Forty-two percent (42%) of Americans say they have avoided eating peanut butter since the nationwide salmonella outbreak started making headlines in mid-January.

But a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that most Americans (53%) say they are still eating peanut butter.

So far eight deaths and approximately 500 illnesses have been reported in 43 states as a result of salmonella poisoning from peanut butter. Hundreds of products containing peanut butter have been recalled since, and peanut butter sales are down an estimated 25%.

Despite the scare, most Americans (83%) are confident in the safety of the food they buy in grocery stores, while only 14% say they are not very or not at all confident.

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Women are more likely than men to say they have been avoiding the food. Nearly half (49%) of women say they have been avoiding peanut butter since news of the outbreak, compared to only 34% of men. Most men (63%) say they have not avoided the product, compared to 45% of women.

Women are somewhat less confident in the safety of the food they buy, but still 80% say they are somewhat or very confident, compared to 88% of men. Seventeen (17%) of women say they are not confident, while only 11% of men agree.

It’s been reported that half of the salmonella illness cases have been in children, and the survey found that parents are slightly more likely to avoid peanut butter than adults with no children.

However, parents tend to be a little more confident in food safety these days. While 87% of Americans with children are at least somewhat confident in the safety of the food they buy, 82% of adults with no children agree.

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