Ruth G. Desmond, Arlington's "Peanut Butter Grandma"
Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen Health Research Group, said at the time that Desmond showed the "extraordinary ability to make a difference as one person."
Ruth Desmond was an American consumer advocate who is most famous for her work in persuading the Food and Drug Administration to increase the quantity of peanuts in peanut butter. She was affectionately dubbed the "Peanut Butter Grandma."
In 1959, Desmond established the Federation of Homemakers from her residence in Arlington, Virginia. She established the federation in response to the cranberry crisis of that year, which resulted in the sale and consumption of contaminated cranberry sauce by her family. She was dedicated to encouraging government bodies to implement food safety laws, such as regulations on nitrates in baby food, additives in jelly beans, and caffeine in soft drinks.
Desmond filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture because some hot dog manufacturers were using the words "all beef" and "all meat" on their labels, even though they contained other ingredients as well. She won the case, and then called the Justice Department to tell them that it would be unfair if they appealed the decision.
At the peanut butter hearings in 1965, Desmond told company attorneys that peanut butter with less than 95 percent peanuts should be called "peanut spread," or better yet "cold cream."
Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen Health Research Group,
said at the time that Desmond showed the "extraordinary ability to make a difference as one person."
Desmond died on September 30, 1988.
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