hand, such as U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist Kristin Armstrong and Food Network Iron Chef Michael Symon.

On Wednesday evening, March 4, the action shifts to Astor Center, a landmark architectural gem in Greenwich Village that will sparkle with some of today's brightest culinary stars who will demonstrate new versions of authentic global peanut dishes. Hosts Michael and Ariane Batterberry, editors and co-founders of Food Arts magazine, and members of the National Peanut Board will present several chefs, including Linton Hopkins (Restaurant Eugene, Atlanta), Zarela Martinez (Zarela, NY), Mai Pham (Lemon Grass, Sacramento, Calif.), Suvir Saran (Dévi, New York), and Roberto Santibañez, all of whom will tantalize their guests with new peanut-inspired takes on traditional regional and global dishes.

For more information, call 866-825-7946 or e-mail [email protected].

In other peanut news, tests run at a Plainview, Texas, plant owned by Peanut Corp. of America (PCA) showed ground peanuts there were contaminated with the same strain of salmonella that has made over 600 people sick and caused at least nine deaths across United States, according to published reports. The Plainview facility is the second PCA plant to test positive for salmonella; another strain was discovered at the company's Blakely, Ga., plant.

As for the latest food items affected by the outbreak of foodborne illness, St. Augustine, Fla.-based Tree of Life has issued a nationwide recall of Tree of Life brand snack products, including trail mixes and yogurt peanuts. Meanwhile, KIND snacks, which is manufactured by New York-based PeaceWorks, has issued a statement reassuring consumers that it used no PCA-supplied peanut products in its KIND Fruit + Nut Bars and KIND Plus Nutrition Bars.
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