Shoppers buying peanut butter are almost certainly aware it contains nuts.

But a brand of the spread was withdrawn because it did not display a “contains nuts” warning on the jar, sparking disbelief and hilarity from social media users.

Whole Earth 3 Nut Butter, which is available in most supermarkets priced about £2.50, is being recalled because its makers have breached rules which state there has to be a nut allergy warning in English on the jar. The jar makes it plain on the label that it contains walnuts and pecans as well as peanuts, but it is written in Dutch.

Kallo, which makes the spread, said: “We are recalling Whole Earth 3 Nut Butter Peanut, Pecan & Walnut due to the back label not being in English”.

It alerted the Food Standards Agency, which has issued national consumer advice saying: “If you have bought the above product and have an allergy to peanuts and/or pecan nuts and/or walnuts and/or other nuts, do not eat it.

“Instead, return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund.”

Peanuts are a common cause of food allergy, caused when the immune system reacts to the protein found in the nuts. Peanut allergies affect about 2 per cent of children in the UK – the equivalent of one in 50 – and has been increasing in recent decades.